Baleful Betrayal (23 page)

"How in the world do they do that?" Shelton said.

"They use purifying gems," Flava explained.

"That's one tough zit to pop," Shelton grumbled. "Once the Stasis breaks a hole in the shield, how long do we have before it closes back up?"

"A few seconds at most," Flava said. "Any of our troops inside would be trapped."

Elyssa shook her head and stared at frozen image. It was a look I knew all too well. She was stumped.

"Welp." Shelton clapped his hands once. "We're screwed."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Chapter 21

The room fell silent, mental gears churning as everyone looked for a weakness in Cephus's defense.

"An elemental could tunnel beneath the fortress," Kassallandra said. "We could destroy the generators below while other forces attack those above."

"The barrier extends underground," Flava said. She drew an egg-shaped oval around the holographic image.

"Damn, I was gonna suggest trolls," Shelton said. "They can dig through anything."

"Perhaps we could cut off their food supply," Thomas said. "I don't like the idea of a siege, but it might be our best alternative."

"The Ministry has greenhouses where they grow food." Flava flipped to an overhead view of the complex and circled a pyramid-shaped building. "We also believe they stockpiled for years in preparation for Cephus's plan to overthrow the government."

"I'm getting real tired of hearing what we can't do," Shelton said. "What
can
we do that'll be super-effective?"

"There's an old trick we used back in the first war," my father said, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "When the Brightlings used dome shields to protect their troops, we'd let loose a few rats inside."

His comment raised eyebrows around the room, except for Mom's. The amused look on her face told me she knew what he was talking about.

"Are you suggesting we blow a hole in the shield and infest the Ministry with rats?" McCloud said.

"Something bigger," Dad said. "Demons."

"It was a clever ploy," Kassallandra said. "Unfortunately, once the enemy caught on, they were able to counter it."

"The Ministry is also a lot bigger than the shields we dealt with," Mom said. "But with enough Daemos, it could work."

"Please clarify," Thomas said.

"Demonic infestation," Dad said. "We can summon crawlers, scorps, and all sorts of nasty buggers inside the barrier as long as we have line of sight vision to the target area."

"Just like the way Justin snagged the Chalon through a shield." Shelton whooped. "I can't wait to see how Cephus's buddies react when a crawler is chasing them down."

"Can you direct the demons to attack the aether wells?" Elyssa asked.

"That wouldn't be the most efficient use," Dad said. "We'll want to summon as many hard hitters as we can and cut them loose to wreak havoc, not micro-manage them. Just a few crawlers are hard to control."

The image of Cephus's people being ripped apart, souls sucked from their bodies by crawlers sent shivers up my spine. Unfortunately, it seemed the best way to attack the problem. "Can we possibly unleash enough Hell in Heaven to drive Cephus out of the dome?"

"Only a few of us can pull through the really nasty demons," Dad said. "Everyone else can concentrate on hellhounds. I figure we could really shake them up. If we're lucky, someone in control of the shield might panic and open it to escape the mayhem."

Elyssa stopped drawing lines on the hologram and shook her head. "We shouldn't count on that. Instead, we treat this as a diversion while our Seraphim cut a hole through the barrier."

"Yeah, but once our people are inside, the crawlers and scorps are gonna eat them alive," Shelton said.

"We would need to scent our units with brimstone," Kassallandra said. "The scorps and crawlers would be less likely to attack."

Shelton snorted. "Less likely ain't much of a guarantee."

"The Daemos could lead the charge," Dad said. "Once inside, we can control the creatures we summoned and banish them if necessary."

Elyssa bit her lower lip and stared at the floating map. "It sounds risky, but I don't know of an alternative."

I cleared my throat. "We still have the problem of holding open the barrier long enough to allow the ground troops inside."

"You don't have enough Seraphim?" Elyssa asked.

"We need to combine the power of twenty Seraphim into one big battering ram of Stasis." I thrust my hands forward. "To do that, one person has to be the focus, and has to handle all that energy."

Elyssa tilted her head. "Are you saying you can't handle that much power?"

I waggled my hand in a so-so gesture. "When everyone was linked into me to destroy the crystoid, I had to fight to regulate the two opposing forces into perfect balance. I barely managed it with six Seraphim. I'm just not efficient enough with Stasis to handle more."

