by John Corwin
Ignoring Baal's smug soliloquy, I walked up to the obelisk and channeled into it. Turn off. Cease and desist. I went through a mental thesaurus of deactivation commands, but the obelisk ignored me.
"You can't stop it," Baal said. "It's charmed with a passcode only Fakor and I know."
Frustration clenched my hands into fists, but physical violence would solve nothing. How in the hell could I unplug this thing? Blasting it with Brilliance might only fuel it. Encasing it in Murk wouldn't turn it off. There had to be—that's it!
"Fascinating," I said as Baal smugly regarded my efforts. I channeled a sphere of Brilliance, silently praying this did the trick.
"Oh, grandson, how little you know." Baal tutted. "Violence is not—"
I summoned Murk and wove it into a beam of Stasis.
"No!" Baal lunged for me.
Elyssa batted him onto his ass, then bound him with the magic repression cuffs.
I threaded the Stasis around the obelisk, suffocating it in a blanket of energy-snuffing fog. The aether dancing on its surface died. The rift gem flickered and fell. It crashed into the ocean with a tremendous splash. The rift snapped shut.
The flock of tiny dragons chirped and warbled in distress, flying in circles where the rift had been. I almost felt sorry for them.
"You got it!" Adam and Cinder glided in for a landing. "Awesome!"
Baal looked coldly up at me. "You have only delayed the inevitable, Justin. By thwarting me, you have given Xanomiel the advantage." With that, he darted from Elyssa's side and leapt over the edge of the cliff before either of us knew what had happened.
I wondered if Baal left the body before it hit. I wondered if Fakor even knew he was about to die. The body bounced off the side of the rock and splashed into the ocean far below.
"Christ Almighty," Adam said. "What an asshole."
"We've got to get back to the city," I said. "There's still Aerianas to worry about."
Elyssa's comm pendant crackled. "This is Commander Borathen. Please reply."
"I'm here," Elyssa said.
"…was a misdirection. Aerianas…coming for Cabala."
"We know." She hopped back on the carpet. "What's your ETA?"
"A day," Thomas said, the connection hissing with static. "…careful."
"You too." Elyssa glanced over her shoulder at us. "Let's go."
We flew at top speed back to the city. Whoever was in charge of troop deployments was damned good at their job, because the soldiers manning the sea wall had already boarded cloudlets and embarked across the city to the eastern front. I spotted more cloudlets laden with soldiers far to the north and south, apparently circling around the enemy forces in a classic pincer move.
Baal had bet everything on getting his big bad dragons through the rift. Now there was nowhere for Aerianas and her army to go. That brought up another problem. Did Alysea control the Brightling soldiers or someone else? Would they order the slaughter of the Darkling legions?
The battle started before we got there. Daskar met archangels. Destructive magic lanced across the sky. Armored figures spiraled to their doom on the ground far below. What the Daskar lacked in numbers, they made up for in firepower and maneuverability. It wasn't enough. Archangels hemmed them in from all sides and whittled down their numbers until the ground was littered with bodies from both sides.
I spotted the bulk of the Darkling legions on the ground below. The forward ranks milled in confusion. The rear turned and ran. Up on the skyway, I spotted a small group of people that could be no one else but Aerianas and her inner circle. The carpet was fast, but the Imperial Skyway whisked them away too quickly to catch.
Her capture was important, but I had other considerations to make. Preventing a Darkling slaughter ranked the top of my list.
Brightling infantry cut off retreat on all sides, their numbers at least four times that of the Darklings. I held my breath, waiting for the charge that would spill blood. Instead, I saw a cloudlet with my mother drift behind a flight of archangels. I saw her mouth moving, but hearing her words over the shout and din of the battle was impossible.
Elyssa steered clear of the few remaining Daskar and circled around to my mother. By the time we reached her, many Darklings were already throwing down their weapons. Some few tried to fight their way free and were killed or subdued. Dozens lay dead, but hundreds more surrendered and preserved their lives. There would be no slaughter today.
The final Daskar fell from the sky and a sense of relief washed over me. Were they truly living beings? Probably. But as long as any survived, I couldn't help but think that Aerianas had spies among us.
It hadn't been much of a battle, but the aftermath would shake Seraphim politics to the core.
The Falcheen arrived early the next morning with unexpected passengers. They'd encountered Aerianas and her cohorts heading back east on the skyway and engaged them. The dolems impersonating Kohval and Meera were killed in the battle. Aerianas had given herself up.
Alysea had the Daemas thrown into holding with Kaelissa.
