by John Corwin
"He used an omniarch," the man said. "Opened a portal nearly to my doorstep."
"Great." Ambria exchanged a worried look with me. "Well, I guess that little secret is out."
I couldn't believe I'd been so foolish to bring this man back with me. Now Asha had dangerous knowledge. As an agent of Victus, she could bring him or Garkin through a portal any time she wanted. I touched my wand, ready to use it. I hoped Shushiel could get into position and bind Asha.
"Conrad, answer my question." The steel in Asha's voice left me little room.
"I dreamed about it, okay?" I glared at the old man. "Why did Delectra go to your house? Who were you to her?"
Asha's face went white. Her legs wobbled and she stumbled back against the wall.
"Are you okay?" the man's face filled with sudden concern. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder.
"Delectra went to your house?" Asha blinked rapidly. "When? I don't understand!"
The sudden emotion in her voice made me think I'd missed something. "Why are you so upset?" I asked.
Asha hardly seemed to hear me, focused as she was on the man. "It doesn't make any sense."
"I—I can explain." He stumbled over his words, tried to smile. "Really, I can."
Asha turned to me, tears in her eyes. "Conrad, when you asked me who killed my parents, I didn't want to tell you. More than anything, I just couldn't bring myself to hurt you."
"Hurt me?" I stepped backward, so confused at the twists and turns in the conversation. She doesn't have parents. She's a construct of demon flesh and soul fragments! "What are you talking about?"
"Asha," the man said softly. "We should talk about this elsewhere. Not here." The familiarity in the man's voice was unmistakable.
"Do you know each other?" Ambria said.
Asha didn't let him answer. "Victus and Delectra killed my parents." Her voice frosted over like a winter day. She turned to the man. "And now you tell me Delectra was at your house?"
"Not here!" The man turned to me. "Get us somewhere private, please."
"Who are you?" I said. "Tell me right this instant!"
"Please, not another word here," the man said. "I will tell you everything, but not here."
Asha blinked, as if coming awake from a trance. "I'm so sorry I told you that Conrad. I didn't want to burden you with more guilt."
I wanted to take her hand and tell her it was okay, but it was all a lie. Tears burned my eyes, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything. Victus, you evil twisted bastard!
"What in the world is going on here?" Ambria demanded.
I decided it was best to continue this in absolute privacy. There were better places to take the impostor, Asha, prisoner. I motioned everyone to follow me. We went back down the hallway toward the stairs leading to the underground classrooms.
"Delectra?" Asha muttered again.
The old man looked down, but said nothing.
A huffing Max caught up with us, a hand gripping his side. "Ow, I think I got a side cramp."
"Only you would consider food this important," Ambria said in a disapproving tone. "You didn't even think to bring us biscuits?"
Max looked down. "Sorry, but I couldn't think of anything except my stomach."
We reached the portal and stepped through it back to the omniarch room. I closed the gateway and hoped Kanaan was nearby in case I needed help.
Asha looked around in wonder. "Conrad, where are we? What is this place?"
"Oh, this is nothing, Ashes. You should see what's out there." The man motioned toward the corridor outside.
Ashes? The man spoke with such familiarity. Was he involved somehow?
Asha turned on him. "You will tell me this instant why Delectra was there."
"Tell me now," I demanded. "Why did you call her Ashes? How do you know each other?"
The man held up his hands defensively. "Please just give me a moment."
I turned to Asha. "How do you know him?"
Her angry glare softened as she turned to me. "This is my Granddad Stan."
I blinked. "He's real?"
The old man felt his chest. "Last time I checked, I was."
Asha looked confused. "Why wouldn't you think he's real, Conrad? Do you not believe me?"
"Believe you?" My voice was rough with emotion. "Is all of this a trick?" I spun on Stan. "Who are you, really? How did you know my mother?"
"Yes, why was Delectra there?" Asha's eyes tightened. "Did she want to kill me?"
Stan cleared his throat and looked down at the floor. "I'm so sorry, Ashes. I lied to you all those years ago." He met her eyes. "I had to. It seemed the best way to make you appreciate the danger. To keep you close to home."
