Alfonso lived in a pyramid-shaped villa with a single entrance guarded by five burly men. Sherry and I scoped it out while sitting in the second floor of a coffee house, just down the street.
We needed to wait two hours for the Illusionist’s Mask’s cooldown to reset. I drank small cups of coffee the while. It made my feet tapping even worse.
I’d never stolen from someone before. For some reason, the idea of being a thief made me uneasy. I suppose it was because I’d been raised never to do that. But I wasn’t really stealing. These sorts of people built their fortunes by stealing from others, so I was only seizing back what they’d stolen. Since I intended to rule this island, I had every right to dispense justice and redistribute the ill-gotten gains amassed by the elites in this city to those who really deserved them.
“You all right, Remy?” Sherry asked after setting down her tea cup.
“I’m all right. A bit uneasy, is all.”
“I’m here to help carry your burdens. I don’t want you to bear them all on your own.”
“I know, and I love you for that.” I stood. “Nothing settles the nerves like diving in. I think it’s time we got to work.”
This time, I would wear the Illusionist’s Mask. I put it up to my face and imagined myself transforming into Saran. Sherry shuddered at the sight of my transformation.
“You just got a whole lot uglier.” She chuckled.
“Thankfully it’s temporary.”
“What if it wasn’t? The horror…”
I shuddered at the thought. “Please don’t give the Outer Gods ideas.”
“Let’s just hope they didn’t hear me.”
We went out into the crowded street. Sherry stayed behind me as we walked toward the gate to Alfonso’s house.
“Step aside,” I said to one of the guards. “A high ranking minister — me — is here to see Alfonso.”
The guards bowed their heads. “Minister Saran, but I thought…”
“You thought what?” I gave them a good glare.
“I thought you’d already gone inside.”
Oh shit. What were the odds that Saran would be visiting Alfonso, today?
“Well you must be blind! You clearly did not see me leave! I went to fetch my newest slave.” I gestured to Sherry, who was doing a great job looking demure by keeping her gaze on the ground. “She’s a fire curseborn. Would you like to learn, first hand, how hot her flames burn?”
The guards shook their heads. “No. No. Please, Sir Saran, we meant no offense—”
“Silence! Now get out of the way before I turn you all to cinders!”
They opened the gate. We walked through the garden, which was filled with tulips and roses. Another guard stood in front of the entrance to the pyramid. I gave him an angry glare. He bowed his head and stepped aside.
We entered the pyramid. Mosaics of armies battling giant creatures covered the stone walls. The marble floors were blindingly white. A golden staircase led up to the second floor, while hallways lit by massive oil lamps led to the adjacent rooms.
I whispered to Sherry, “Miranda mentioned he kept goldcores in the basement.”
“Why wouldn’t he keep them in his soul storage, safe and sound? Is he a fool?”
“Could just be arrogance. Thinking no one can touch him. Who knows?”
We fast-walked through the hallway, searching for a way down. Servants eyed us as we hurried through the halls. The disguise would wear off soon, so I had to speed things up further.
We turned a corner and found a staircase leading down. Voices came from below.
“You can’t be serious.” Saran’s nasally voice.
“I’m afraid it’s true.” A heavier, deeper voice. “He’s coming here as we speak.”
“Who gave you this information?”
“Let’s just say I have eyes everywhere.”
“Personally, I’d like to meet him.” A third voice. I recognized that accent immediately. A British accent, from Earth. “He’s only the second person to come here from my world.”
Wait… were they talking about me? But how could they know I was coming?
I turned to Sherry in horror. “We have to get out of here. This is a—”
“Trap.” A man stepped forward out of the corner. I recognized his dark hair and angry scowl. Leric, the curseborn male. “You fell for it like the fool you are.”
Sherry took my arm and came close. “What do we do?” she whispered in my ear.
“Stay calm,” I said. “I’ll get us out of this.”
Leric’s curseborn wife emerged from the hallway. She was tall and lean, and her straight dark hair reached her waist. “Hello, Remy.”