Thankfully, we had good news for Illaena as well. We found the Mzodi crew Kaelissa had captured in holding cells near the shipyard. Kaelissa had forced them to build her a fleet. Unwilling to give her their ancient Mzodi secrets they'd barely constructed half a ship hull.
We told Thomas and the others what had happened in their absence. Thomas had Bliss and the other dolems searched for communications devices but found none. It was Cinder who surmised how Fakor knew our plans.
"Baal could possess Zero or Fakor at any time," Cinder said. "When he possessed Zero and we allowed him in the room where we had discussed our plans, he likely informed Fakor of his observations. It is also likely he overheard other useful information."
"Son of a bitch." Shelton smacked a palm to his forehead. "We didn't even think of that."
"Baal certainly weaves a mighty fine web of deceit," David said. "Even I haven't untangled half of it."
"Are demons able to enter any realm?" Cinder asked.
David tilted his head back and forth. "Lesser demons can certainly possess beings in other realms, but mortals are far easier to possess than other supernaturals."
"Unless you're Baal," Shelton said.
"Exactly." Dad shrugged. "There's no telling how many realms he's reached or how many others he's influenced. The dragons are probably just the tip of the iceberg."
"Then it is imperative we try to secure our own allies," Cinder said. "The Seraphim may not be enough."
I blew out a sigh and nodded. "We need to find a way to hop realms. With Baal and Xanomiel intent on wrecking the universe, we're going to need everyone on our side."
"Can the rift gem be used for that?" Elyssa asked.
"Only if we can access the obelisk," Adam said. "All the enchantments controlling the gem are encrypted. It might be better to return to Atlantis. If we can find the Fallen, they might have the answers to interdimensional travel."
"And a way home," Shelton said, hope rising in his voice.
Elyssa sighed and rubbed her arms as if she was cold. "Well, we'd better get to the plaza. Alysea is supposed to make her speech soon."
I shivered with excitement. Mom is a friggin empress! Unfortunately, her new duties kept her incredibly busy. Kaelissa had ignored the little things while she was busy trying to take over the world and the empire was falling apart at the seams.
We met Shelton and Bella outside. Adam, Meghan, and Cinder waved as they made their way toward us. Shelton had a few fading bruises and was missing a small piece of his ear where one of Arturo's attacks had nicked him. He didn't care about all that. His biggest complaint was the loss of his beloved duster.
"Leather in Seraphina just ain't the same as cowhide," he moaned as we walked toward Citadel Square. "Eor offered to make me something with a gem, but there's no way I'm wearing a silky duster."
"I think purple silk would suit you just fine," Adam said with a snicker. "It brings out the color in your cheeks
and eyes."
Shelton stopped in his tracks. "Hey, you're right. Plus, I'll bet it's a lot more comfy. I can charm it to wrap around your face and choke you to death too. How's that?"
We burst into laughter.
"Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting a choke charm on your duster," Adam said. "That was really sneaky."
"When they gave me my stuff back before the fight, I went straight to my practical jokes files." Shelton chuckled. "I figured if I could knock Arturo off stride, maybe fluster him, I had a chance."
"It worked," I said. "Plus, it made him pour more energy into your geodesic shield spell."
"How did you know your spell would not explode on you?" Cinder said.
Shelton scratched his chin uncomfortably. "I didn't. It was a calculated risk that my spell would hold cohesion until I released it."
Bella tightened her grip on Shelton's arm. "Maybe now we'll have a chance to slow down and enjoy life for a change."
Everyone looked at each other before shaking their heads and saying, "Nah!"
"Two days at best," Shelton said. "Then Justin will decide it's time for another adventure."
I threw my arms up in surrender. "Hey, don't look at me!"
"Oh, it's all you," Elyssa said with a grin.
I looked into her glowing violet eyes and felt love swelling in my heart. Despite all the battles we'd survived, the executioner's sword had fallen uncomfortably close to our necks this time. The thought of everyone lying headless in pools of blood made me shudder.
We reached Citadel Square just as Alysea began her speech. Dozens of Mzodi ships hovered beyond the sea wall. Mzodi crew stood apart in the crowd. Darklings mingled with Brightlings and the tension was palpable. I saw a Brightling soldier spit on the ground when a Darkling passed. A Darkling soldier cast venomous stares at the city guard.
This is not going to be easy. For centuries, the two factions of Seraphim had lived apart both geographically and socially. I just hoped it didn't take centuries to mend the rift.
Alysea stood on a cloudlet floating above and in front of the crowd. Behind her stood Arturo, Xalara, Flava, and other representatives from the Darkling and Brightling nations. She tapped a gem at her throat and began to speak, her voice amplified throughout the city.
