Sinister Seraphim of Mine (Overworld Chronicles Book 8) (38 page)

I shook my head. "They just look like teenagers. What you're seeing are their real personalities returning as they return to adulthood."

"They stand for the Light." He spoke it like an affirmation, something someone would say to reassure themselves they were on the right side.

"Luna is every bit as misguided as you are," I said. "Her sister, her family are on my side."

His forehead wrinkled with obvious disbelief. "Her family betrayed her. I've heard the story."

"Do you know who her parents are?"

He paused. "She's never said specifically. Just something about how her father sent her and her brothers into an ambush and ran while her brothers died. She barely managed to escape with her life."

I wasn't sure if telling him who her real parents were would make a difference, but I had to try anything to bring him to my side. He could be the seed of doubt I planted in the Exorcists. Like the other factions, they couldn't all be bad. If anything, I would use him to help us capture Luna. She had turned into Daelissa's most valuable leader, and removing her from the equation would help immensely.

"Who are her real parents?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him. His eyes went wide as they focused on something behind me. I spun and saw Elyssa approaching.

"Hello, Jenkins." She smiled.

I turned back to the man. "This is Luna's sister. Luna's real name is Phoebe Borathen."

His mouth dropped open. "As in Thomas Borathen, the leader of the traitor rebels?"

"He's not a traitor," Elyssa said, eyes flashing. "He broke from the Synod because Daelissa was using them for her own gains." She pointed at the cubes. "Do you have any idea what the Brightlings did to this world thousands of years ago?" She didn't wait for an answer. "They enslaved entire civilizations and forced humans to worship them. Made them sacrifice other humans as tributes. Used them in wars against the slaves of other Seraphim just for the amusement of Daelissa and her circle of self-proclaimed gods."

"This is insane!" Jenkins said. "Are you just making stuff up now?"

Elyssa sighed and looked at me. "This is what I was afraid of. People like this guy have been with their organizations for so long, they believe everything their leaders tell them. We can't reverse the brainwashing in days, weeks, or even months." She threw up her hands. "It would take years, if ever." A tear pooled in her eye. She wiped it away. "Phoebe has felt betrayed for over a hundred years. How can I expect to change her mind in the time we have left?"

I put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. "Never give up hope. Phoebe once knew love. I will do whatever I can to help her realize she is still loved by good people."

Jenkins narrowed his eyes and stared at us. "You're either very good actors, or telling the truth."

By now, I knew it would be impossible to bring Jenkins to our side in the limited time we had. Even if he said he would help us, I couldn't trust that he wouldn't betray us the minute he was out of our sight.

If I couldn't convince one man we were good, how could I expect Jeremiah to convince entire armies of Arcanes?

Jenkins didn't look the least bit convinced Elyssa and I were not the bad guys, though he did look intrigued enough not to worry about me eating his soul.

"Do you really want to prevent Darklings from being tortured, or are you simply building your own army of darkness?" the Exorcist asked.

It took everything I had not to yell at him that the Murk didn't represent evil. I held out both palms. In my right, I grew a small orb of Brilliance and in my left, one of Murk. He backed up a step, holding his hands up defensively.

"Do you know what the Brilliance is?" I asked him.

He nodded. "The force of light."

"Wrong." I shook my head. "Brilliance is the force of destruction." I pointed my gaze at the ultraviolet sphere. "I suppose you think this is the force of darkness."

"Isn't it?" he said, lowering his hands slowly.

"Murk is the force of creation." I pressed the two orbs together. As they merged, the juxtaposition turned gray.

"What—how are you doing that?" Jenkins asked, drawing closer.

"When you combine the two, they form the gray—stasis."

His head snapped back as if suddenly realizing something. "I didn't think Seraphim could channel both forces."

"Most can't," I said. "They have an affinity for one or the other. I just happen to be weird. I'm part Daemos, and part Seraphim."

"You are the balance," he said in a whisper. "My grandmother was a foreseer. She once told me that when the world teetered toward destruction, only the man of balance could save it." Jenkins covered his mouth with a hand and his eyes went distant. "She was never wrong. Shortly after she told me this, she was murdered. There were rumors from her circle of friends that she'd made a prediction people in power didn't want the world to hear."

