"Warren, how did you get down here?" Kendra asked.
"I wish I could say through my own brilliant innovation," Warren said. "I had help."
"From who?" Bracken wondered.
"The Sphinx."
"What?" Kendra exclaimed.
"I know how it sounds," Warren said. "Hear me out. It will make sense."
"We're listening," Bracken said skeptically.
"Tonight changed everything for the Sphinx," Warren explained. "He has lost control of the Society."
Bracken scowled doubtfully. "How?"
"Graulas is here."
"The demon who helped Seth back at Fablehaven?" Kendra asked. "Isn't he dying?"
"Not anymore," Warren said. "Apparently a demon called Nagi Luna here at Living Mirage had an agent slip Seth the Translocator and the Sands of Sanctity. Seth escaped the dungeon and went to heal Graulas. Once healed, the demon stole the artifacts, acquired the Chronometer, and came here."
"Seth healed Graulas!" Kendra cried.
"He must have thought he was being kind," Warren inferred.
"So now the Society has all five artifacts," Kendra said.
"And something the Sphinx never counted on," Warren said.
"A powerful demon vying for control," Bracken surmised. "The Sphinx always maintained he would open Zzyzx only on his terms."
"But his plans have fallen apart," Warren said. "Graulas has already won over most of the Society, including Mr. Lich. Many have long felt the Sphinx was too lenient and conservative. If the Sphinx doesn't play along, he'll end up a prisoner in his own dungeon. Blixes are mortal beings, and Mr. Lich has been with the Sphinx almost since the beginning, sipping from the same Font of Immortality. With or without the Sphinx, Mr. Lich can use the Translocator and the Chronometer to begin the process of opening Zzyzx."
"And the demons can finish it," Kendra said.
Bracken pounded a frustrated fist into his palm. "Deluded as the Sphinx was, we're all worse off than before."
"We have one ray of hope," Warren said. "If he can't do it on his terms, the Sphinx wants to abort the opening of Zzyzx. He wants to stop Graulas as badly as we do. He can't let the demons know his intentions. He wants to remain close to the center of things, in the hopes of bringing them down from the inside. But he provided me with some key information."
"How did you meet up with him?" Bracken inquired.
"Earlier in the night, I was part of a rescue attempt," Warren said. "Kendra came here as part of the same mission. I was dropped off separately from the rest of the strike force as a fail-safe. I began evasive maneuvers the instant the dwarf left my side, and good thing I did. Minutes later I was the target of a manhunt. Coulter, a friend of ours, had lent me his invisibility glove, which improved my chances. Even so, I barely managed to elude my pursuers.
"Not long after Graulas arrived at Living Mirage, the Sphinx decided to personally lead the hunt for me. Accompanied by a few wraiths under his control, the Sphinx tracked me down. But instead of bringing me in, he told me the situation, gave me some keys, and explained about a secret passage into the depths of his dungeon."
"You can lead us out of here?" Bracken exclaimed.
"By a pathway known only to the Sphinx," Warren confirmed.
"Then what?" Kendra said.
"He wants us to protect the Eternals," Warren said.
Bracken laughed bitterly. "The world is upside down."
"He said there are three Eternals left. He recently learned the location of one, a man called Roon Osricson, who has long occupied a heavily fortified stronghold in Finland."
"Okay," Bracken said uncertainly.
"The Sphinx feels certain Graulas will move against Roon immediately," Warren said. "The demon is already campaigning for support to remove Nagi Luna from her confinement in the dungeon. The Sphinx believes it will not be long before Nagi Luna holds the Oculus in her hands. Once she does, he believes she will speedily discover the remaining Eternals. Bracken, he wants you to leave one of your psychic communicators in your room. He will retrieve it and feed us information as it becomes available."
"This is a dangerous game," Bracken whispered. "You understand, our interests may temporarily align, but the Sphinx does not share our agenda. His end goal is not to stop the opening of Zzyzx, but to regain control of the situation and open it on his terms."
