Aetherial Annihilation, page 12
"That's the third time you've asked." He waved a finger in a circle. "Why don't you go take a nice long walk?"
"What about the ASE?" Elyssa said. "It should've been back by now."
Shelton shrugged. "It's probably a long way to the sky portal. Just give it more time."
I didn't want to take another walk. I had to find something to do. I turned to Elyssa. "Let's go back through the portal to the Grotto."
She didn't object, so we climbed the platform and slipped back through the gateway.
The arch operator had moved his chair closer to the omniarch with the open portal. He seemed ecstatic to see us. "I don't know how you did it, but there's enough aether here for me to cast spells again."
Elyssa and I exchanged confused looks and glanced back at the omniarch. Apparently, the silver band around it allowed aether to filter through once it hit a high enough concentration. I switched to demon vision and had to shield my eyes from the brilliant currents floating through the air. Aether poured through the open portal, gathered in the circle, and traveled up the magical container like an invisible smokestack where it poured into the air near the ceiling of the immense room.
"It's a temporary measure," I told him, but it had given me an idea.
I used a neighboring omniarch and willed it to open at El Dorado. With so much aether available, it quickly opened a gateway into a control room nearly identical to the Grotto, except for a towering Alabaster Arch veined with black and white.
The excess aether allowed me to open a portal to the El Dorado control room. "Let's talk to Altash and Lulu."
Elyssa's eyes brightened. "Maybe they can help."
"I hope so." We jogged out of the control room and into the massive area beyond. Red scales glittered on the massive snakelike form of Altash coiled in the center of the cavern. Lulu's purple scales gleamed in the yellowish light suffusing the immense space. The two dragons had once been the guardians of reborn Seraphim, but their former wards had long since grown old enough to fend for themselves. Most, if not all had joined the Darkling army and gone back to Seraphina to wrest control of Pjurna, the Darkling nation, back from Cephus where he'd entrenched himself in the capital city of Tarissa.
"Hello?" I shouted as we approached the coiled dragons. "You probably know this already, but we have a problem."
The dragons didn't even twitch. Though Altash rarely spoke to me, he usually at least opened an eye to let me know he'd heard whatever I'd said and promptly decided to ignore it. The dragon's girth towered over Elyssa and me. I figured Altash could swallow a jumbo jet without much of an issue.
Elyssa pointed to the dragon's long lean muzzle resting on the floor. "There's his head."
We picked up the pace and ran to his closed eye.
"Altash?" I pressed a hand to the dragon's chin and nudged him. His scales felt hard as diamonds. I figured a nudge wouldn't be enough and gave him a good shove. I might as well have pushed against a mountain for all the effect it had. "Hello?" I knocked on his head, but the dragon did nothing.
The magic fails, said a female voice weakly in my head.
Elyssa's eyes widened. "Did you hear that?"
We ran around Altash's head to find Lulu likewise slumbering on the other side. Her eyelid slit open a fraction to reveal the lower third of a parietal eye.
We die with the magic. Her voice was but a whisper in my head. Atlash's voice was usually like thunder. I imagined hers was probably like that on a good day.
This was not a good day.
"We're trying to fix the magic problem," I told the dragon, but she didn't respond. I shook my head. "This isn't good at all."
Elyssa touched Lulu. "They're dying, Justin."
I realized just how bad it would be if they didn't survive. "The dragons maintain the magical ley lines in the earth." I looked at the tunnels bored into the walls of the cavern. "If they die before we remove the crystoids Eden might never recover."
Her eyes tightened. "No more magic ever?"
I shook my head slowly. "I don't know, and I don't want to find out."
We returned to the Grotto and were going to deliver the grim news to Shelton when I saw Adam and Meghan enter the control room.
"Justin!" Adam jogged over, a broad grin on his face. He bumped knuckles with me, then went in for a bro-hug. "Man, it's good to see you again." He turned to Elyssa and gave her a good squeeze.
"Hello, Justin." Meghan offered a hand, but I violated the introverted woman with a hearty hug.
"I'm glad you guys are here," I said.