“Hello.”
“Sorry we had to meet like this.”
Unlike her husband, her voice wasn’t full of malice. She almost sounded sad.
Saran appeared at the base of the staircase, grinning like an idiot. “There he is. Right on time.”
How’d they even know I was coming? Wait… did Miranda sell me out? How could she do that to us?
I glanced at Sherry, and Sherry glanced at me. We both conjured our flame spears. I faced Saran, and she faced Leric and his wife.
“That won’t be necessary.” That British accent again.
He appeared behind Saran. He was bald and tan, with the frame and muscles of a body builder. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a black pair of pajamas and white socks.
“You’re Adam, aren’t you?” Ruby had mentioned him the first time I met her, even saying he was from London.
“And you’re Remy, the American.”
I firmed my grip on the flame spear as Adam climbed a single step.
“Yeah, I’m American. So what?”
“We were both brought here for the same reason,” Adam said. “To destroy the Shadowsoul. But you…” He wagged his finger at me. “You seem to be going about it all wrong.”
I shook my head. “You don’t even know me, or what I’m trying to do.”
“Oh but I do. I know you’re hiding in the Underground Forest. I know you’ve got a harem of curseborn who pleasure you in every way imaginable. I’ve got the same, in fact. It’s your… rebelliousness that I find distasteful. We all have to work together, Remy. Overthrowing the emperor won’t save this world.”
“They’re the ones who are destroying this world,” I said. “Sure, the monsters are bad. But monsters are mindless. In the aftermath of the Shadowsoul, the emperor and his cronies set up a corrupt system that keeps themselves on top, and lovely women like my wives at the very bottom. I won’t abide it.”
Adam chuckled. “Typical American naivety. You’ve grown up hearing about the Boston Tea Party, and want to start your own, eh? Why do you think you’re able to have a harem in the first place? It’s because of the hierarchy, not despite it.” He grinned, then shook his head. “The thing is, none of that matters. You can defeat a monster with a flaming spear, but you can’t change the way people think.”
“I disagree.” I raised my spear to chest height. “People can change. Better leaders can teach people to be better. Can make laws that decree everyone be treated equally. It all matters, and I can make a difference.”
“You sound like you’re campaigning to be President.” Adam let out a boisterous laugh.
Saran sighed in annoyance. “You really want to waste time talking to this idiot, Adam? Let’s just put him in chains and send him to the emperor, as planned.”
Adam scowled and turned toward Saran. “He may be a stupid American, but he’s smarter and stronger than you. Keep your fucking mouth shut and let me handle this.”
Adam must’ve possessed a lot of authority to be talking to Saran like that. Ruby had mentioned that he was headed for the mainland. Had he cozied up to the emperor while there?
Saran made a fist and bit his lip. “He stole my curseborn twins.”
“They aren’t yours, you piece of dangling elephant shit.” I wanted to thrust my spear into his heart. “Tara and Maria are free now, and can make whatever choices they want.”
“Saran is right,” Adam said. “You didn’t have any right to seize his property.”
“People can’t be property!”
“They can if the law says they can. That’s how the world works. You follow the law, and you be a good citizen.” Adam stuck his hand in his soul storage. He took out a glistening piece of glass. It was as if rainbows had been infused into it.
“A Mirror Shard!” Sherry exclaimed.
“What are you going to do with that?” I asked Adam.
“I’m going to send you back to Earth, where you belong.”
Saran growled. “That was not the agreement. The emperor wants him!”
“He’s dangerous,” Adam said. “He has the same passive ability that multiplies a soulbond’s power that I do. He’ll destroy all the good we’ve done to defeat the Shadowsoul and bring this world back from the brink. We can’t afford the risk.”
I laughed. “I’m not going anywhere. And I’m done talking. You think I’m dangerous, do you? Well, you haven’t seen a thing yet!” I kissed Sherry on the cheek. “It’s time, my love!”
