Dearest Mother of Mine (Overworld Chronicles) Read online

  Adam took out his phone and tapped on the screen. "I'll text her about it."

  "This is gonna be fun." Shelton pursed his lips. "Why don't we use this opportunity to ambush Kassus and get him off our case for good?"

  Adam's eyebrows shot up. "You really want to ambush that monster? He isn't some hack, Shelton. You're strong, but this guy knows all the tricks."

  "And my magic is unpredictable at best," I added. "Do you really think we can catch this guy off guard? Besides, he won't be alone if we do our job right."

  Shelton made a back-handed motion. "Yeah, you're right. It'd just be nice to have this monkey off my back."

  "Agreed," I said. "But we aren't ready to take him on just yet."

  He nodded. "True." Stretched, and stood. "Well, at least we won't have to storm the Conroy stronghold to rescue your mom after all. I'm gonna study these semi-trucks and see if I can figure out a weak point."

  Adam left to meet with Meghan, so I contacted Christian and asked for his help in shutting down the Obsidian Arch in La Casona once I drew threw Kassus's men.

  "I can do that," he said after I explained the situation.

  "Any tips for hijacking an arcane prison truck?" I asked.

  "Templars usually escort them, so I have a little inside knowledge," he said. "Your best bet is to disable the escorts first, and use them to block the truck. Don't let the size of the semi-truck fool you, either. It may look like a typical nom tractor-trailer, but the engines are magically enhanced for extra speed if it needs to escape."

  "Anything else I should know?"

  Christian paused a moment. "The doors are always blood sealed. Protocol demands the sealer not accompany the convoy, but proceed to the destination, leaving a vial of blood in another secure location should something happen to him. Since you're dealing with a rogue operation, I doubt they'll follow protocol and set aside a blood vial. This means you'll need to secure the blood from the person who sealed it."

  "Isn't there some way to open the trailer in case of emergency?" I asked. "Like a magic word?"

  There was no hesitation in Christian's answer. "Without the sealer's blood, no, I'm afraid not."

  I thanked him and hung up feeling even more discouraged about the entire thing. I saw two major problems. One, we'd never done anything like this before, and two, we didn't have nearly as many people as Darkwater, if it came down to a fight. We'd need to neutralize the escorts instantly, leaving only the semi-truck to deal with.

  I sketched scenarios on an arctablet, straining my imagination to come up with some way we could incapacitate highly-skilled battle mages without killing them. I didn't even know what kind of escorts to expect. Would they be in normal vehicles, or might they utilize aircraft? Templars commonly used sliders disguised as helicopters, and I had no doubts Darkwater had access to all sorts of gadgets, magical and tech-based alike.

  Part of being a good leader is knowing when you don't know jack.

  My next vital steps involved grabbing donuts and a monster-sized energy drink from the kitchen, and placing a phone call to Thomas Borathen. I called the compound—the old man had never given me his digits—and after a few minutes of waiting, someone put him on the line. Leaving out Elyssa's plans for Darkwater, I explained the transport situation. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

  "And you want my help," Thomas said, voice neutral.

  I laid out more facts about a possible ambush. "There aren't nearly enough of us to fight a battle if it comes to that. I think overwhelming force will allow us to take the transport without incident. That's where you can help."

  He grunted. "I want you to think about this carefully. Darkwater is comprised of Arcanes. The transport is ostensibly being used to transport a dangerous Arcane."

  "Right," I said, trying to see where he was headed with this.

  "So, you see the problem."

  I pulled away from my phone and gave it a confused look as if Thomas could see my face. What's he getting at? I opened my mouth to ask for clarification when I suddenly saw his point. "To observers, this is an internal Arcane affair."

  "Precisely," Thomas said.

  "A force of Templars interfering in an Arcane matter would look pretty bad."