"Lied about what?" Asha's voice cracked with emotion.
"Victus and Delectra didn't kill your parents." He looked back and forth from me to Asha. "They were your parents."
Chapter 24
I staggered backward. Ambria gasped and put a hand to her mouth. Max burped and grimaced apologetically.
Shushiel flickered out of camouflage, all eight eyes blinking rapidly. "This was unexpected."
The leopard melted into the form of a young girl with bright green eyes and shouted, "Are you bloody kidding me?"
Asha seemed the most shocked of all, suddenly discovering her parent's killers were actually family. Her face blazed bright red and she slapped Stan hard enough to make him stagger backward. "No!" Rage and sorrow roughened her voice. "That can't be true!"
"You're not a demon golem?" I said with wonder. "Y-you're my sister?"
Asha put a hand to her heart. "Demon golem?" She shook her head as if clearing a haze. "Sister?"
"I don't understand." I turned to Stan. "How can this be? I thought Victus made Delectra use their children for demonic experiments."
"I was best friends with Damien—Asha's grandfather. We served together in the Blue Cloak special forces. They asked me to be her godfather and I became like a second grandfather to her."
"He adopted me after my parents died." Asha scowled at him. "I can't believe you lied to me about my parents all these years."
Stan rubbed his cheek where she'd struck him. "Damien never liked Victus. He knew that man was no good from the moment he met him. God knows he tried to bring Delectra back from the darkness. But his little girl was so in love with Victus that she wouldn't listen." He bared his teeth. "That man and his demon magic corrupted her from the inside out."
"Does that mean you're my godfather too?" I asked, still too stunned to make sense of it all.
Asha interrupted. "What did you mean earlier about a demon golem?"
"Can we sit down and talk about this?" Max said. "My side is cramping bad right now."
"Yes, I think we should sit down," Ambria said. "Let's go into the mansion."
Everyone walked as if in a daze, Asha looked back and forth between me and Stan. I stared at them, while Stan cast worried looks at Asha. The leopard girl, now back in feline shape growled every time I looked her way.
I wanted to feel happy, but a part of me didn't trust this development even though it aligned with the visions from Delectra's memories.
I wasn't surprised when Kanaan opened the door and greeted us. "Come in."
Asha shook her head and backed up a step. "You're here, Kanaan?"
"Indeed." He motioned us inside. "There is tea in the sitting room."
Ambria led us into the large room on the right. The house golems had dusted and straightened the furniture. A steaming teapot sat on a silver tray, so we each poured ourselves a cup of tea and took a seat.
Asha and I looked at each other at the same time, neither of us averting our eyes.
"Now I know why Esma talked with you so much," I said. "She must have known who you were."
"Of course." Asha touched her cheek. "I never had the chance to tell you about those conversations, Conrad. She spoke highly of you, and seemed quite proud of your accomplishments, especially when you led your team to victory
in kabash."
"How did she behave with you?" I asked.
"She tested me at every opportunity, despite my protestations." Asha frowned. "I am a professor, after all, not a student." She shrugged. "But Esma assured me it was absolutely necessary."
"How did you do?" I asked.
"Well, Stan taught me all I know, so I had little problem countering Esma's tricks most of the time." A smile flickered across her lips. "I even overpowered her a couple of times. I expected her to be upset, but she seemed delighted."
"Here's what I don't get." Max leaned forward in his chair. "How did Victus never suspect you were his child? I mean, you look just like Delectra!"
"That is curious." Ambria pursed her lips. "It seems highly unlikely he wouldn't have seen you or spoken to you when he was disguised as Professor Sideon."
"Oh, he spoke to me on occasion, but most of the time, he ignored me completely." Asha tapped a finger on her chin. "Perhaps Delectra persuaded him that I simply looked similar."
Stan shook his head. "Do you think I'd let you out into the world without protection, child?" He pointed to her neck. "The locket I gave you for your tenth birthday is enchanted."