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Alfonso lived in a pyramid-shaped villa with a single entrance guarded by five burly men. Sherry and I scoped it out while sitting in the second floor of a coffee house, just down the street.
We needed to wait two hours for the Illusionist’s Mask’s cooldown to reset. I drank small cups of coffee the while. It made my feet tapping even worse.
I’d never stolen from someone before. For some reason, the idea of being a thief made me uneasy. I suppose it was because I’d been raised never to do that. But I wasn’t really stealing. These sorts of people built their fortunes by stealing from others, so I was only seizing back what they’d stolen. Since I intended to rule this island, I had every right to dispense justice and redistribute the ill-gotten gains amassed by the elites in this city to those who really deserved them.
“You all right, Remy?” Sherry asked after setting down her tea cup.
“I’m all right. A bit uneasy, is all.”
“I’m here to help carry your burdens. I don’t want you to bear them all on your own.”
“I know, and I love you for that.” I stood. “Nothing settles the nerves like diving in. I think it’s time we got to work.”
This time, I would wear the Illusionist’s Mask. I put it up to my face and imagined myself transforming into Saran. Sherry shuddered at the sight of my transformation.
“You just got a whole lot uglier.” She chuckled.
“Thankfully it’s temporary.”
“What if it wasn’t? The horror…”
I shuddered at the thought. “Please don’t give the Outer Gods ideas.”
“Let’s just hope they didn’t hear me.”
We went out into the crowded street. Sherry stayed behind me as we walked toward the gate to Alfonso’s house.
“Step aside,” I said to one of the guards. “A high ranking minister — me — is here to see Alfonso.”
The guards bowed their heads. “Minister Saran, but I thought…”
“You thought what?” I gave them a good glare.
“I thought you’d already gone inside.”
Oh shit. What were the odds that Saran would be visiting Alfonso, today?
“Well you must be blind! You clearly did not see me leave! I went to fetch my newest slave.” I gestured to Sherry, who was doing a great job looking demure by keeping her gaze on the ground. “She’s a fire curseborn. Would you like to learn, first hand, how hot her flames burn?”
The guards shook their heads. “No. No. Please, Sir Saran, we meant no offense—”
“Silence! Now get out of the way before I turn you all to cinders!”
They opened the gate. We walked through the garden, which was filled with tulips and roses. Another guard stood in front of the entrance to the pyramid. I gave him an angry glare. He bowed his head and stepped aside.
We entered the pyramid. Mosaics of armies battling giant creatures covered the stone walls. The marble floors were blindingly white. A golden staircase led up to the second floor, while hallways lit by massive oil lamps led to the adjacent rooms.
I whispered to Sherry, “Miranda mentioned he kept goldcores in the basement.”
“Why wouldn’t he keep them in his soul storage, safe and sound? Is he a fool?”
“Could just be arrogance. Thinking no one can touch him. Who knows?”
We fast-walked through the hallway, searching for a way down. Servants eyed us as we hurried through the halls. The disguise would wear off soon, so I had to speed things up further.
We turned a corner and found a staircase leading down. Voices came from below.
“You can’t be serious.” Saran’s nasally voice.
“I’m afraid it’s true.” A heavier, deeper voice. “He’s coming here as we speak.”
“Who gave you this information?”
“Let’s just say I have eyes everywhere.”
“Personally, I’d like to meet him.” A third voice. I recognized that accent immediately. A British accent, from Earth. “He’s only the second person to come here from my world.”
Wait… were they talking about me? But how could they know I was coming?
I turned to Sherry in horror. “We have to get out of here. This is a—”
“Trap.” A man stepped forward out of the corner. I recognized his dark hair and angry scowl. Leric, the curseborn male. “You fell for it like the fool you are.”
Sherry took my arm and came close. “What do we do?” she whispered in my ear.
“Stay calm,” I said. “I’ll get us out of this.”
Leric’s curseborn wife emerged from the hallway. She was tall and lean, and her straight dark hair reached her waist. “Hello, Remy.”