"Why not break into smaller teams and carve smaller holes in the barrier?" Thomas said.

"Because the smaller holes would only stay open for seconds at a time," I said. "What we need is someone who is powerful and really good with Stasis."

"Oh god," Shelton groaned. "Are you really thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"Yeah." I caught a pained look from Mom who knew exactly who I had in mind. "We need Mr. Gray."

Victus, for one, looked delighted. "Fjoeruss, the creator of the gray men?"

"All attempts to contact him after the war have failed," Thomas reminded me. "Even our best agents were unable to locate him during the crystoid crisis."

"He was never all that enthusiastic about choosing sides during the war, either," Shelton said. "You sure we really need him?"

"He's the most powerful Stasis user I know of." It just so happened I knew one promising way to find him, but I didn't want Victus to get wind of it. His favorite hobby was designing mutant monsters like the tragon in Queens Gate. I didn't want him collaborating with Fjoeruss and learning the secrets of creating lifelike golems.

"Looks like we have a lot of angles to cover," McCloud said. "We need contingency plans in case this fortress assault fails."

"Agreed," Thomas said. "The Custodians are already working on such a plan in the event of another crystoid attack."

"What we need are more ideas about containing Cephus." Elyssa zoomed out the holographic map. "There must be some way of cutting him off completely."

"Sounds impossible," Shelton grumbled. "The entire city is floating on aether."

"It appears we need time to strategize," Thomas said. "I suggest we adjourn. If you have any ideas, consult with Lieutenant Borathen."

The meeting broke fractured into individual conversations and some attendees drifted out of the door.

I sidled up to Elyssa. "Well, Lieutenant, is seems you have your job cut out for you."

"I don't know how we're going to do it." Elyssa stared at the frozen image of the barrier. "At best, we can prevent Cephus from kidnapping more citizens and turning them into mutants. After that this turns into a siege."

I didn't like the sound of that. "There's nothing we can do to stop him from his evil plans?"

"We might be able to stop a crystoid launch, but if he opens a portal to the Void, all we can do is sit back and watch." Elyssa's forehead creased with worry. "We have to crack that egg."

I wracked my brain for some unorthodox manner to reach the objective, but aside from building a gigantic excavator, didn't reach an epiphany.

Shelton squeezed through the dwindling crowd and sat on the edge of the table next to me. "I know this ain't the best time to bring this up, but we'd like to have the rehearsal dinner tonight if you have time."

Elyssa smiled. "Are you kidding me? We haven't had a break since we left for the mission. I need a diversion."

"Wonderful," Bella said as she joined us. "It is good to have you back home."

My stomach rumbled at the thought of normal food. "Please tell me you're having pizza or burgers."

Bella shook her head. "We're having Colombian food—empanadas, arepas, and plenty of plantains."

"I wanted pizza too," Shelton murmured. He quickly grinned when Bella gave him a sharp look.

I checked the time and was shocked to discover it was only two in the afternoon. "What time do we start the festivities?"

"Six," Shelton said.

"Anything I can do to help?" Elyssa asked.

"Oh, there's plenty," Bella said. "But you have far more important things to plan."

Elyssa turned off the holographic map and picked up her phone. "No, I need some downtime to help me think. Cooking or putting up decorations sounds like just what I need."

"I'm going to get a late lunch." I patted my pockets for my phone and remembered once again it was still vacationing in Seraphina. "Who's up for pizza?"

Shelton's hand shot up. "I'm in all the way."

"I'm not hungry," Elyssa said. "Why don't you two enjoy some boy talk while Bella and I prepare for tonight?"

"Okay." The words were barely out of my mouth when Shelton grabbed my arm and pulled me out of there.

I dragged my feet. "Hey, I didn't get to kiss Elyssa goodbye."

"Plenty of time for that later." Shelton grinned. "I can't wait to get my hands on beer and pizza."

"Harry, don't destroy your diet!" Bella called after us.

He pulled me around the corner. "I'm pretending I didn't hear that."

"Since when are you on a diet?" I asked.