I gave him a suspicious look. "Are you saying you believe me because of your grandmother?"

"There's no other explanation for what you are." His eyes lit up as if a light bulb had blinked on in his head. "If Brilliance is destruction, and Daelissa and the Brightlings represent it, then the world is teetering toward doom."

"Does that mean you'll help us?" Even if he said yes, I had doubts I could trust him.

He nodded his head slowly. "I will."

Elyssa took her mood bracelet from a small satchel at her side and handed it to Jenkins. "This is a truth-finding bracelet. If you're lying, it will tell me."

I forced my face to remain neutral.

He took it without asking and slipped it onto his wrist. "I believe you. I will help you."

The gem in the center glowed brown which probably meant his mood was "scared enough to crap his pants". Elyssa took back the bracelet.

"Did I pass?" Jenkins asked.

She nodded. "You're telling the truth."

I just hoped Jenkins hadn't seen through Elyssa's little trick.
Let's start with something simple.
"How many people are clearing out the Grand Nexus, and what are their positions?"

Jenkins shrugged. "I don't know exactly, but from what the truck drivers were telling me, they've moved out past the control room and into the main cavern. They killed off all the shadow Flarks and dark people with supernova grenades."

I decided not to ask him what a supernova grenade was. "Do they keep guards in the control room?"

Another shrug. "I don't have that kind of information." He looked up, as if recalling something. "One of the drivers told me they were already using the Obsidian Arch at the Grand Nexus to pick up captured husks. I'd guess that means there isn't anyone in the control room except an operator."

It wasn't a lot of information, but it might help Katie and her crew. Since we had no images of the control room at the Grand Nexus, they had to use the Alabaster Arch in El Dorado to infiltrate the place. I texted her the new intel.

Now for the litmus test.
I put away my phone and looked at Jenkins. "Will you help us capture Luna?"

The man's head snapped back. He looked at Elyssa for several seconds and slowly nodded. "I don't know what I can do. She is the best fighter I've ever seen."

"Tell her you've found another anomaly," I said. "Ask her to come look."

"How do you know about—" He waved his hand. "Never mind. I don't want to know." He pulled out an arcphone and fumbled with it for a moment. "She made us get these things when Daelissa put her in charge."

Elyssa took the phone from him and scrolled to Luna's name in the contacts as I watched over her shoulder. She typed in a brief message:
I found another anomaly even stranger than the last.
Her finger hovered over the send icon for a moment before touching it.

Luna responded less than a minute later.
I will be there momentarily. Tell no one else.

Elyssa handed him the phone.

"What now?" Jenkins asked.

I shrugged. "Act natural."

He visibly and audibly swallowed hard. "I think I'm going to be sick."

I put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Deep breaths. Deep breaths. It's kept me from dropping a load in my pants plenty of times."

Jenkins laughed, and the tension in his shoulders seemed to ease.

"Men and their poop jokes," Elyssa said. "I'll tell the others to be ready."

My stomach clenched as I remembered the last time we'd encountered Luna, aka Phoebe, aka the Exorcist ninja. If we didn't knock her out fast and clean, there would be hell to pay. I just hoped Jeremiah was having luck on his end.

Chapter 34

Jeremiah

It had been easy slipping from the prison and out to the tents where the Blue Cloaks had their headquarters. Jeremiah touched a wand to his robe and turned it the same shade of blue as those in the camp. He concentrated and willed his features to shift to those of Jeremiah Conroy.

Who am I?

Sometimes, even he didn't know.

The Blue Cloaks' camp bustled with activity. To one side of the path worn in the grass, Arcanes sparred with magic spells, trying to disarm each other and throw each other off-balance using the magical martial art of Magitsu. In another practice arena, people practiced defensive shields and reflection spells. The Arcane soldiers looked efficient and deadly as ever.

Two men stood guard outside the command tent. Jeremiah flicked his wand toward each man in turn, casting a diversion spell. The guards' heads jerked, as they thought they heard something. They consulted for a moment before marching around the outside of the tent to investigate the noise only they could hear.

