Dread Nemesis of Mine

chapter 31

A sea of Templars turned my way.

I became acutely aware of my vulnerability in the midst of the tightly packed room. Even with my strength, I couldn't hope to fight my way free of this many trained soldiers, each one with supernatural abilities of their own.

"Arrest me? On what charge?" I said, my voice cracking like the time I'd had to read a love letter aloud in tenth grade English.

"Almost too numerous to list," Artemis said, his voice calm and cold. "The Divinity detailed your most heinous crimes to us. Hers is the absolute authority."

"Then name them." Asshat.

"He hasn't done anything wrong," Elyssa said, gripping my arm.

"So says the one most corrupted by him," the knight said. "You, child, are troubled. This boy has led you down a path of darkness and moral iniquity."

"I will hear no more slander against my daughter," Thomas said. "Not even from a Templar Knight."

"Then it pains me to do this, Thomas Borathen, but your judgment is obviously too clouded where your daughter is concerned." The knight scowled. "I am of the opinion you are no longer fit for command. By the power vested in me, I hereby relieve you of duty and assume command of your legion, effective immediately."

Shocked murmurs echoed throughout the room.

"I completely disagree with this decision," Salazar said, standing. "And I must also point out only the Grand Master and a complete vote by the Synod can relieve Commander Borathen."

The knight nodded. "True, true. But I do have the authority to place him on temporary leave and assume command until a vote is passed."

"If the Divinity has her hooks in you, it's pretty obvious how that vote will go," I said.

Artemis's face hardened. "Why is this boy still in here? Did I not order him arrested?"

Again, nearby Templars gave me uneasy looks, but nobody made a move to restrain me.

"Belay that order," Christian said. His eyes met mine. "Justin, it might be best if you leave."

"You cannot disregard my orders," Artemis said. "To do so invites your own suspension, Commander Salazar."

"You can try to suspend me all you like," Christian said. "But I doubt you'll find many takers here."

A loud cry went up from the assembled Templars. "Hooah!"

Or they might have said "Hoo-hah." I wasn't really sure, but the sudden uproar startled the crap out of me.

Christian raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Answer enough, Honorable Knight?" He stepped forward. "I call for an Imperator Concilium. The leadership of the Synod is in question."

Artemis's face went purple. "To do so would be an illegal order since you are no longer in command, Salazar!"

"You never gave the order relieving me of command, Honorable Knight. Therefore, I have the privilege to call forth a council of commanders." Christian smiled, baring his teeth. "Procedure and Templar law dictate that, should the Synod's loyalty to the cause come into question, the commanders must meet and vote on whether to dissolve the Synod and elect new members."

"This is an outrage," Artemis said. "You can be certain, reports of this treachery will be spread to the other commanders so they can see how poisoned this legion has become."

Grumbles and angry stares from the crowd turned on the knight.

"Poisoned, my ass," said a voice from nearby.

"I'm gonna stick my honorable foot up his honorable ass," muttered someone else.

Christian shrugged. "Since I took the liberty of recording this session, I'll be happy to pass it on to the other legion commanders. In the meantime, Honorable Knight, it might perhaps be best if you took your leave and reported back to the council."

Artemis seemed ready to launch another salvo when the thin man reappeared from the shadows and whispered into the knight's ear. Artemis scowled and straightened. "You can be certain the Divinity will not be pleased. Beware her wrath, Salazar." He stormed up the stairs in the auditorium, long red robe sweeping behind him, trailed only by the thin man. As he passed near me he stopped and glared. "You are the cancer, spawn. May the Divinity wipe your kind from the face of our fair Eden." With that sweet little pronouncement, he turned and left.

The thin man paused a moment. Looked at me, a greasy smile spreading across his face. His skin looked especially pale and doughy in the light. "Good day, Your Excellence," he said, flourishing a mocking bow, and leaving.

I stood, stunned for a moment by the odd behavior when it occurred to me where I'd heard that cockney accent and mocking salutation before. Mr. Bigglesworth.

"Stop that man!" I shouted, pushing through the crowd.

Unfortunately, while the crowd parted for the Knight Templar, it didn't for me, closing in behind the departing guest and making it a struggle to get through, despite my shouts to make way. After working our way outside, Elyssa and I watched as a slider disguised as a jet lifted into the air and flew away.

"Son of a biyatch!" I shouted, smacking my fist into my palm. "It was Bigglesworth."

"I knew the voice sounded familiar," Elyssa said. "Not to mention the attitude."

"When I catch that—that thing, I'm going to puree him in a blender, dump in a bunch of flour and bake his gooey ass into cupcakes."

Elyssa gagged. "That's disgusting."

