Dire Destiny of Ours (41 page)

I countered his assertion. "If we don't get those battle bots on our side, this project might not matter."

He pursed his lips. "Can you confirm if Kanaan is back from his mission?"

I almost asked him how in the world he knew Kanaan had even been on a mission. Even I didn't know all the details. Then again, Underborn probably knew how many times a day I used the bathroom. "I don't know. I can ask Captain Takei."

He nodded. "Ideally, his help would be invaluable. While I am skilled at extracting information, Kanaan has an uncanny ability to get straight to the point. He's also an excellent fighter."

"That's an understatement," Elyssa murmured.

I put in a quick call to Takei and asked him about the Magitsu master.

"As a matter of fact," Takei said, "Kanaan returned just last night. I'll have him report to Underborn immediately."

"Thanks, Captain." I disconnected and looked at Underborn. "Kanaan is on his way. Do you need anything else?"

"I'd like Michael Borathen on the team."

Elyssa's face registered shock. "He swore he'd never work for you again after you made him lie to me."

Underborn smiled. "Nonetheless, I need someone with expertise in rescue operations."

I squeezed Elyssa's hand. "Is it okay if I ask him?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Of course." She took out her arcphone. "I'll let him know."

I handed the ASE to Underborn. "This has all the information we have."

A loud thrumming noise filled the control room and a Klaxon wailed. I spun around to see Adam and Mom watching the Alabaster Arch. Magical energy crackled up and down the surface. The three Chalons, bound in a triangular formation, hovered between the columns. Adam slammed his staff against the floor. Brilliant energy cascaded from his staff and into the Mega Chalon. The three orbs soaked up the energy until they glowed.

Underborn trotted across the room toward the arch.

I glanced at Elyssa. "I'm gonna wait at a safe distance just in case."

She seemed unable to break her gaze from the arch. "Good idea."

The thrumming crescendoed into a whine. A gateway opened within the arch. The Mega Chalon unleashed a torrent of energy into the portal. Thunder rumbled and, with a blinding flash, the portal closed. The arch went dark without even the usual humming noise as it wound down.

The Mega Chalon dropped to the floor. Mom ran into the binding circle around the arch, scooped up the bound orbs, and pressed them to the arch. She sang a familiar tune—one that she'd used to attune the Chalon to an arch. The Mega Chalon clicked against the arch, and emitted a sullen glow.

Mom closed her eyes and pressed a hand to the Mega Chalon. She remained that way for only a moment, but it felt like forever. If this failed, Daelissa's army would soon outnumber us even more.

Mom's eyes blinked open. She backed away from the arch, a smile lighting her face. "We did it! We control the Alabaster Arches!"

I sagged with relief and a lump of fear melted away. "All your base are belong to us."

"Yes!" Elyssa clapped her hands and cheered my mother. "You go, girl!"

"Daelissa's reinforcements are trapped in Seraphina." Mom breathed a sigh of relief. "We just have to hope they can't reverse the process."

I wasn't ready to celebrate just yet. If Adam was right and Serena knew what we'd done, she might be able to divine our location. Even without the battle golems, it would be a formidable army. We had to lock down this facility ASAP. "Are all the portal blockers active?"

"Everywhere except designated zones," Elyssa said. "Daelissa won't be getting in here that way. Slitheren and the other ley worms blocked most of the surface tunnels. She'd have to march her army down the same dangerous path we took the first time we came down here."

A hulk of a man entered the control room and approached Elyssa. "I hear you need me, Ninjette."

She smiled at the nickname, but it quickly faded. "Underborn requested your help on an urgent mission."

Michael wasn't one to emote very often, but this drew a scowl. "Explain."

Elyssa told him about Science Academy. "It's imperative we secure their help."

Underborn approached from the arches looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. "Good to see you again, Michael."

Michael looked at the assassin with a dark expression.

A hooded figure appeared in our circle. He lowered the hood to reveal a face of mixed Caucasian and Asian descent, and a head of thick black hair. "I am here as requested," Kanaan said.

A loud pinging noise echoed in the control room, causing some of us to jump. I looked toward the Alabaster Arch and saw Adam, a concerned look on his face, tapping away on his arctablet. He jogged over to us.

"Serena pinged the arch network before I could get a portal blocking statue in place." He ran a hand down his face. "If she wasn't sure where we hijacked the nexus from, she knows now."

"That means we don't have long." I turned back to Underborn and the rescue crew. "Free Science Academy. We need all the help we can get. Underborn has all the intel on the situation."

"I'll put Phissilinth in charge of our military operations," Underborn said. "He should be able to hold the fort until we return."

I nodded. "Good luck. Keep me informed."

"It was nice to see you again, if only for a moment." Kanaan nodded his head at Elyssa and me. "May fortune favor you."

Underborn flourished a bow, turned, and led his merry trio away.

"I texted my father," Elyssa said. "He's mobilizing all our forces, but it'll take time to transport them via omniarch portals."

"Does that include Ketiss and the Darklings?"

She nodded. "The army will gather in El Dorado on the surface."

"Shouldn't we set up the army below ground?" Mom asked. "It might be easier to defend the tunnels." She looked toward the main chamber. "Plus, we have the dragons out there."

