“Like the one to your audience chamber?” Wren asked.
“Yes,” Gaea confirmed. “The big difference is the door monitor. It will only allow six people through every twelve bells.”
“And why again is the door monitored to six people at a time? Weren’t there like hundreds of first ones?” Daena asked.
“It’s because of the lock-down. Wren tightened the security to keep the Kriar out, and considering our problem with the Daergons, it’s a good thing. Otherwise, you’d have to worry about Baronians inside of Starholme. I only know about the monitor because during the Kriar-eternal war, I locked the security down. When I decided to station the Lokori there as additional security, I remember it took a long time to get them in.”
“And how many went in?” Senalloy asked the obvious question.
Gaea shrugged. “Fifty—maybe sixty.”
“What are you worried about them for? It’s been eons,” Ziedra said. “They must be dead by now. I mean how long could they live in some ‘core’ thing?”
“That core is a complete environment a hundred leagues across with self regenerating stores of food, water, and energy. Before their experiment, many of my firsts lived there.”
“Oh grrreat,” Daena said. “And these things we need, do we know where to find them?”
Gaea blinked. “That is one of the difficulties.”
Wren bumped her fist against her forehead. “We’re supposed to search an area the size of Malan for what—a building? Is it going to be near one of the entrances?”
The green mother shook her head. “I don’t know. I just know that many of the raw materials used to construct the genemar were also used to construct the subpath devices used in my audience chamber. I know those materials were fetched from the core, but I don’t know where in the core. I would have you scavenge the materials from my audience chamber but the most important components must be in their raw magical state. If they were just simple compounds, I would simply have the Kriar create them for me.” Gaea pressed her lips to a line. “The magical properties in a few of these components are extremely strong and quite unique. After I show Ziedra what to look for, she should be able to detect a significant amount of them from close to a league away.”
Wren sighed. “Okay, at least that’s doable. It’s still a lot of hunting but with us flying it won’t be too bad.”
Gaea gestured and a large black cylindrical case appeared in her hands in a flare of magic. She set it on the floor with a thud. “Now, this is important,” she said, gesturing and summoning three more cases and setting them down. “A couple of the magic compounds are extremely volatile. None of you are mortal, but they are still dangerous to you and can have all sorts of nasty effects. Put them in these shielded cases as quickly as possible, and under no circumstances should you let bare skin touch any of these materials. Especially the spirit bender. Being avatared like you are… I have no idea what that might do.”
Gaea held out her hand, and six large blue jewels appeared in her palm. “These are memstones. From these you’ll know exactly what you need to get and how much.” She walked around the circle handing them out.
Bannor accepted his with a furrowed brow. It was a large rounded blue stone with triangular facets. It felt warm. He put it in his belt pouch, he’d ask later what to do with it.
“Since Bannor is going along,” Gaea continued. “I’m hoping the shaladen telepathy will still be in range. Damay will be standing by in case there are problems. She will lead a team consisting of herself, Loric, Euriel, Vanidaar, Idun and Megan.”
“Whoa, that’s a powerful back up team,” Bannor murmured.
“I have some idea of what this team is capable of,” Gaea said. “I honestly think we won’t have to go to the back up, but it’s better to be prepared. Any questions?”
“Uh, Mother?”
“Yes, Bannor.”
“These Lokori? I realize it’s a long shot—what if they are still in there? What do we do?”
“Stay away from them. It is unlikely you will be able to negotiate with them. I put them in there because they are xenophobic in the extreme and viciously territorial. They destroy anything that isn’t like them and they have extraordinary senses.”
“Destroy?” Daena said. “I heard someone mention they were nightmares to the Kriar. How powerful are they?”
Gaea grimaced. “It is not their power, it—” She let out a breath and shook her head. “I—I just wouldn’t try to fight them. They don’t do magic, so they can’t fly. Just stay out of reach and keep away from places where they might jump down on you.”
“You speak as if they are animals,” Wren said. “They’re intelligent, right?”