Asha's eyes flared. She tugged on a silver chain and produced a heart-shaped locket from beneath her shirt. She opened it and a tiny holographic image of Stan hovered just above it. "You knew I would never take it off, didn't you?"
He nodded. "I warded it to shield your image from Victus. Should he ever look upon you, he would see a very plain young woman. The enchantment would also subtly encourage him to ignore you."
"Why didn't you ward it against Delectra?" I asked.
"I should have, but I didn't think Delectra would harm Asha." He pressed his lips tight. "Then again, when she was under demonic influence, she was capable of anything."
Asha directed her gaze on me. "Conrad, what is a demon golem?"
"Oh boy." Max leaned back and grimaced.
"Victus can create duplicates of people using their soul fragments," Ambria said. She looked from Asha to Stan. "I want to believe all of this, but Conrad, how can we be certain this isn't a trick?"
"Demon golems?" Stan blew out a breath. "The man's a bloody monster!"
The leopard morphed back into a scantily clad girl wearing what looked like black straps across her chest and lower body. The outfit was far too revealing to be proper.
"Conrad! Max!" Ambria snapped her fingers and the pair of us looked away.
"Natalia, you really shouldn't do that in front of these boys." Stan shrugged. "Teenagers."
"How does she fit into all this?" Ambria asked.
"Stan is part of a network that rescues children from bad situations," Asha said. "Natalia is one of several who still live with him."
"I grew up with her," Natalia said. "Asha and Granddad Stan are family."
"Does everyone call him Granddad Stan?" Max asked.
Natalia looked at the old man fondly. "He is a good man, even if he likes to squirt us with water spells by surprise."
Asha laughed. "He still does that?"
Stan chuckled. "Every chance I get."
Kanaan removed a small gray sphere from within his robes and walked to Asha. "I must ask that you hold this in your palm."
"What is it?" Asha asked.
"It detects demonic flesh," he replied. "You must hold it for thirty seconds."
Asha took it and held it in the flat of her palm. Half a minute ticked past, every second a hammer stroke in my chest. What if she's a demon golem? What if this is a trick? I could hardly stand it.
The gray in the sphere faded to white. Kanaan took it and nodded. "You are human."
I couldn't take it any longer. I jumped up and ran over to Asha, tears brimming in my eyes. "That means you're really my sister."
Her eyes wet with emotion, Asha stood and embraced me. "Yes, I am, little brother."
Stan choked up and wiped his eyes. "I can't believe Delectra saved you, lad." He got up and wrapped his arms around both of us. "I'd be honored to be your grandfather too."
I have a bigger family than I thought. It was one of the happiest moments of my life.
Natalia looked me up and down. "I suppose I can adopt you too."
Ambria clapped her hands and laughed. "Oh, Conrad, how wonderful!"
Max cleared his throat. "Does this mean we get an A in your class, Asha?"
Asha laughed and pulled away from the hug. "Not on your life, Max."
"A happy occasion, but dire times." Kanaan's words sobered the atmosphere. "Victus travels with his associates to Chernobyl this afternoon. They seek to repair the Grand Nexus to bring Aerianas back from Seraphina."
"What?" His announcement threw cold water on my spirits. "If they repair the Nexus, doesn't that mean Justin Slade can return?"
Kanaan hesitated before answering. "It means, if all went according to Victus's plans, Aerianas built an army of infernus and defeated Justin and his army. It means Victus now controls Seraphina."
"W-what?" Max sputtered. "Impossible. Justin Slade defeated the biggest supernatural army ever. If Daelissa couldn't beat him, there's no way Aerianas could build an army of infernus big enough."
"Unless they used subterfuge." Ambria bit her lower lip. "The key to winning with these infernus isn't by mass producing them. It's by replacing important people and taking over from within."
"Precisely." Kanaan poured himself another cup of black tea. "Zarin and Victus briefly spoke of her mission. She was to infiltrate the Darkling society, take control of their armies by duplicating their leaders, and repeat the same with the Brightlings. Once done, she was to unite the nations and prepare for Victus's eventual return."