  "The political situation is already dire," he replied. "The Synod retained its position on the Overworld Conclave even though the Templars split. Bara Nagal and his political advisors are attempting to cast us as dangerous rebels who should be put down. If we're seen attacking an Arcane convoy, it will give Cyphanis Rax extra ammunition for the council to side with the Synod Templars should he win the special election."

  I sank into a chair. It was all so complicated. I'd never had to worry about politics, but things had changed. Thomas's decision to acknowledge me during the initiation ceremony made a lot more sense now. I wasn't just some upstart kid anymore, I was a political symbol right along with him and Nightliss thanks to my constant meddling.

  "My mother is Seraphim," I said, grasping at straws. "That makes this an inter-super conflict which gives the Templars jurisdiction."

  "Do you have proof your mother is actually onboard?"

  I had no proof aside from the word of Lornicus.

  Thomas apparently took my silence as an answer. "You grasp the situation better now, don't you?"

  "My mother would make a powerful ally," I said, trying to think in military terms. "Isn't it worth the gamble?"

  "That's a good question," he said. "Does the risk outweigh the reward?"

  "I think so." Or was I thinking with my heart instead of my head?

  "Let me give you more information," Thomas said, not a hint of condescension in his voice. "The Synod moved a legion to the west side of Atlanta. They're constructing a compound and dispersing units into the region my forces patrol."

  "Can't you stop them?" I asked.

  "Only if I want a war we're not prepared to fight," he said.

  "They started a war yesterday."

  "Even if that's true, it doesn't mean we're ready to fight them."

  I blew out a frustrated breath. Screw it. He's not going to help. "I guess we'll just have to make do." I wasn't going to beg for help.

  "I will intercede if you request it," Thomas said.

  "Intercede? As in, troops and everything?"

  "Overwhelming force or whatever suits the situation." Thomas's voice was firm. "I've given you the facts. I've explained the possible consequences. Now that you are informed, I am placing the final decision in your hands, Mr. Slade."

  "Let's say we hijack the transport," I said. "Can we claim jurisdiction and demand the sealer open the vessel?"

  "They will likely show a false manifest, and claim the Templars acted without proof or jurisdiction. Political pressure would be applied. It's also possible the Synod would step in and ally itself with the Arcane Council to force us to return the transport."

  As my mind considered the political ramifications of involving the Templars, especially when we needed to win the hearts and minds of Arcanes and other supers if we had any hope of forming an anti-Daelissa alliance, it made me wonder if this was Thomas's way of testing me. Was he truly offering help, or just seeing how stupid I really was?

  My mind ran in circles before I finally said, "Are you serious about helping me if I give you the go-ahead?"

  "Do I sound serious?" he replied.

  "Always," I said.

  "Then you have your answer."

  I knew the decision was too complicated to make without conferring with the others. "Let me consider all the options," I said, quoting a military movie I'd seen before. "Maybe there's a better way to handle this."

  "Very well." Thomas disconnected without another word.

  Chapter 21

  That afternoon, our group of six conspirators met for a late lunch and to prepare for Operation Clearwater, a nickname Bella had given our scheme. I explained my plan to use Christian to trap Darkwater people in Colombia so Elyssa and crew could infiltrate their corporate headquart
ers and search for information regarding my mother's transportation route, discover whose blood would seal her transport, and, last but not least, dig up any useful information on the research Darkwater was doing on the arches and control rooms. We would need the information if we had any hope of using the Alabaster Arch in El Dorado to find the Grand Nexus and, if possible, destroy it.

  Adam had written a script to search the magic-based computer system Darkwater employed. Such systems were called Arcsys datacenters and used spells similar to what ASEs used to store data. All Elyssa had to do was attach her arcphone to an Arcsys node and run the script—at least in theory.

  I also mentioned my conversation with Thomas. Elyssa and the others furrowed their brows in almost perfect unison when I told them he'd left the decision up to me.

  "I knew he was setting you up for leadership," Elyssa said, "but this is unheard of."

  "Thomas Borathen really said he'd give you the final decision?" Shelton said, sounding baffled. "The old man is losing it."