“They are extremely smart. I had to trick them in there and then give them incentive to stay. If they are there, they think of that place as their own.”
“Guard hounds,” Senalloy said. “Really mean ones.”
Gaea nodded. “Anything else?” When no-one said anything, she looked around. “So, until you know for certain the Lokori aren’t there, assume they are and protect yourselves.”
Azir rolled out of his chair and stood up. He laced his fingers, cracked his knuckles, and sniffed. “I’m ready.”
Daena stared at him. From the expression on her face it was tough to tell whether it was admiration or disdain. Wren was definitely annoyed. Ziedra simply seemed amused. Senalloy was as impervious as ever, little bothered the elder, especially the squabbling of youngsters. Bannor was certain none of it came as any surprise to the silver-haired woman.
“Bannor, please give me regular updates of your progress,” Megan asked. “If you do encounter Lokori, Koass wants to know about it.”
He gave her a salute. “Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Sarai as she came and put her arms around him. She gave him a kiss. she said in his mind. At the same time he felt a surge of warmth all through his body that made his heart race and every nerve in his body quiver.
He coughed. “Whoa.”
An impish expression on her face she wiggled her eyebrows at him, violet eyes gleaming. “Shaladen kiss. Like it?”
“Uh,” he felt his ears burn. He grinned. “Yeah.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Be careful and come back soon. I’ll show you more.”
Damn. It really must be the baby making her moody. Less than a bell ago he was a ‘lout’ for leaving her to go on Gaea’s mission. He rubbed her tummy. “One more reason to come back.”
“Sarai, not that you really need it,” Senalloy said. “My sister Luthice will be checking in with you and your sisters if I’m gone longer than expected. She’ll take my place until I get back.”
“Is she as qualified as you?” Sarai asked with an arch expression.
“She’s three times as sneaky, twice as mean, and plays half a dozen musical instruments to boot.”
Sarai sighed. “A glowing endorsement if ever I heard one.” She looked around. “Aren’t Corim or Dulcere going to see you off?”
Senalloy shrugged. “Corim has wished me well with telepathy.”
His wife-to-be put fists on hips. “As attentive as you are to him, the least he could do is show up in person.”
“He’s afraid of her,” Daena said, tilting her head to one side. “You know, even Kell chided him for being on the fence.”
Senalloy was smiling permissively, then her brow furrowed. “What?”
“Yeah, while Kell was kicking our arses, he was raving all sorts of strange stuff,” Daena told her. “He said to Corim to get off the fence and that ‘you can love them both’, then zapped him with his own shaladen.”
The Baronian woman’s eyes narrowed. “Interesting.” She let out a breath. “Well, we need to focus on the mission now.” She looked to Ziedra. “Thinking of send offs, where’s your husband, Zee?”
Ziedra smiled. “I got a fine send-off in private before we came. Telepathy is a wonderful thing—just like being there.” She glided to the middle of the council-room floo
r overtop the T’Evagduran crest engraved in the stone floor. “I’ll bring the boxes.” She pulled a tiny looking pouch off her side, and landed by Gaea’s containers. She stretched the mouth of the little bag in her hands and pulled it over one of the cases which was several times too big to fit in something barely twice the size of a man’s fist. With a thump of inrushing air the bag engulfed the box. Bannor blinked. Ziedra repeated the process three more times and fastened the bag back on her belt and straightened up. “So, Sen, who’s doing transport, you or me?”
The elder walked out onto the middle of seal. “How many teleports have you done?”
“A handful, Rad has that warp thing, so I don’t need to do it often.”
Senalloy shook her head. “I’ll do it.”
Daena skipped out to join them. “I can do it.”
The elder brushed back her silver hair and put hands on hips. “Not a chance. No way am I putting my microstructure in the hands of a teenage first one.”
The auburn haired girl snorted. “Janai trusts me.”