Meghan stiffened and awkwardly patted me on the back until I released her from the hug. She took a deep breath to regain her composure and reached into a bag. Her hand withdrew what looked like a giant, shriveled bull testicle. "This is a chalice."
Meghan was always one to skip the small talk and get straight to business. In this instance, I didn't mind one bit. I took it in one hand and hefted it. Though the squirrel hide was oiled, it had stiffened over time. Whatever was inside it felt hard and pointy.
"Do you think it's safe to cut open?" I asked.
She shrugged. "I believe so, but perhaps we should do it in a secure environment."
"Agreed." Elyssa took it from me. "Let's take it to a gauntlet room back at Queens Gate."
"Where did you guys just come from?" Adam asked.
I told them about the dying dragons. "What happens if we don't have the earth dragons to maintain the ley lines?"
Adam and Meghan looked at each other. Adam spoke first. "The dragons are the magical equivalent of earthworms. Without them working on the aether lines, the magic might just stay balled up inside the earth, or worse, it might turn into malaether."
Meghan grimaced. "The ley worms aren't the only creatures who maintain magic. For example, the minders in the Gloom harvest our dreams and convert it into magical energy. There are millions of microorganisms that survive on magical energy and feed off it. Each one contributes something beneficial to the health of the aether." She tapped a finger on her chin. "If the free flow of aether isn't restored, the magical biology of Eden could be permanently destroyed."
"Eden would be the sole domain of noms," Adam said in a haunted voice. "We'd lose the ability to traverse the realms."
My stomach lurched at the thought. "Well, if that doesn't light a fire under our asses, I don't know what will."
"I'm motivated!" Adam said. "Let's get to work."
With the extra aether flooding the room from the portal to North Dakota, I was able to easily open a portal to the gauntlet room near the underground mansion in Queens Gate. The atmosphere within the pocket dimension felt normal compared to the static rush of magical energy flooding from the crystoid and into the Grotto.
Meghan closed her eyes and breathed in relief when she stepped through. "I feel human again."
"It's good stuff," Adam said with a smile.
Elyssa marched the chalice to a shielded pedestal and placed it there. Adam pulled out a wand, but she shook her head. "Let's open this up the old fashioned way." She pulled a practice golem from a wall rack and activated it. "Take this knife and cut open that bag." Elyssa pointed to the chalice.
The golem took the knife and walked over to the target.
I braced myself for an explosion and threw up a shield of Murk to keep us protected. The golem slashed open the leather. For a moment, nothing happened, then the leather swelled and broke open.
We gasped as a crystoid burst from within and began to grow.
Chapter 13
"Son of a bitch!" I raced across the room to the newly hatched menace. "We've got to get this thing out of here." I almost touched it before remembering the dire consequences, namely turning into a malaether zombie.
Meghan calmly walked over and plucked the squirrel hide off the crystoid. She looked inside. "Ah, that's how they did it."
Elyssa grimaced. "Please don't tell me we're going to have to go on a squirrel-killing rampage to contain these things."
Meghan turned the leather inside out to reveal the inside. "Here's your silver lining." The interior shimmered with a sterling gray substance. She tentatively touched it. "Actually, I don't know if this is silver."
"Silver wouldn't allow the chalice to charge without an opening," Adam said.
Meghan pursed her lips. "You're right."
"If it's not silver, what is it?" Elyssa asked.
"I might be able to break down a sample and analyze it." Meghan retrieved a scalpel from the satchel at her side and scraped at it. "It's extremely hard."
Adam took out his wand and traced it back and forth over the spot until the leather peeled free from a section. Meghan plucked a sample with a pair of tweezers.
I spared a wary glance for the baby crystoid. It was already noticeably larger. "Um, how are we going to contain that thing?"
"I suggest you take it through a portal for the time being so it doesn't interfere with the magic within the pocket dimension." Meghan deposited the gray substance on a piece of cloth. "Use the leather to shield your hands."
"Ya think?" I wasn't about to touch the thing, especially having seen what it did to the mercenaries.