"Destroying Justin Slade and the Eden army along the way." Max's face paled. "That's insidious."
"It's awful." Ambria wrung her hands. "Do they know if she succeeded?"
Kanaan shook his head. "They have had no contact with the other side for nearly a decade, and Victus doubts he can repair the damage he did to the Nexus. He and his partners will meet Serena and rely on her expertise for aid."
"It could mean another Seraphim invasion." Stan's hand tightened on the armrest. "Unless, of course, the Slade boy won. Then it could mean the end of Victus."
Max pounded the flat of his fist into the other hand. "We need Ivy. With her, we can stop Victus."
"Yes, you've made that point before," Ambria noted dryly.
Max raised an eyebrow. "And?"
"And, I agree with you, Max." She reached over and touched my hand. "Conrad?"
"Hmm?" I couldn't stop thinking about what might wait on the other side of the Grand Nexus. An invading army, or platoons of homesick soldiers ready to come home? "With Garkin around, we can't hope to beat Victus. I think we should do what we can to rescue the prisoners at the foundry and destroy the place if possible."
"I'm in," Asha said. "I can't let my little brother do something dangerous without me."
"Me too." Natalia bared her teeth. "I can sniff out any bad guys."
"As can I," Shushiel said.
Max flashed a grin at me. "You know I'm in."
Ambria snorted. "I would hope so, since this was your idea."
Max's eyes widened. "My idea?"
"I want to help, too," Stan said.
"Absolutely not." Asha took his hand. "You've got a bad leg, chronic heartburn, and…"
Stan laughed. "You can make that list a mile long, Ashes, but I'm coming." He looked at Kanaan. "I'm old, but I have a few tricks left."
"You taught Asha everything she knows," I said, "but are you strong enough to fight Victus?"
"I'm not letting my goddaughter go into battle without me." Stan flicked a compact staff from his side holster and expanded it. He slammed the butt on the ground. "I can hold my own."
"Perhaps you could squirt them with water," Natalia suggested.
"Hah!" Stan folded his staff back to a four-inch rod and put it in the holster. "If I get 'em in the eyes, you can bet they won't
be able to see well enough to hit me."
Asha's forehead pinched with worry, but she nodded. "Be careful. There are many more people than me who rely on you."
"It appears we have much to plan." Kanaan set down his tea. "Destroying the foundry will present a serious challenge."
"I think you'd better explain more about the foundry," Asha said.
"It's the place where Victus makes the infernus." I tried to give her a brief description, but by the time I got into the preservation coffins and the demon pattern, I ended up spending half an hour on the story.
"The man is a monster," Stan said.
"I can't believe he's my father." Asha turned to me. "And I can't imagine how you've dealt with these awful feelings all this time, Conrad. It's as if his sins are suddenly mine."
I reached across and gripped her hand. "His sins are his alone, no matter what anyone says." I let go and leaned back. "All we can do is try to stop him from causing more harm."
"Amen," Max said.
Kanaan took out an arcphone and displayed a holographic image of a map. He drew an X with his finger where the abandoned cottage sat. "We use the portal to arrive here."
"Why not inside the foundry?" Max asked.
"I could not get a portal to open there or within a four-hundred-yard radius." Kanaan drew a circle around the foundry. "It is likely they have a portal-blocking statue inside."
"Like the ones they used during the war," Max said.
"Yes." The magitsu master traced a line from the cottage, through the woods, and around the field with the mass grave. "There are twenty-one of Garkin's battle mages living in the compound beyond the foundry." He zoomed in on a cluster of buildings to the north of the sandstone buttes. "I have not observed them patrolling. It appears they believe there is nothing to guard against since no one knows the compound exists."
Ambria sighed. "Thank goodness for your brain fog potion, Max. Otherwise Zarin would have alerted the others."
"Brain fog?" Asha looked confused.
"I'm really good at inventing potions," Max said. "This one makes you forget the last ten minutes."
Ambria tutted. "If by inventing you mean making terrible mistakes."
"If by mistakes you mean genius!" Max shot back.