"Since a week ago." Shelton groaned. "Bella doesn't understand that I have a high metabolism." He patted his stomach. "The pounds just melt off even if I'm just sitting around."

I looked at his slightly round belly. "No more donuts?"

"No more pancakes. No more donuts." His eyes filled with agony. "I have to eat turkey sausage instead of bacon for breakfast!"

"Maybe you could ask someone to turn you into a vampire," I suggested. "Eat all you want then."

Shelton's nose wrinkled. "And have to drink blood? No thanks." He shuddered. "Already grosses me out when Bella drinks her occasional goblet of blood. I'm just happy dhampyrs don't have to drink it as often as vampires."

"Doesn't bother me," I said. "I usually let Elyssa sip right off my neck."

"You're lucky you don't scar easily." He flashed white marks on his neck. "Turns out my delicate skin doesn't like fangs." We boarded the levitator and rode it to the hangar level.

Several delegates from various factions still remained. My parents were speaking with Kassallandra, probably about the plans to summon demons inside Cephus's fortress. Victus nodded his head at a tall thin man standing next to a small boy I recognized as Conrad, Victus's son. The boy looked too pale to be healthy, his frame thin and frail.

A portal opened in one of the yellow squares and a Templar hurried through. His eyes locked onto me almost instantly as he jogged over. "Commander Slade, a woman from Seraphina is requesting to travel here."

"Cora?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yes, sir. She claims to have news."

"Please let her through." My stomach knotted. Had the Mzodi decided to join us?

He jogged back through and a moment later, Cora appeared.

Victus stopped talking at once and stared at her. I could almost hear the gears grinding in his head.

"Man, I hope this doesn't take long," Shelton said. "I'm starving."

Cora drew in a deep breath and grimaced. "I can barely smell the trees from here."

"We're in an underground hangar bay," I explained. "Would you prefer to go outside?"

"No." She waved a hand past her nose.

"Hey, I'm Shelton," Shelton said and extended a hand.

Cora gripped his hand, but didn't shake it. "A pleasure."

Shelton looked at her orange locks. "Do you dye your hair?"

As if in response, her hair shaded dark green and bounced back to orange. "Not precisely."

"Cool," he murmured, eyes wide.

"Anyway," I elbowed Shelton to the side. "Do you have good news?"

Cora smiled. "The Muhala Kajeen has agreed to help. She believes the rapid increase of Draxadis incursions are caused by Cephus's new arch. When they heard of the latest attack on the
Evadora
, it took them little time to reach a decision."

I sighed with relief. "That's great. How long will it take the fleet to reach Kdosh?"

"They dock in the morning." Cora looked left and stiffened. "What is wrong with that boy?"

Shelton glanced at Conrad. "Bad parenting and a pompous ass for a father."

Victus saw Cora looking his way and took it as an invitation to approach along with Delectra and the tall thin man. "Greetings, and welcome to Eden. You must be Cora." He flourished a bow and made no move to shake hands. "I am Victus Edison, and this is my wife, Delectra."

Cora never broke her gaze from Conrad. "This is your boy?"

Delectra raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Our apologies, but he has always been a sickly lad."

The Lyrolai woman knelt next to him, her eyes soft. "No, he is not sick. This is something else."

The thin man I didn't recognize stepped forward and pulled the child away. "It's time for your medicine, Conrad." He smiled, but his bushy black eyebrows and rumpled attire gave him a somewhat sinister look.

Cora rose, eyes flashing. "And you are?"

"Dr. Rufus Cumberbatch at your service." Cumberbatch bowed briefly. "Now, come boy. We really must away."

"I would love to hear more about the Glimmer," Victus said.

Cora's eyes hardened and she turned to me. "You told them that which I asked you to keep secret?"

Embarrassment flushed me with heat. "Uh, technically you said not to tell your crew." I held up my hands. "Besides, I told them it's classified information."

She glared coldly at me and spoke in a hard tone. "I will return to Seraphina."

"I'm sorry," Victus said. "I shouldn't have mentioned it."

"I do not blame you," Cora said.

I took her by the arm and guided her away from the others. "Please, I thought it was okay to tell my own people."

She pulled her arm free and faced me, eyes glittering. "Why would you betray my trust?"