“She can go right on trusting you,” Senalloy responded with a frown. “She doesn’t have a dozen layers of protective magic that can cut loose if you miscalculate a reassembly vector.”
“A reassembly vector? What’s that?”
Senalloy rolled her violet eyes. “The reason I’ll handle transport. Wren, just go anywhere you can use that gate key, right?”
The blonde savant nodded as she stepped onto the seal.
Azir stepped up and stood by Daena.
Bannor gave Sarai a last kiss goodbye. “I’ll be as careful as I can.”
She gave his arm a squeeze as he stepped away onto the seal.
Megan pressed her hands together and raised her rainbow wings. “Good journey, and may your deeds be glorious.” She nodded to them.
Gaea looked around at them, meeting each of their eyes. “Take care my children. I look forward to the day I can actually take such an adventure with you.”
Bannor focused back on his wife-to-be. Gazing into her eyes as Wren gave Senalloy the go-ahead.
The Baronian warmage raised her hand and said a single powerful word that seemed to make the room shudder and resonate. She swung her arm around and the air around them began to hiss and blow, sparking and rasping. The light around them grew in intensity until the room was blotted out entirely and Bannor felt a sharp falling sensation.
Sarai’s presence seemed to jump a universe away from him. The surroundings flared into being around them. They stood on a barren rock outcrop beneath a brilliant night sky. A giant pinwheel of light dominated the deep indigo sky. A sprinkling of stars shone like brilliant jewels in the arc of the heavens. The acrid smell of dry plants hung thick in the air. A warm breeze hummed through clefts in the boulders around them. Wherever they were, it was not the world of Titaan.
Sarai still seemed close, like she was still in the same chamber. He felt her in his mind. He reached out to her, sharing the majestic scene overhead. He felt her smile in his mind, pleasuring in the spectacular image.
“Whoa,” Daena breathed. “Talk about scenic!”
“I come here to think,” Senalloy said. “I know this place well.”
“I can see why,” Ziedra said, marveling.
“Hmmm,” Azir murmured, smiling and nodding to himself as he looked up.
No question in Bannor’s mind what the other man was thinking. He didn’t need the shaladen to read his mind. If ever there was a place that would put a woman in a good mood, this would have to be one of them.
Wren took only a few moments to admire the scenery before beginning to summon the phoenix to open Starholme. No doubt she was concerned that they would be detected outside of Kul’Amaron and wanted to hurry.
In the few moments it took her to conjure the massive creature of flame, nothing bothered them. She gave the pass phrase to the living inferno and the way was opened to them.
A few steps and a jump deposited them in the same corridor where they had been less than a tenday ago. As the gateway crackled shut behind them, Wren let out a sigh, obviously relieved that nothing had attacked them.
She let out a breath. “Let’s get this over with,” she headed forward. “Same as last time, stay close together. You especially Sen, stay close to one of the savants.”
Senalloy looked around. “This is it? It doesn’t look like much.”
Ziedra laughed. “Give it time, you’ll be impressed.”
Retracing their footsteps didn’t take long. As they entered the complex itself, Senalloy started making more appreciative noises. After only a short time they were back in the creation lab where they first met Hyperion. Wren didn’t hesitate after opening the door but headed directly across the spongy floor to the stairs.
They all trailed after her and out onto the platform looking into the nexus shaft.
“Frellll…” Senalloy murmured, looking up at the massive column of magic and the seemingly infinite expanse rising above and dropping below.
“I can tell by the tone of your voice you’re a little more impressed,” Ziedra said.
The Baronian walked a short way out onto the bridge running her hand along the purplish metal rail and craning her neck to look up. The icy air traveling up the shaft made her hair dance and sway. She looked back to them. “That’s some serious magic.”
Bannor walked out next to her, sniffing the pure ‘after a storm’ air whistling up from the pit. His gaze traveled to the massive crystalline dome and the lattice of conduits carrying streamers of energy throughout the colossal structure. In his mind, he felt Sarai and the other Shael Dal marveling with him. He had already seen it once before, but something so titanic awed no less on the second viewing.
