Chapter LXXXVII : Ignition

  Lateday of Tertius, Second Day of Duskmoon

  Samuel gazed upon the splendor of the greatest engineering marvel the world had ever known. The mighty Zounds airbase was the key to his success. Its final build stretched across thirty hectares of land, its height rivaled all but the tallest trees, and its length, greater than three hundred spans. It dwarfed any machine mankind had ever built, and it was moments away from launch.

  It had its own hangar, allowing smaller airships to dock, and its innovative Manna Drive sent vast amounts of liquified red and blue manna throughout the ship, like blood through veins. Rockets were attached to the sides to assist the craft to its proper altitude, filled with the same fuel. Once Zounds reached ten thousand spans, the rockets would detach and fall to the Great Ocean. There was enough fuel onboard to remain airborne for weeks, giving Samuel all the time he needed to fulfill his mission.

  He watched final preparations from his perch atop a nearby hill, next to a newly built bunker that would shield the launch crew from the rocket blasts. He gazed with eager anticipation, since Zounds would soon be his to command. It was the culmination of a lifetime of hard work and dedication, yet only a fraction of the eminence he could achieve in the new world his father promised.

  Pleroma would be a paradise. Built on a foundation of power and strength, marvels like Zounds would be commonplace. It would be a realm of law and order. Justice would reign supreme, and corruption would perish. Prosperity would come not from money or greed, but from the glorious products of man’s own work. Pleroma would reach levels of technological greatness that Gaian men could only dream. The possibilities were endless.

  Only one man stood in the way of this perfect world, and he wasn’t even an adversary. Indeed, with all other major threats left behind, this man’s ideals were grossly incompatible with the perfect world Samuel imagined.

  The problem’s name was Virgil Garvey. Though the man was a lifelong partner and an indispensable ally, his methods were brutish and crude. Samuel worried what kind of position his father might bestow upon the rogue wizard, and whether he might wield it for tyranny, rather than progress.

  It was therefore crucial that Samuel restore his father’s faith in him. No matter what rule or hierarchy Azazel had in mind, Samuel needed to be at his father’s side. And to have any chance at all, he needed to rid himself of the mark Belial used to stain his soul.

  Fortunately, he had been successful at warding off the Ahriman’s temptations for two whole weeks. And it wouldn’t be long before Zounds was airborne and its scanners detected its first moonstone. He just needed one to eradicate the mark completely.

  As for restoring his reputation, he would need to go one step further and focus Azazel’s disapproval elsewhere. This was an area in which he hoped to snare two hares with one trap. All he needed was for Virgil to fail as a leader, and he would fill the role, instead. This would both eliminate the threat to Pleroma’s prosperity as well as restore his father’s faith in him.

  His umbrage with Virgil wasn’t personal, nor was he motivated by petty vengeance. In fact, the mission’s success still hinged on Virgil’s unique talents. Nevertheless, he needed to equalize his companion’s usefulness in the eyes of his father, or Virgil’s impulsiveness and penchant for unnecessary cruelty would spoil the very goal he had worked so hard to achieve.

  Fortunately, he had a plan. He and Virgil needed to secure the final sunstone, the one held by the Circle of Sorcerers in Vineta. Preferably, before they bolstered their defenses. He had already convinced his cohort to part with the Gemini Stone and give it to the lord of the Feylands as a gift.

  The lord’s name was Arcesilaus, a close friend and ally to the Circle of Sorcerers. The plan was for Libicocco to corrupt him, just as Abaddon did with King Richard. Under the Ahriman’s control, the Feyland lord could get close to the sunstone without rousing suspicion. If he succeeded in stealing it, the mission would advance nicely, and an otherwise thorny issue would be removed. But if he failed, Virgil would take the blame. The rogue wizard was in charge, after all.

  The solution was win-win. Samuel would step in, if needed, or wait for the next opportunity. The timing was almost perfect, since his colleague in question was apparently standing right behind him.

