Ominous Odyssey (Overworld Chronicles Book 13) (36 page)

"What's to stop us from using the Sirens?" Shelton said. "Maybe that'll be enough to keep the Brightlings off our backs."

I pressed my lips together and nodded. "I've given it a lot of thought, but we have to wait for Narine and Balaena to wake up. Dolpha was helpful, but she's the Negative Nancy of the group, and I don't want to leave the decision in her hands."

Adam held up a hand. "Amen to that!"

"If it comes down to a fight, I'm concerned we won't have the military might to win," Elyssa said. "Maybe there's a way to change this on a smaller scale."

"Assassination?" I said.

She gave me an apologetic look. "We have to consider all options."

Picking off Kaelissa or Arturo felt dirty, but they hadn't exactly kept their hands sparkly clean. I sighed. "We'll do what we have to."

"In the meantime, we can keep looking for a way home," Adam said. "All we have to do is find the nodes the Fallen were using."

Shelton polished off another slice of pizza. "I'd say we're sitting pretty right now, and not just because we can eat like humans again."

He was right. This journey had brought us one step closer to home and possibly given us new allies. But there was still a lot to do.

The next afternoon, Shelton and Adam finished the portal apparatus, and Illaena ordered the
Falcheen
out to the Voltis Maelstrom so we could test it. We told Adonis that if everything went as planned, we would briefly visit Seraphina and return to Atlantis.

Once we reached the roiling gray storm, I stood in front of the Chalon and channeled Brilliance through it. The orb levitated off its platform, the intricate designs on its surface catching fire. It spun faster and faster, but nothing else happened.

Adam stepped beside me. "I think you have to will it to focus energy through the gem."

I'd only used Chalons to open portals in Alabaster Arches—a process that required little more than willing it to happen. Maybe Adam was right and all the thing needed was a little direction. I imagined the Chalon sending energy through the large gem mounted in front of it and without further ado, beams of magic speared out, using the gem like a giant focusing lens.

The energy spread into the clouds ahead. Slowly but surely, static and destructive energy filtered away, leaving only a crystalline portal behind. Minutes later, the beginnings of a tunnel lay before us. Illaena ordered the ship inside. It took the better part of an hour, building the portal tunnel in front of us as we went, but before we knew it, clear skies and blue waters extended before us.

Adam took out his arcphone and scanned the environment. After a time, he nodded. "We're back in Seraphina."

"You think there's a way to attune the Chalon to do the same thing, but take us back to Eden?" Shelton said hopefully.

Adam shrugged. "Maybe. We'd have to test it."

Illaena stood next to us and drew in a deep breath. "It is good to be home."

"I need to speak with my father," Elyssa said. "Can I use your communication gem?"

Illaena nodded and took me and Elyssa to her cabin. Thomas's holographic image appeared almost immediately, and relief swept across his face when he saw his daughter.

Elyssa smiled. "Hello, Dad."

"I'm glad to see you're okay," Thomas said. "We've been very concerned."

"A lot has happened." Elyssa tucked her hair behind an ear. She quickly summarized our perilous journey, the existence of Atlantis, and Kaelissa's mission to kidnap the Sirens, her secret weapon.

"Amazing," Thomas said, his usual stony mask slipping. "If you hadn't stopped her, she could have strolled into Pjurna and worked her way across the continent, taking every city without spilling a drop of blood."

"I doubt it would have been bloodless," I said. "There's no telling what she had planned."

"I could use Sirens here in Tarissa." Thomas leaned on the table in front of him. "Legiaros Kohval marched his troops from the north and controls the northern part of the capitol." He flicked his hand and his image vanished, replaced by a map of Pjurna. A red line traveled south from Kohvalla and down to Tarissa where it pooled in the northern sections of the city.

Thomas continued with the troubling news. "Legiaros Meera led Gallix Legion into the city and assumed control of the south." An orange line highlighted the route from the western side of Pjurna and into Tarissa. "As of now, the Eden army is trapped between the two forces. Civil war could break out at any moment."

Illaena remained quiet, but her eyes flared in alarm.

"Are you safe?" Elyssa asked.

The map vanished and Thomas reappeared. He nodded grimly. "We're safe, but we're in no position to intervene between two full legions."