  "Thanks," I replied, voice heavy with sarcasm. "I'm not sure what to do."

  "We don't have enough intel," Elyssa said. "We need the schedule, the identity of the person sealing the doors, and the route. Then we can plan how to handle it."

  "I realize that," I said. "At least we have another option on the table, and that's good."

  "It's bloody wonderful," Stacey said, her eyes narrowed to contented slits as she regarded me like a cat might regard a bowl of milk.

  "How do you plan to let Kassus know you're in Bogota?" Elyssa asked.

  I offered her a knowing smile. "You just let me worry about that, okay?"

  She gripped me by the front of the shirt and pulled me close. "Fine," she whispered with a grin, and pecked me on the lips. "I love you. Good luck."

  Shelton said his goodbyes to Bella while Adam did the same to Meghan. It felt like we were going on a long trip and wouldn't be back for a week, though if everything went well, we'd be back in town the minute Kassus fell for our ploy. Ryland sauntered into the room, prowling like a wolf on the hunt. I noticed he wore his sideburns in the mutton-chop look he'd favored the first time I met him.

  "You guys need a fourth?" he asked, running a hand through his short thick hair. "I'd be happy to run with you."

  "Kassus might add you to his lists of targets," I said. "It might not be a good idea."

  He shrugged. "I ain't worried about that."

  "My wolfy will make sure nothing bad happens," Stacey said, her eyes examining Ryland's posterior.

  "Won't find me turning away help," Shelton said.

  Ryland was a Templar, and he could turn into a really big wolf, so he might be handy in case things went from bad to worse. In my book, that was always a possibility. "Let's go, then."

  "We set up a long-range ASE to keep an eye on Darkwater headquarters," Elyssa said. "If it spots any commotion, we'll let you know."

  "We'll leave the portal open for our return from Bogota," I said. "But if we see an opportunity to lead the Darkwater people on a longer chase we will, especially if Christian is delayed in shutting down access to the Obsidian Arch so they can't return."

  "Sounds like a remarkably well-considered plan," Stacey said with a wink.

  We went downstairs to the omniarch. Christian had sent me the picture of an empty room in a Templar safe house near La Casona for the portal exit. I concentrated on the image, and the image of the room appeared in the center of the omniarch. When we stepped inside, I noticed the portal had opened in the middle of a wall. As we'd seen before, the physical world seemed to warp around the shimmering gateway, unaffected in any other way. Through the thin gap between the wall and the outer edge of the portal I saw another room.

  "That thing isn't gonna bring the house down, is it?" Shelton asked, looking uneasily at the way the wall bent around the opening like rubber, even though it remained solid as ever to the touch.

  "The wall would have already collapsed by now," I said.

  "Peculiar," Ryland said, pressing a hand against it. "I wonder what would happen if you opened it on a person."

  "Nobody had the guts to be the guinea pig for that little experiment," Shelton said.

  We left the room, walked down a hallway, and into a large foyer. A Templar sitting at a desk looked up. "Justin Slade and company, I presume?"

  "That would be us," I said.

  "The La Casona way station is just down the road. We sent a couple of scouts to check it out, and they reported two suspicious individuals watching the door to the pocket dimension."

  Perfect.

  Unlike the Grotto, the Obsidian Arch at the La Casona way station was above ground and covered by a large warehouse around which jellyfish-like creatures called minders patrolled to keep out the noms. The door leading inside the pocket dimension was inside a courtyard.

  "Thanks," I said. "You have the image of Maulin Kassus?"

  "Of course," he said. "The minute you give the word, we'll lock down the arch and tell everyone it's because of Gloom fractures."

  "Thanks," I said. We left the nondescript house, part of a connected row of houses lining a winding street, and headed toward the La Casona way station. A minder approached us when we went to the gate guarding the entrance to the warehouse grounds, but a Templar waved it off, and let us through. Once inside, we headed toward the door leading into the La Casona pocket dimension.