  Virgil’s voice called out. “I thought I’d find you here.”

  Samuel spun around to greet the rogue wizard but was surprised to see a gaunt, worn out man. Trudging across town must have been tiring, and Virgil wasn’t skilled in translocation, but there was more to his wan complexion than mere weariness. He looked at least a decade older than he had a week ago, with white lips, chalky skin, and dark bags under his eyes. Under the waning daylight, he looked ghastly.

  “Are you … feeling unwell?”

  Samuel didn’t feel pity, but he needed to know if his companion was up to the task.

  The wizard faced him soberly. “It needn’t concern you. Now, tell me. Have you heard from Libicocco?”

  Samuel stiffened. Virgil’s health was his own business, as long as he delivered. As for his question, Samuel already expected Virgil to want an update. So he had one prepared.

  “As soon as you and I concluded our last conversation, I flew to the Feylands to seek an audience with Arcesilaus. I told him Angkor was experimenting with a new weapon, and I had one of the prototypes in my possession. Of course, he was skeptical that a Gnostic Knight would turn against his master.”

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  He chuckled. “Nevertheless, the plutocrats of this world are all the same. Offer them greed as a motive, and they’ll buy every word. I demanded gold, jewels, artwork, and protection. He offered me a cottage, deep in the northern woodlands, in exchange for the sunstone. Sure enough, after using it a few times, he never doubted again.”

  Virgil looked bored. “Skip to the good part.”

  Samuel tightened his lips and tried not to roll his eyes. “As you said, it took only days for Libicocco to contact me, with Arcesilaus already under its control. We discussed a plan to infiltrate Kish, which is where the Circle of Sorcerers keeps the Capricorn Stone. As soon as we concluded, Libicocco went covert. Assuming all goes well, I expect to hear from them soon.”

  Virgil looked relieved. “At least that’s one thing going well.”

  Samuel picked up on the subtext easily. “Tell me, what isn’t going well?”

  He already knew the answer, but he wanted Virgil to admit it.

  The wizard looked aggravated. “It’s Richard. I thought for sure his soul would be consumed by now, but he continues to resist. He’s a walking corpse, unwilling to die!”

  “He’s strong. I warned you about him from the beginning.”

  Indeed, Samuel had grown to know Angkor’s king months before giving him the Pisces Stone. Richard was brave, shrewd, bold, and wise. In fact, Samuel admired the man and found it difficult to deceive him, knowing he’d be forced to watch Abaddon rot his body from the inside out. Samuel remembered how difficult it was to set his concerns aside and commit to the plan. In fact, in the final days of Harvestmoon, close to the plan’s execution, he demanded to speak with his father to resolve his conflict of conscience.

  Meeting the Great Azazel was only granted in rare circumstances, since it came at a great cost. Virgil was the only man on Gaia with the unique power to bridge the expanse between worlds and create a connection for this great being to manifest. Samuel had only gazed upon his father’s glory a few times in his whole life. Each time, a humbling experience. Azazel’s majesty sends a man to his knees. His splendor commands obedience.

  Yet, when Samuel’s faith faltered and he expressed hesitation, Azazel was kind and merciful in his explanation. By the end, Samuel understood that the complete annihilation of Richard’s soul was necessary for the good of the mission. In order to cleanse the world’s corruption and start anew, some had to die. And among those dead, some would lose their chance to be reborn. He needed to accept their sacrifice and commit to the greater cause. The rest of mankind depended on it.

  The audience erased his reservations. Nevertheless, the fact remained that Richard was resilient and would fight Abaddon’s corruption until the very end. It might have come as a surprise to Virgil, but only because he didn’t know the man like Samuel did.

  Still, it was clear the rogue wizard disliked the answer. His eyes narrowed. “It’s a problem. Somehow, Abraham made it to Angkor. Abaddon’s thrall picked him up and was planning to interrogate him, but he escaped.”

  Samuel tried not to sound smug. “Is it a problem, though?”