"What do our faction leaders have to say about it?" I asked.

"McCloud says the lycans will do whatever I request, but he already told me in no uncertain terms that if I can't force peace, we should let Kohval and Meera fight it out." Thomas folded his arms, a façade of steely resolve covering his frown. "Saber said the felycans will follow whatever the lycans propose, while the Blue Cloaks want to try to force peace talks."

Elyssa bit her lower lip. "What about the vampires?"

"They want to abandon Tarissa and wait it out." Thomas looked down at something. "Flava and her people have recruited nearly two hundred Seraphim for their new Tarissan Legion, but they still have to heal hundreds of the citizens Cephus mutated into his flying soldiers."

My stomach knotted. "I take it she wants to stay and fight?"

"She won't leave Tarissa," Thomas said. "If we relocate, we'd have to leave her behind."

"What about other citizens?" Elyssa asked.

"I don't know." Thomas sighed. "It's not an easy decision, but it's one we need to make soon."

I pounded a fist on the table. "We need to make Kohval and Meera realize that the Brightlings are the real enemy!"

Elyssa squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. "What if we relocated our troops to Atlantis?" Her eyelids blinked open, revealing the sadness behind that question.

"We'll consider it if the logistics work," Thomas said. "It would mean asking a lot of the Mzodi."

Illaena, who'd remained quiet until now, spoke. "We will help you however we can."

"Is Atlantis big enough to support so many people?" I said. "Vampires, werewolves, felycans—it would be a tremendous change for everyone."

"We'll have to ask Adonis." Elyssa's lips formed a tight line. "If we allow Kohval and Meera to fight each other, the Brightlings will sweep in and take over what's left. All our sacrifice, all our hard work will have been for nothing." The sadness and uncertainty in her voice vanished, replaced by resolve. "I say we move the injured and non-essential personnel to Atlantis, and rouse every able body to help us fight for the future of Seraphina."

I felt a fierce grin stretch my lips, and a surge of pride warmed my heart. "I'm with Elyssa. We've lost too many good people to give up now."
We'll do this for Nightliss.

A smile broke Thomas's mask. "Agreed. I'll work on the logistics from this end. Find out what the Atlanteans are willing to put up with. The more civilians we can evacuate, the easier it will be to fight."

Elyssa pressed a hand to her chest in a Templar salute. "Yes, Commander."

Pride shone in Thomas's eyes. "As you were, Templar." The holographic image vanished.

Illaena took Elyssa's hand. "I will consult with Xalara. Together, we can prevail."

Elyssa pressed her other hand over Illaena's. "Together we can do anything."

Illaena nodded. "I will join you outside after I've contacted the Muhala Kajeen."

"We'll let the others know what's going on," I said.

Elyssa and I returned above deck and told the others about our plans.

"Well ain't this just a ray of fairy-farting sunshine!" Shelton grumbled when we finished. "Do you really think the Atlanteans are gonna want to put up with a refugee crisis?"

"The Lyrolai won't like it either," Adam said. "The island is plenty big, but most of it is controlled by them."

Elyssa didn't look a bit deterred. "Atlantis is the safest place to keep those who can't fight out of harm's way."

"We've been in more difficult situations," I said, not entirely sure if that was true. "We'll get through this."

"And I'll be there to save your bacon." Shelton flashed a grin. "No rest for the weary."

Adam snorted. "Or the wicked."'

Illaena returned to the top deck and spoke with her first mate. Tahlee shouted orders and the
Falcheen
set course back through the portal and toward Atlantis. I hoped the denizens of the island would be willing to help us.

Once we arrived back in Atlantis, I spoke with Adonis and told him that we'd need to speak with the Lyrolai once Narine and Balaena were freed from the grasp of the bloodstones. He agreed to make the arrangements.

It took a few days, but Eor finally destroyed the bloodstones, restoring free will to Narine and Balaena. Dolpha took them back to the underwater city of Pacifis with her to help them recover, but they promised to return the next day to hear the requests we had of them, the mortals, and the Lyrolai. I hated the extra waiting, especially with Pjurna teetering on the brink of civil war. Unfortunately, it couldn't be helped.