"I think we should put it right next to the crystoid in North Dakota," Elyssa said. "Since the bigger crystoid is already soaking up most of the aether, the smaller one probably won't be able to grow."
Adam gave her a thumbs up. "Excellent idea."
I took the squirrel hide and gingerly cradled the crystoid inside. Elyssa walked with me back through the portal leading to the Grotto. I saw Shelton and Bella on the other side of the portal leading to North Dakota. The baby crystoid began to grow even more rapidly from the aether flooding through the gateway.
"Clear the way," I said, racing toward the portal. "Dangerous package coming through."
Shelton's eyes went wide when he saw the crystoid. "Where the hell did that thing come from?"
"No time to explain." I motioned him to move with my head. "Out of the way."
"Harry, stop asking questions and move." Bella took his arm and the pair ducked beneath the portal.
I stepped through the gateway, turned, and made my way down the stairs. The small crystoid stopped growing the second I was out of the aether beam. Shelton and Bella gave me wide berth as I navigated around the platform and to the crystoid trench. I knelt, placed the baby crystoid to the side of the big one, and stood up.
"What the hell are those?" Shelton said, pointing up in the sky.
I looked up and saw parachutes pop from three large black cubes about a hundred feet above us. Even with the parachutes, the cubes dropped quickly. I dashed out of the way as they clanked to the ground.
"This can't be good," I said.
The cubes confirmed my suspicions by immediately unfolding into robots identical to the one at Sweetwater Creek. Once I realized what they were, I didn't hesitate a second longer. I raced toward the closest robot and rammed it with my shoulder. It hurt like a bitch, but sent the robot slamming to the ground.
Elyssa took on the second one, tripping it up, and jamming a sword into the gun barrels on the robot's arm to keep it from firing.
I turned to face the last one, and a metal fist met my face. I flipped through the air and rolled against something hard. Woozy from the blow, I reached a hand back to see what I'd hit. Absolute zero cold and intense heat burned into my skin. Dazzling motes danced in my eyes. The air shimmered and burst into flame around me. Energy roared like the ocean through my very soul. My brain burned. My muscles froze, heart slamming inside my chest so hard I thought it would burst.
I'd touched the crystoid. I'm dead!
I tried to let go of the crystal shard, but my hand refused my commands. I was burning up.
Too much! Can't keep it in!
A ragged cry tore from my throat. The world was in flames. I had to open a pressure valve before my body exploded.
Using all my willpower, I jerked up my right arm and unleashed hell. A torrent of crimson energy exploded from my hand. It absolutely annihilated the nearest robot. The next robot aimed its weapons at me. I adjusted my aim and disintegrated it. Elyssa threw the final robot into the path of my death beam, and sent it to oblivion. The torrent of raw power blew a hole the size of a bus into the hill behind the space the robots had once occupied and burned into the baked red clay beneath, reducing it to molten stone. The beam continued to bore through the hill and slammed into a rise on the other side.
The pressure in my body abruptly abated and my muscles went slack. I jerked my hand free from the shard and stumbled forward, still holding my other hand out toward the hill. The crimson beam sputtered and died. I fell to my knees then face-planted against the red clay.
"Justin!" Elyssa gripped my arm and hauled me out of the trench.
My body felt like overcooked oatmeal. "Am I a zombie?"
She hugged me. "Not yet, babe. Not yet."
"Holy flaming goat turds!" Shelton yelled. "You just blew up three robots and a freaking mountain!"
"It was a small hill, Harry." Bella kneeled next to me. "Are you okay, Justin?"
I nodded. My insides felt hollower than a political promise. "I'm really glad I'm not a zombie."
"We all are." Shelton gripped my shoulder and pulled his hand back. "Man, you feel like you just hopped out of a microwave."
Nausea slithered up my esophagus. I pulled away from Elyssa and heaved. Black, curdled blood oozed from my mouth. I felt like a hungover alcoholic after a two-week binge, and my throat was raw and dry.
"Justin!" Elyssa grabbed my arm.