Jeremiah marched straight into the tent. Captain Takei looked up from a briefing scroll. The short, Japanese man didn't look the slightest bit imposing, but he was a master of Magitsu and could best anyone with a fencing blade. That said, Jeremiah could crush the man in the blink of an eye if need be. Takei had learned from people who had learned from a long line of other people. Jeremiah had learned the many magical arts straight from their original masters and had centuries to practice them.

"Oh, my. If it isn't Jeremiah Conroy." Takei stood and offered a hand.

Jeremiah shook it. "Pleased to see you again, Captain. I see you're quite busy preparing for war." Jeremiah had known Takei since the Blue Cloak was a young officer, eager to prove himself.

"Indeed." His eyes narrowed. "You have been named as one of the primary opponents."

Jeremiah feigned surprise. "Oh, really? I suppose you've heard all sorts of terrible rumors about me."

Takei dug through a stack of scrolls. "Ah, here we are." He unrolled it. "Jeremiah Conroy is forthwith declared an enemy of the state by martial decree of Cyphanis Rax for the following list of crimes: murder, treason, extortion, destruction of public property, assault—" Takei looked up. "Should I continue?"

"I wonder if they included littering in my list of offenses." Jeremiah projected an affable grin.

"I believe that's somewhere in the middle, along with stealing candy from babies." He set down the scroll. "They made good use of a thesaurus, I can tell you that."

Jeremiah took a seat and crossed a leg. "I suppose the most important questions is this: do you believe the charges?"

Takei sat down, pursed his lips and looked at him. "Not for a moment. Cyphanis Rax is a coward and the worst kind of politician we could ever be cursed with." He pointed a finger at Jeremiah. "That evaluation does not leave this room."

The ancient Arcane smiled. "It's good to know not everyone is as dimwitted as the vampires."

At this, the captain frowned. "We hadn't even finished paying the blood-suckers back for what they did to all those children at the Ezzek Moore School for the Gifted, not to mention the other schools they attacked."

"I suppose Cyphanis has completely forgiven the aggressors," Jeremiah said.

Takei shrugged. "It doesn't matter, I suppose. We have our orders. The rebel Templars and an army of incubus are supposedly just waiting to overthrow the entire Conclave. We're to stand fast and guard whatever is going on in this god-forsaken place."

"You mean, you don't know what they're up to inside?"

"Cyphanis does, but he told me I didn't need to know." The captain's lip curled into a snarl. "If I weren't a loyal soldier, I'd love to teach that man a lesson or two."

"Ah, for the good old days, when the council had real leaders."

Takei smiled. "Or the good old days when you taught me not only how to improve my Arcane abilities, but also how to be a leader others could respect."

Jeremiah darkened his expression. "These times are too troubled to leave decisions up to idiots."

"It's no wonder Cyphanis declared you a traitor if you spoke to him like that." Takei grinned. "Unfortunately, the days of strong capable leaders like Ezzek Moore are long behind us. Since the Unity Initiative was voted into place with a supermajority—"

"How did Rax accomplish that?" Jeremiah asked. He hadn't heard the vote had even taken place. Then again, he'd been very busy.

"Yuria Assad, the Daemos representative on the conclave voted to change the procedural rules, so only a supermajority was needed instead of unanimity." Takei shook his head. "It was quite a surprise to me. Rax wasted no time declaring a state of emergency, which means the Arcane Council can't hold a vote to replace him—not that his cronies would."

"Would you like me to tell you what's going on in Kobol Prison?" Jeremiah said.

The captain's eyes lit up. He leaned forward. "I won't even ask how you know."

"First, I should get something very important out of the way."

"As long as you don't litter in my command tent."

Jeremiah smiled and motioned at himself. "This man, Jeremiah Conroy, does not truly exist."

Captain Takei leaned back, eyebrows raised. "I sense a very interesting story lurking behind those words."

Jeremiah melted his features into those of Ezzek Moore. "You might say that."

The other man's eyes flashed wide before he controlled his reaction. "I need to confirm this is not illusion."