"I get it," Warren said. "But keep in mind, if Graulas is here and healthy, what are the odds of the Sphinx regaining control?"
"I see your point," Bracken said. "Nevertheless, we mustn't underestimate him. Or place full trust in him."
"Agreed," Warren said. "However, for the moment, I think it benefits everyone to use each other."
"How can we get out of here?" Bracken asked.
"It has to look like we escaped," Warren said. "The Sphinx said the main gate is heavily guarded. According to him, our best bet is to head to the fairy shrine."
"The shrine here is sealed," Bracken said resentfully.
"Right," Warren said. "By the Sphinx. He gave me the key."
Bracken cocked his head as if weighing the odds. "So we hope the Fairy Queen can conjure a way out of here."
"Seems like our best bet," Warren said.
"What do you mean, the shrine is sealed?" Kendra wondered.
"The Sphinx didn't want the Fairy Queen to be able to spy on him," Bracken said. "He lacked the power to destroy her shrine here, so he sealed it off, covering it with an ensorcelled iron dome."
"The dome has an access port," Warren said. "And I now have a copy of the key."
"Getting to the shrine will be no simple affair," Bracken warned. "This is not a mild preserve."
"Tell me about it," Warren said. "When the Sphinx showed up with his wraith squad, he had to rescue me from a manticore."
"Won't the wraiths share what is happening with the demons?" Kendra asked.
"The Sphinx is a mighty shadow charmer," Bracken said. "His wraiths and phantoms communicate only with him. They will not divulge his secrets, and he should be strong enough to shield his mind from Graulas and Nagi Luna."
"Let's hope so," Warren muttered.
"The Sphinx gave you that amulet?" Bracken asked.
"He did. And he promised to help divert the search for me away from the path to the shrine."
Bracken turned to Kendra. "What do you say? Your brother currently holds the record for quickest escape from the dungeons of the Great Ziggurat. You ready to dethrone him?"
"What about the others?" Kendra asked. "Can't we take my grandparents?"
Warren winced. "The passage out of the dungeon is down very deep. The Sphinx warned we should keep the escape small. In fact, the only people he specified were you two. He promised to try to aid the others."
Bracken patted Kendra's arm consolingly. "If the passage out is down here in the depths, we can't get to your parents or grandparents without passing numerous checkpoints. We might be able to collect Maddox and Mara. Of course, Mara is still recovering from injuries, Maddox has had trouble moving quickly ever since Rio Branco, and neither of them is nearby."
"Up to you guys," Warren said. "Speed will matter. As soon as Nagi Luna gets the Oculus, we won't be able to shield ourselves from her view."
"Then we should seize the moment and depart," Bracken decided. "Kendra?"
"Seems like the only choice."
"Either of you have a coin?" Bracken asked.
Warren dug in his pockets. "How about a quarter?"
"Perfect. I prefer coins to stones." Bracken cupped the coin in one hand and covered it with the other. For a moment, his hands shed a pearly radiance. Then he placed the quarter under a rock in a corner of the room.
"Did you just turn that into a communicator?" Warren asked.
"Correct. If the Sphinx wants to feed us intelligence, he now has the means." Bracken adjusted the position of the stone over the coin. "How did you get into my cell? There are three secret entrances."
"I came through the front door. The Sphinx gave me a key. The passage out of the ziggurat begins just around the corner."
Bracken smirked. "Right under my nose all these years. How could I have missed it?"
"It's perfectly disguised and heavily enchanted," Warren said. "Only opens for the password, which is in Akkadian. I had to memorize the syllables."
"I'm usually able to detect such things," Bracken said. "I suppose it didn't help that I spend most of my time skulking along forgotten passageways. I'm seldom out in the main corridors."
"We ready?" Warren asked.
"My possessions are few," Bracken said. "Lead on."
Warren opened the cell door. Kendra and Bracken shadowed him into the hallway and tiptoed around the corner.