  "I'll watch your backs," Ryland said, slipping away into the crowd and vanishing.

  As we approached the simple wooden doors disguising the entrance into the pocket dimension, I spotted Black Robe Brotherhood thugs examining the crowd. One of them locked gazes with me. His gaze flicked to a piece of parchment in his hand and back to me. I pretended not to notice, watching him out of the corner of my eye.

  There were only two of them from what I could tell. If they charged us, we could handle it.

  "They're calling someone," Adam said as we walked toward the stables.

  My phone rang seconds later. It was Elyssa.

  "At least thirty men plus Kassus just ran out of Darkwater like their asses were on fire," Elyssa said. "You're going to have company any minute."

  "Thanks, babe," I said, and disconnected. "Looks like the diversion worked," I said to the others.

  "We have a problem," Ryland said, suddenly appearing at my shoulder.

  I nearly jumped out of my skin.

  "What is it?" Shelton asked.

  "Every minder patrolling the perimeter just changed course."

  "Where are they going?" I asked.

  "Right here," Ryland said pointing at the ground.

  "Can't the Templars hold them off?" I asked.

  "The Templars on duty tried, but the minders ain't listening." He looked over his shoulder.

  Shelton's lip curled into a grimace. "I should have remembered, dammit. Darkwater is the contractor that finds minders in the Gloom and brings them here. I'll bet they have some agreement with the friggin monsters."

  "Let's go before they surround us," I said.

  "Too late for that," Ryland said. "All the exits are blocked."

  "If one of those things even touches you, you won't be able to move," Adam said, his eyes searching the area. "We'll be dead meat."

  I scowled and cursed. "There's got to be some way—" my eyes settled on the stable. "The control room, hurry!"

  I saw the brotherhood members pacing us as we headed for the stables. Rather than circle around the wooden structure, we dashed through. A long aisle ran between stalls holding all sorts of beasts. Ryland and I pressed our backs flat against the wall on either side of the door. Our two admirers entered. They locked eyes on Shelton and Adam ahead, never once glancing to the sides. I karate-chopped my man on the back of the neck, and sent him sprawling into a pile of steaming dung. Ryland's target hit the floor a second later. I took their wands and staffs, broke them to useless splinters. I grabbed their arcphones but passwords foiled my attempts to access them. I flung them into a heaping
pile of elephant manure.

  We raced across the stable, out the other door, and took a left around the corner into the narrow alley between the stable and the wall. The setup was identical to the other way stations and Shelton located the hidden door within seconds. He opened the door. Two arch operators looked up in surprise. I ran across the control platform and looked down the center aisle. It appeared free of Darkwater employees.

  "You can't just come in here," one of the operators said, pulling out a phone.

  "Templar business," Ryland said, pulling a badge on a lanyard from within his shirt. "Go about your business."

  The man eyed us warily, but tucked his phone away.

  We jogged toward the back and found a row of omniarches on the right side in an alcove, exactly where they'd been in the other control rooms. They looked intact, but that didn't guarantee anything. We stepped inside the silver circle. I pressed a finger to it and willed it closed. The static feel of aether filled the air around us. I imagined the omniarch room beneath the mansion, picturing every detail the best I could, and willed the portal open.

  The omniarch flickered with static. A jagged bolt of energy flashed against the silver circle, narrowly missing Shelton. He cried out in surprise. I was about to tell everyone to abandon ship when the space between the columns flashed into an image of the mansion arch room.

  "Yes!" Adam said.

  I heard shouts and looked down the aisle to see a line of minders heading our way, their tentacles waving eagerly, hungry to feed on our thoughts while the arch operators recoiled with horror.

  "Go, dammit!" Shelton said, pushing me.

  I stumbled through. The world warped, snapped back into place, and I stood feet away from the omniarch beneath the mansion, the image of the room in the Templar house still visible through it since we'd never closed the connection. Everyone else entered right on my heels. My phone dinged. I looked to see a text message from Christian.