“Hello.”
“Sorry we had to meet like this.”
Unlike her husband, her voice wasn’t full of malice. She almost sounded sad.
Saran appeared at the base of the staircase, grinning like an idiot. “There he is. Right on time.”
How’d they even know I was coming? Wait… did Miranda sell me out? How could she do that to us?
I glanced at Sherry, and Sherry glanced at me. We both conjured our flame spears. I faced Saran, and she faced Leric and his wife.
“That won’t be necessary.” That British accent again.
He appeared behind Saran. He was bald and tan, with the frame and muscles of a body builder. He wasn’t wearing a shirt, only a black pair of pajamas and white socks.
“You’re Adam, aren’t you?” Ruby had mentioned him the first time I met her, even saying he was from London.
“And you’re Remy, the American.”
I firmed my grip on the flame spear as Adam climbed a single step.
“Yeah, I’m American. So what?”
“We were both brought here for the same reason,” Adam said. “To destroy the Shadowsoul. But you…” He wagged his finger at me. “You seem to be going about it all wrong.”
I shook my head. “You don’t even know me, or what I’m trying to do.”
“Oh but I do. I know you’re hiding in the Underground Forest. I know you’ve got a harem of curseborn who pleasure you in every way imaginable. I’ve got the same, in fact. It’s your… rebelliousness that I find distasteful. We all have to work together, Remy. Overthrowing the emperor won’t save this world.”
“They’re the ones who are destroying this world,” I said. “Sure, the monsters are bad. But monsters are mindless. In the aftermath of the Shadowsoul, the emperor and his cronies set up a corrupt system that keeps themselves on top, and lovely women like my wives at the very bottom. I won’t abide it.”
Adam chuckled. “Typical American naivety. You’ve grown up hearing about the Boston Tea Party, and want to start your own, eh? Why do you think you’re able to have a harem in the first place? It’s because of the hierarchy, not despite it.” He grinned, then shook his head. “The thing is, none of that matters. You can defeat a monster with a flaming spear, but you can’t change the way people think.”
“I disagree.” I raised my spear to chest height. “People can change. Better leaders can teach people to be better. Can make laws that decree everyone be treated equally. It all matters, and I can make a difference.”
“You sound like you’re campaigning to be President.” Adam let out a boisterous laugh.
Saran sighed in annoyance. “You really want to waste time talking to this idiot, Adam? Let’s just put him in chains and send him to the emperor, as planned.”
Adam scowled and turned toward Saran. “He may be a stupid American, but he’s smarter and stronger than you. Keep your fucking mouth shut and let me handle this.”
Adam must’ve possessed a lot of authority to be talking to Saran like that. Ruby had mentioned that he was headed for the mainland. Had he cozied up to the emperor while there?
Saran made a fist and bit his lip. “He stole my curseborn twins.”
“They aren’t yours, you piece of dangling elephant shit.” I wanted to thrust my spear into his heart. “Tara and Maria are free now, and can make whatever choices they want.”
“Saran is right,” Adam said. “You didn’t have any right to seize his property.”
“People can’t be property!”
“They can if the law says they can. That’s how the world works. You follow the law, and you be a good citizen.” Adam stuck his hand in his soul storage. He took out a glistening piece of glass. It was as if rainbows had been infused into it.
“A Mirror Shard!” Sherry exclaimed.
“What are you going to do with that?” I asked Adam.
“I’m going to send you back to Earth, where you belong.”
Saran growled. “That was not the agreement. The emperor wants him!”
“He’s dangerous,” Adam said. “He has the same passive ability that multiplies a soulbond’s power that I do. He’ll destroy all the good we’ve done to defeat the Shadowsoul and bring this world back from the brink. We can’t afford the risk.”
I laughed. “I’m not going anywhere. And I’m done talking. You think I’m dangerous, do you? Well, you haven’t seen a thing yet!” I kissed Sherry on the cheek. “It’s time, my love!”
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