“Okay, Zee, can you do some flying stuff please,” Wren asked.
“You got it, Boss girlfriend,” Ziedra answered with a grin. She closed her eyes and then touched Wren on the forehead.
A gold diamond of brightly glowing magic appeared on Wren’s skin. With a whirl of mist and a puff of warm air she rose off the platform, hazy contrails spiraling around her limbs.
Daena clapped her hands. “I love this part. The flying you do is so wizard, Zee!”
The ascendant of magic smiled. “Glad you enjoy it so much.” She touched Daena, imparting the flight magic to the auburn-haired first one.
She turned to Azir and repeated the process.
Ziedra focused on Bannor. “I notice you don’t flinch now when I cast on you.”
“It just took me a while to get acquainted, Sister. I trust you.”
She smiled. “You’ve gotten over your fear of flying too.”
He pressed his lips to a line. “Only when you do it.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment then,” she told him with a grin. She closed her eyes and concentrated. After a moment she touched him on the bridge of his nose. A warm rush went through his body, causing his heart to speed and his breath to catch. A rippling went through his flesh and a tingle pressed outward along the surface of his skin.
With a humming and puff of warm air he too rose up off the platform, hands and feet illuminated in misty distortions.
Ziedra stepped over to Senalloy. “Yay or nay? I know you can probably do it yourself.”
“I can,” Senalloy agreed. “Looking at it, I think I like yours better though. Maybe you’ll teach it to me?”
The ascendant of magic raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.” She gathered her energies and placed a flight sigil on Senalloy as well.
The Baronian rose into the air. She did a slow turn then an acrobatic flip while rising higher into the air above the seemingly endless pit. “Oh yes, far superior. I’m guessing a bribe for this spell may be in order.”
“Oh, now we’re talking,” Ziedra said.
“All right,” Wren said to her floating team. “I guess we fly to the bottom. I have no idea how far down this goes. There’s so much magic in this place, and we have no idea how it may affect Ziedra’s enchantments, so my
advice is stay close to the walls.” She looked to her brother. “Can we count on you for a little light?”
Azir shrugged. He raised his hand and a bluish sphere of illumination appeared in the air at the tips of his fingers. The ball remained where he placed it, bobbing up and down like a shimmering bubble of brightly glowing water. He created three more balls of light. Bannor noticed they moved where he directed them as if they were suspended on strings.
Wren rose a little higher and drifted over to look down into the pit. Ziedra floated over with her. “That is one deep hole.”
He glided over to gaze down with them. It seemed to go down forever. Periodically, dim lights flickered in the distance and alien artifices hummed and crackled. It was hard to even imagine the kind of power it had taken to build such a thing. As far as they understood, the first ones did not have creation artifices like the Kriar, this thing had been built by hand and with magic.
Wren drew a breath then dove off the platform. Swallowing, he followed. Seeing the others plunge in behind him. The air rushing up the shaft made it seem like they were dropping faster than they were. It was impossible to shake the sense of falling and he had to fight down the urge to panic. His heart hummed in his chest and he took air in gasps.
Apparently, plunging straight down the shaft unnerved Wren as well, because she tacked back and forth down the vertical face. As she became more confident in the eddies and gusts swirling in the giant space, she increased their speed and started following the wall in a spiral course as they dropped.
The creation lab platform was soon gone, lost in the shadows high above them. They passed level after level of artifices churning and humming with magic. What did it all do?
The trip down was roughly a quarter bell old when Daena yelled.
“Hold up!”
Wren paused and looked back.
Bannor pivoted in the air to see Daena illuminated in the light from one of Azir’s glow-spheres.
“Look over there,” Daena pointed. “I think we know why the up/down thing isn’t working anymore.”
He peered in the direction she indicated. In the poor light of the shaft, there appeared to be a large dent in the metallic surface.
Reality's Plaything 5: The Infinity Annihilator Page 17