The next morning, we met the others on the turtle pier. Narine, Balaena and Dolpha were all present, the first two looking no worse for the wear after their brief bloodstone captivity. Kalume, the Lyrolai representative watched us approach. The tall man looked apprehensive, but the way his eyes darted toward the ship and us, he was probably curious about these newcomers.

Adonis stood between the other parties, shifting nervously foot-to-foot. This was probably the most important meeting he'd attended in a long while. He cleared his throat and made introductions. "Kalume, this is Justin, Elyssa, Shelton, and Adam."

Kalume looked at us, green, almond-shaped eyes regarding us suspiciously. His long silver hair hung in small braids, and his skin held an almost bluish hue. Otherwise, he looked mostly human. I wondered if he had any powers over nature like the ones Cora exhibited.

"A pleasure to meet you." I didn't offer him a handshake, figuring he wouldn't know what it meant.

"I am pleased to hear you prevented an attack on the island," Kalume said in a sonorous voice that commanded respect. "The people of the wood are grateful."

Narine smiled inhumanly wide. "Your brave actions have also returned us to our sister," she said to us. "We owe you a debt."

"Would you consider helping us defeat Kaelissa once and for all?" I asked.

Her smiled faded. "We swore long ago never to use our abilities for harm. Fighting a war would go against everything we believe."

"But Dolpha helped us fight for you," Elyssa said. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"Dolpha requested the aid of our brethren in the sea," Balaena said. "She gave you a counter spell to our song. She did not use the song to fight."

"That's kind of a fine line," I said. "With your song, we could reunite Seraphina without bloodshed."

"You cannot force harmony among enemies," Narine said. "Powerful as the song might be, it grants only temporary unity. Hearts must be changed from within, not without."

Balaena nodded her agreement. "We will help you in other ways, but we will not use the song as a weapon."

Elyssa's shoulders slumped.

"War is an evil we left behind long ago," Kalume said. "For millennia we have lived here in peace and the wood, the glade, the glen, have prospered."

Adonis rolled his eyes, but didn't offer comment.

I'd expected things to go this way which was why I'd baited the hook with talk of war. Now they'd hopefully talked their way into a corner. "If you will not help us fight, then may we request asylum for those of our people who cannot fight? We have civilians and others injured from previous battles that need refuge. The citizens of Pjurna may soon face a civil war that we have to stop."

Narine's eyebrows rose sharply. "How many people?"

"Several hundred," Elyssa said. "Most of them will be Seraphim—citizens from the capitol city of Tarissa."

Adonis's eyes grew wide.

Kalume frowned, but he didn't dismiss the request outright. After all, he and Narine had just talked a big game about peace and gratitude. Turning down peaceful asylum would make them look like jackasses.

"We can certainly accommodate more people," Adonis said. "Thousands once lived in this city, so there are plenty of empty homes that can be used. We may need additional farmland for the food supply, if the Lyrolai are willing."

Kalume's frown deepened, but he nodded. "There may be room, but we would need assurances that they would not intrude on our domain."

"We approve," Narine said. "But request that you not base your army here."

"We'd like to have some defenses," Elyssa said. "Would that be acceptable?"

"Yes," Narine said.

Kalume nodded. "So long as they remain in the city."

Adonis rubbed his hands together. "Goodness, this is exciting! I can only imagine the stories your people will bring with them."

It was a good start, but there was a lot more to talk about, so I let Elyssa get down to the nitty gritty details.

That night, Elyssa and I sat on the hill next to our temporary home in Atlantis and looked at the dazzling sky and huge moon overhead.

"When I spoke with my father earlier," Elyssa said, "he told me something I didn't want to repeat in front of the others."

A knot formed in my gut. "What is it?"

"Issana isn't Nightliss's daughter." She let that sink in before continuing. "When Cephus took Nightliss captive, he tried to copy her."

I gasped. "He cloned her?"

Elyssa shook her head. "Issana is a golem."

The knot in my gut turned to ice. "The only person who can make such lifelike golems is Fjoeruss."

"Cephus and Serena were working on perfecting his technique," Elyssa said. "Thomas said that our people found plans to replace high-ranking officials with golems."