"The first of our people did not know such terms as Brightling or Darkling. They knew only one term for our people: Seraphim. Each of the first channeled creation and destruction. Each wove the primal forces into many other forms." Alysea held aloft white and ultraviolet spheres, sending a ripple of murmurs through the crowd. "What caused the separation in our powers, I do not know. I know it is possible for each of you to tap into both forces. I know that your affinity for Murk or Brilliance does not define you as a person, or lessen your value as a Seraphim."
Several nearby Brightlings scowled while Darklings looked hopefully at one another.
"Only the weak seek differences in others to make themselves feel better. Only the weak claim moral superiority because of their primal affinity." Alysea's voice rose in volume with every sentence. "We are not weak. We are Seraphim. And from this day forward, I decree that every Seraphim has inalienable equal rights and value."
A great roar went up from the Darkling throngs. The Brightlings seemed less sure, though pockets of them raised their voices in cheers.
"Furthermore," Alysea continued, "Pjurna and the Mzodi nation shall be joined with the Brightling Empire. This new nation will be known as the Seraphim Empire. One name, one people, one purpose. An ancient evil threatens all the realms. It is now our purpose to heal the old divides of our people and to move forward. Together, nothing can stand in our way!"
A great roar went up from the crowd.
"Can you believe it?" Shelton said. "A unified Seraphina."
"Not quite," Bella said. "But at least the Seraphim are all on the same path now."
A gruff voice spoke behind me. "Your mom is quite a speaker."
I turned and saw Thomas and the rest of Elyssa's family.
"Honestly, I didn't know she had it in her." I shook my head in wonder. "It's still hard to believe she's an empress. And that my dad is her consort."
"I'll bet he loves that!" Shelton snorted. "What do you plan to do with Kaelissa and her merry gang?"
"She's too dangerous to cut loose," Michael said. "But we also can't keep her locked up in Zbura in case sympathizers try to free her."
"Which is why we worked out a deal with the Mzodi," Thomas said. "Kaelissa will spend some time in their flying cities, first as a prisoner, and perhaps later as a citizen."
"What will you do with the remaining dolems?" Cinder asked.
"Zero is a link to Baal," Thomas said. "We'll have to keep him locked up along with most of the others."
Cinder tilted his head slightly. "What of Bliss and Issana?"
Shelton patted him on the back. "Aww, does Cinder want his girlfriends?"
"They have not expressed interest an intimacy," Cinder said, "though with your help, Harry, I am certain to succeed."
Adam snorted. "Asking for Shelton's help with women is like asking a dragon to help you put out a fire."
Shelton scowled. "Hey, I got Bella, didn't I?"
"Against all odds, Harry." Bella smiled sweetly and punched him in the shoulder.
We burst into laughter.
I wished the moment would freeze-frame like the end of a corny sitcom so we could make this happy moment last a bit longer. Unfortunately, we were still stuck in Seraphina with Grand Overlord Baal of Haedaemos and Xanomiel of the Apocryphan scheming to wreck the universe. I'd hoped uniting Seraphina would be my last good deed for a while, but apparently, this was just the first step of many.
Our next moves were clear—find a way into the other realms and gain more allies. If anyone could do it, we could.
Baal, I'm going to kick your demonic ass.
About the Author
John Corwin is the bestselling author of the Overworld Chronicles. He enjoys long walks on the beach and is a firm believer in puppies and kittens.
After years of getting into trouble thanks to his overactive imagination, John abandoned his male modeling career to write books.
He resides in Atlanta.
Connect with John Corwin online:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/johnhcorwinauthor
Website: http://www.johncorwin.net
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/John_Corwin
Books by John Corwin
THE OVERWORLD CHRONICLES
Sweet Blood of Mine
Dark Light of Mine
Fallen Angel of Mine
Dread Nemesis of Mine
Twisted Sister of Mine
Dearest Mother of Mine
Infernal Father of Mine
Sinister Seraphim of Mine
Wicked War of Mine
Dire Destiny of Ours
Aetherial Annihilation
Baleful Betrayal
Ominous Odyssey
Insidious Insurrection
OVERWORLD UNDERGROUND
Possessed By You
Demonicus
OVERWORLD ARCANUM
Conrad Edison and the Living Curse
Conrad Edison and the Anchored World
Conrad Edison and the Broken Relic
Conrad Edison and the Infernal Design
STAND ALONE NOVELS
Mars Rising
No Darker Fate
The Next Thing I Knew
Outsourced
For the latest on new releases, free ebooks, and more, join John Corwin's Newsletter at www.johncorwin.net!
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