I heaved again. More blood, this time brighter red spattered on the ground. I sucked in a ragged breath and dropped to my knees. "I feel overcooked."
"Someone get Meghan," Elyssa said.
I held up a hand. "No, I feel better now." Despite vomiting a pint of overheated blood, I felt a lot better.
"I don't care how much better—"
"No." I cut off Elyssa's protest. "Give me a moment, and then I'll go see her. She needs to figure out what that gray stuff from the chalice is." I gazed at the tunnel I'd blasted through the hill. The jagged red scoria looked like a wound in the earth. A pair of smoking metal feet were all that remained of the three robots.
"Wow, that was some light show," Ann said. She and Viola stood next to the pickup truck, having arrived just in time for the Justin Laser Spectacular.
"Were those robots?" Viola asked, peering at the meager robotic remains.
"Sorry about your hill." The words caught in my raw throat.
Ann chuckled. "I think it's really neat. My grandson will probably love riding his dirt cycle through it."
I shook my head and turned to Elyssa. "I wonder why I didn't turn into a malaether zombie."
"Maybe because you were able to release the energy." Elyssa shrugged. "That's the best explanation I can think of."
"About a good as any," Shelton said. "If you'd gone rogue on us, I don't think we could've stopped you."
Bella shivered. "Thank goodness you're normal."
Elyssa gave me a worried look. "He's anything but normal."
"Where did those robots come from?" I wheezed.
Shelton looked up. "I have no idea. The sky portal, maybe?"
Bella nodded. "They didn't come from an aircraft."
"Then the robot in Sweetwater Creek couldn't have been made by noms," Elyssa said. "Whoever launched the crystoids is trying to fortify their positions."
I hacked up more blood and nodded. "I wish I hadn't completely destroyed them."
Shelton looked at the slagged metal feet. "Yeah, we ain't gonna learn much from those."
My stomach ached with the burn of a thousand spicy Indian meals, and my eyes watered. I didn't let the discomfort stop me from telling Shelton about the baby crystoid, the dying dragons, and our theory about the end of magic in Eden.
He didn't seem to appreciate finding out so much bad news all at once. "The dragons are dying?" His shoulder slumped. "Holy mutated monkey meat. We've got to save them somehow."
"Well, if anyone can figure it out, we can," Bella said. She motioned to the little crystoid I'd placed in the trench. "Where do you suppose the witches got those from?"
I thought I'd already told them but repeated myself. "Adam said the witches found them near Thunder Rock a few hundred years ago."
"It's a Seraphim relic." Shelton slapped the back of his hand into the other palm. "Someone found some of the old relics from the first war and figured out how to make them really nasty."
Bella's forehead pinched. "It would appear so."
Adam appeared through the portal at the top of the platform. His eyes widened when he noticed the hill. "What the hell happened?"
"Justin touched the crystoid," Shelton said.
"Whoa." He walked down the stairs and joined us. His forehead scrunched when he looked at me. "Is that blood on your mouth? And where did those metal feet come from?"
"Robots," Shelton said.
I groaned. "Don't touch the crystoid."
"Gee your voice sure sounds dry there, Justin." Ann held out a bottle. "Want some water?"
I took it gladly and gulped it down. I could have sworn I felt it sizzle into steam as it traveled down my throat.
"Using yourself as a test subject is pretty dangerous." Adam shuddered and spoke before I could clarify that it had been an accident. "Meghan is analyzing the gray stuff on the squirrel hide. I figured I'd come down here and see what Shelton and Bella found out about these things. Maybe some of our facts will click." He looked at the metal remains again. "And where the hell did a robot come from?"
"Now that's a good question." Shelton took out his arcphone, fully charged thanks to the aether beam, and projected a diagram of the crystoid. "Here's what we've got."
I tried to make sense of the numbers and symbols scrolling across the image, but they looked like gibberish. Despite my abilities with Seraphim magic, I'd considered going back to Arcane University for a formal education so I didn't feel like a nitwit when the subject of magical analysis and spell coding came up.
"Wow, no wonder it sucks in so much aether," Adam said.