  Virgil’s eyes went wide, which stretched his gaunt face even tighter around his cheekbones. “I’d happily send more of Abaddon’s forces after him, but Richard is making it difficult.” He said the name through clenched teeth, which showed clear signs of decay. “Whenever he hoists control to go on one of his mad rants, the hive mind is disrupted, and he leaves our flanks open.”

  Samuel crossed his arms and glared at his companion. “And you’re worried? Do you actually believe Abraham can triumph over an Ahriman?”

  Virgil huffed. “He bears the relics of the Grigori and has already demonstrated the power of anima. We can’t rule out that he finds Richard in human form and takes the Pisces Stone by force.”

  Samuel knew all of this already. He could have told Virgil that it was all revealed to him through the power of Belial’s All-Seeing Eye, one of the unique gifts used by the hunter Ahriman to find its prey. The Sagittarius Stone could spy on anyone, providing near total omniscience, as long as he remained disciplined and was careful not to overuse it.

  Of course, Virgil wouldn’t see it that way. He would argue that Samuel was inviting Belial’s corruption and use that knowledge against him. Besides, keeping it secret allowed him to exploit another opportunity. If he convinced Virgil to face Abraham alone, he’d have another chance to humiliate the wizard, who clearly showed signs of stress and wasn’t at full strength. Even if Virgil succeeded, removing another risk would aid the mission. Especially if Virgil captured his brother alive. If he did, it might please Azazel enough for Samuel to request another chance.

  He played his hand. “If you’re so worried, why don’t you go after Abraham?”

  Virgil scoffed. “I told you already. He escaped, and Abaddon lost control. At least, for the time being. I wouldn’t know where to look.”

  Samuel paused. He couldn’t tell him Abraham’s position without revealing how he knew.

  “Where was he last seen?”

  Virgil took a deep breath. It seemed to calm him. “In the city. By the old judiciary center.”

  Samuel smirked. “If I know my brother, he’ll find a place to lay low and avoid being seen. He knows that Richard is most likely in the palace, so he’d need a rear entrance. You might consider looking in the waterways. I believe there’s a postern to the palace down there.”

  Virgil looked sulky. “Why don’t you go? Aren’t you eager for a rematch?”

  Samuel had his response ready. “I’m busy overseeing this launch, which must go flawlessly. Besides, I don’t need to engage in combat to validate my superiority. The question is whether you can best my brother, now that he has the power of anima.”

  Samuel felt a sting of envy, just by saying it. Anima was a divine gift inherited by their father, and Abraham was the twin who received it. Though Samuel had access to wizardry, a talent he honed to be as sharp as his sword, and though he was stronger than most humans, red manna had just a fraction of anima’s potential. If Abraham were to harness his full power, he’d truly be worthy of the name Nephilim.

  Virgil grunted. “So you’re giving me the dirty work? That’s not how this is supposed to work. The master put me in charge!”

  Samuel merely held his gaze until Virgil stormed off with a huff.

  He was glad to see him go, though curious why he hadn’t pushed back harder. On his way downhill, Virgil crossed a man who had once belonged to Richard’s Royal Guard. The rogue wizard sneered on his way past, but the Royal hardly seemed to notice. He approached Samuel without flinching.

  When Kane stood before his master, he kneeled in reverence. “I came as soon as I received your summons, My Lord.”

  Samuel addressed his apprentice. “Stay close. I need to inspect a few things while there’s still daylight. But we will be leaving shortly.”

  Kane rose. “As you wish.”

  Samuel needed countermeasures. In case his brother beat all odds and became a real threat, Kane would be his ace up the sleeve. He knew his brother held a grudge against the former Royal, an emotion that could easily disarm the power of anima. Though not a card that Samuel could play often, it would be powerful and unexpected should the need arise. Plus, Kane was a hard worker, loyal, and capable of many other tasks.

  Samuel shut his eyes to focus. There was still much to do, and he wanted to be off the ground by nightfall.