"The cavern is too small for all our forces, and he has valid concerns about trapping our army in an enclosed space." Elyssa motioned us to follow her out of the control room. "If Daelissa somehow deployed a malaether crucible in here, it could kill us off in one blast." We stepped into the main chamber and looked across the vast space. Large as it was, I'd seen a malaether crucible, the equivalent of a magical nuke, explode. Thomas was right. It'd be like a firecracker exploding in a bottle.

I looked toward the dragons. They appeared to be sleeping. "I wonder how long we have until Daelissa's army arrives." Using omniarch portals, she could have the bulk of her troops here in hours if she so desired.

"Let's just hope she takes her time."

It was almost midnight. I figured we'd done all we could do at the moment so we returned to the mansion. I tried to sleep, but the dreams of war and battle kept shocking me awake. I must have finally stayed asleep because the next thing I knew, my alarm was going off.

After showering, Elyssa and I went downstairs for a quick breakfast. Surprisingly, Bella and Shelton weren't there.

Elyssa received a text on her phone and read it. "Templar scouts report no signs of the enemy mobilizing." She looked up. "Maybe we have more time than we thought."

"I hope so." I put my dirty dishes in the sink like a good boy and headed for the front door. "Guess it's time for me to learn how to fly a broom."

Elyssa's phone chimed again. She looked at it and grunted. "While you're doing that, I'm going to work with my father on the defenses at El Dorado."

I hugged her tight, kissed her nose, each ear, and went for the grand finale on her lips. "I love you. Be careful."

She sighed longingly. "You too, Prince Charming." Elyssa headed for the omniarch room. I took the tunnel to the surface and jogged to the large grassy field behind the university. As promised, Darklings from Ketiss's army were there. Another group of revived Seraphim were also present. The Tarissan uniforms made it easy to differentiate Ketiss's people from the revived Darklings in Templar armor. Mom, Ivy, Nightliss, Joss, Otaleon, and other familiar faces were also present.

I spotted Flava near the front. She made eye contact with me, but quickly looked away. I wondered if I'd offended her at some point. Ever since she'd healed Elyssa, Flava hadn't spoken to me.

"We get to fly brooms!" Ivy clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "I've always wanted to fly one."

I almost told Ivy she couldn't be here. I didn't want my little sister flying into combat on a broom, but she'd proven powerful in the first battle. My heart clenched at the thought of anything bad happening to her.

"You sure about this?" I asked Mom.

She returned an uneasy look. "No, of course not." She glanced around at the young faces of revived Seraphim. "Just the thought of Ivy in danger makes me sick to my stomach." She sighed. "Unfortunately, we need everyone for the next battle, and if anyone is capable of learning to fly a broom, it's her."

"I promise I won't let you down," Ivy said, her blue eyes big and pleading. "Just let me try. You saw how good I fought already."

I ruffled her hair. "I know you can fight, sis, but I don't want to lose you."

"They won't be able to touch me. I'll be zooming all over the place." Making flying noises, she zig-zagged with her hand.

I squeezed her in a tight hug. "I'll give you a chance, but if I don't think you fly well enough, I'll have to find somewhere else for you to be."

She snorted. "I'll be one of the best. I promise."

"I think she will do very well," Nightliss said. "I just hope I can rise to the challenge."

"You and me both," Mom said. "I've never been a fan of brooms. They're nothing like flying carpets."

"Hello, Justin."

The question jerked me from the conversation. I turned and saw Lanaeia standing behind me. Having seen her in battle, I knew she was quick, agile, and powerful. She could prove a valuable asset. "Think you can fly one of these things?"

"Bella seems to think these brooms are much better than flying carpets." Lanaeia pursed her lips doubtfully. "I decided to see if this was true." She looked toward Colossus Stadium. "It would appear the brooms have arrived."

I glanced across the field and saw a wide floating platform with racks of brooms making its way toward us. Figures on flying brooms circled the platform. A couple of them broke off and zipped toward us. It didn't take a genius to see that they were moving a lot faster than even the swiftest Templar flying carpets.

The leader wooshed overhead. He pulled into a steep climb, performed a loopty-loop, did a couple of barrel rolls, and then skidded to a stop at the top of a small rise in the middle of the field. Grinning, Rai landed the broom and stepped off it, leaving it to hover next to him.

I walked up the small rise and greeted him while his apprentices landed their brooms behind him. I spotted a pink blur racing over the university. Magnifying my vision, I realized it was Bella, her face flushed with excitement. She went into a steep dive, pulling up just feet from the ground, and performed the flying broom equivalent of a hockey stop next to the other brooms.

"What a rush!" she exclaimed, her Colombian accent thickening with her excitement.

By now, the Seraphim volunteers had gathered into a crowd at the base of the hill, their formerly bored, uncertain faces now lit with interest. I could hardly blame them. I was dying to try out a broom myself.

First, I had to get through the introductions. I raised my hand for quiet. "Welcome, volunteers. You have been invited to train for a new airborne unit called the Skywraiths."

"Ooh, cool name," Rai said.

Murmurs went up from the crowd. Most of them nodded as if they liked the name.

"Elyssa must have come up with that," Bella said.

I looked over my shoulder at her. "Believe it or not, I'm the one who did."

She gave me a scrutinizing look. "I find that hard to believe."

I turned back to the crowd. "With me today are Rai and his apprentices. They will break you into groups for training."