Bracken nudged Kendra. "Nagi Luna resides around that next corner, at the end of the hall."
"Tough neighborhood," Warren whispered. He paused in front of a blank wall.
"Here?" Bracken asked, running a hand along the surface, eyes intent. "I must be losing my touch."
Warren spoke strange words, and the wall became semi-transparent. Warren stepped through it.
Bracken gave a low whistle. "I feel a little better. This was very well concealed, the work of a true master."
He and Kendra walked through the wall and started up a long stairway.
Chapter 15 Message in a Bottle
His promise to Coulter helped pull Seth back from the brink of total emotional collapse. By degrees, he stopped looking inward at his guilt and became aware of the demolished room around him, of the golem waiting patiently at his side. He glanced at the steel safe crumpled in a corner like a crushed soda can. He heard timbers creak and crash as part of the burning barn collapsed outside. Outside. Did the house even have an inside or an outside anymore, now that so much of it had been torn down?
"I really blew it this time," Seth said to Hugo. "Bad demon," the golem said.
"I just didn't see this coming," Seth moaned. "How could I be so blind?"
The golem said nothing. A big hand patted Seth on the shoulder consolingly.
Seth wiped his nose. He needed to get busy, to lose himself in a task. "I can't undo what happened. But I can't quit, either. Maybe Patton has an idea for a next move. We need to go to the old manor."
"Danger," Hugo warned.
"I know it isn't safe," Seth agreed. "With the treaty destroyed, we could run into bloodthirsty monsters anywhere. But that also means it isn't any safer here. Not anymore."
"Hugo keep safe," the golem rumbled. "I believe it," Seth said.
"Hello?" called a timid voice. Seth whirled. It sounded like Kendra.
"Kendra?" he answered, confused.
"Sort of," came the reply. After a moment, his sister limped into the room, favoring her right leg.
"You're the stingbulb," Seth said. They had placed an injured duplicate of Kendra in the Quiet Box after Tanu had done all he could to heal her. "How did you get out of the Quiet Box?"
"They put Vanessa inside when they left on their mission, which meant I had to come out. My time is running short. I won't survive much beyond daybreak."
"Do you know what happened here?" Seth asked.
"Not really. Nobody brought me up to speed. I'm still hurt, so I can't help much. Being in the Quiet Box froze my healing. I'll expire before I become whole again. I wanted to listen to music, so they placed me in Vanessa's former cell. She has a terrific sound system."
"Would you be willing to go back into the Quiet Box?"
"Sure, if you want," she said. "It prolongs my existence. It isn't much different from back when I was just a fruit. Minus the connection to the tree, of course."
It was strange to be talking with his sister, knowing it was not his sister. "We got attacked by a demon."
"Sounded bad," the stingbulb said. "I was hesitant to come up, but curiosity got the better of me. You were captured, weren't you? They were talking about it after they got me out."
"They came to rescue me, and all of them got caught, but I got away. It's a long story."
She nodded, then glanced at the corpse on the floor. "The demon got Coulter?"
"Yeah," Seth said, voice getting husky. Her expression didn't change. "Does it make you sad?"
"Not in the same way it would make Kendra sad," the stingbulb said frankly. "I have memories of her feelings for him. But I'm aware they aren't my memories. Kendra gave me general instructions to help you guys, so I'm regretful that I couldn't prevent the mishap."
"Would you take orders from me?" Seth asked.
"Sure. The last standing orders I got from Kendra before entering the Quiet Box were to always help your family and never betray you. I could interpret that to mean I should follow your commands."
He wondered how he might make use of the stingbulb.
Nothing immediately came to mind. Her injured leg would limit his options. He could store her in the Quiet Box until a need arose, but that would mean freeing Vanessa. Did he want the narcoblix's help or not? Hard to say. He should probably visit Patton first.
"Is the dungeon in good shape?" Seth asked.