A sudden flood of Templars formed an exodus from the auditorium, rushing in all directions with a sense of purpose. Elyssa and I waited for the crowd to disperse and went inside where we found Thomas and Christian huddled over an image on the conference table.

Elyssa went to her father and pecked him on the cheek.

Thomas Borathen, a man I'd never seen crack under pressure, looked almost alarmed at this sudden gesture from his daughter.

"Thanks for standing up for me," Elyssa said.

Thomas opened his mouth to speak, but Elyssa cut him off with a wave of her hand.

"But don't for a minute think I've forgotten about the White or all the hell you've put me and Justin through, Father. You have a long way to go before you make up for everything."

Her father's face regained composure. "I—" he stopped whatever he was about to say and shook his head. "You're my daughter. My own flesh and blood. Templar Knight Artemis made me realize something very valuable today. He made me realize what it's like when someone in a position of authority over you refuses to listen to reason and sees only what he expects to see." Thomas sighed. "I must have looked exactly that way to you, Elyssa."

She returned a stern nod. "Did he also show you how a pompous ass looks?"

Her father's lips curled into the faintest smile. "Indeed."

"The way I see it," said a female voice from behind, "you owe someone an apology."

I turned and spotted Leia Borathen, Elyssa's mother walking down the ramp toward us.

"Yes, you were right, Leia," Thomas said. "Right all along." He walked away from the table, face set in grim lines. "I have commanded loyalty from my soldiers, and gone without defeat for so long, I thought I was always in the right. My focus shifted. And when we finally had another family, I saw them only as Templars."

"Another family?" Elyssa said. "What does that mean?"

Leia shook her head. "We can discuss it another time."

Thomas turned back to us. "I let my own foolish pride and sense of self-worth stand in the way for too long. And because of it, we lost Jack." He took a deep breath. "I am so proud of you, Elyssa. Forgive me for not listening to you. Forgive me for not being the father I should have been."

Tears glistened in Elyssa's eyes. She nodded, and wiped her cheeks. "I forgive you, Dad."

Thomas Borathen, mighty warrior, commander of a legion of Templars, and the scariest, most overprotective dad a boyfriend could ever meet, hugged his daughter.

It was enough to make my eyes mist up.

When he pulled away, he cleared his throat and looked a little uncomfortable. I figured, within the last five minutes, he'd used up his emotional quota for the next century.

"There's still one apology left," Leia said.

Thomas looked at me, his eyes displaying what had to be pent up horror. "Surely, you don't—"

"Surely, I do," Leia said.

Elyssa's eyes went wide. "What's going on? Since when do you even like Justin, Mother?"

Leia smiled. "You have shown time and time again there is no force on this Earth that will keep you two apart." She shrugged. "Not even a mind wipe."

Thomas turned his glare on me. "I hoped you would drop off the radar as most of the boys who have met me have done. But after everything that has happened, I must admit, painfully and under duress," he shot a look at his wife and sighed. "You have proven yourself adequate."

It took everything I had not to respond to that backhanded compliment in kind. Instead, I simply said, "Thank you, sir."

He extended a hand. Not wanting to keep him hanging, I extended my own. Thomas shook it.

"You may be spawn, but you've proven yourself more a man than others." He leaned in closer, his grip tightening until I heard the bones crunching in my hand, and whispered, "And if anything happens to my daughter, there is no place safe on this Earth for you to hide."

I forced a smile as his grip relented. "Understood."

Thomas released my hand and grunted. "Now that this is settled, I believe we are ready to proceed. Correct, Commander Salazar?"

Christian, who, up until now had been pretending to read something very important on his phone looked up, and nodded. "We're nearly ready to ferry troops over to La Casona. The Custodians report that Maximus's compound is sterilized and there is no longer a need for the perimeter your people are holding."

Thomas pulled up the holographic map of the compound. "I'll have them report to La Casona. We can send everyone over in one wave to the Grotto and use my compound, The Ranch, as a staging area."

A rap came on the doorframe at the top of the auditorium stairs. Christian looked up and waved the man to enter.

"What is it, Hernandez?" Christian asked.

"Bad news, sir," the Templar said. "We received word from the Arcanes at La Casona—someone put a hex on the Obsidian Arch. We can't send anyone through it. Not until the hex is defused."

"A hex?" Christian said. "How long to defuse?"

The Templar shrugged. "They said it was so complex they'd have to send for outside help."

I groaned. "Dollars to donuts Daelissa did it."

Christian nodded curtly at the Templar. "Dismissed."

The man turned and left.

"This puts a wrench in things," Thomas said. "Even if I summoned our entire fleet of sliders, we wouldn't have enough to transport everyone to Atlanta in a timely manner."

"We only have one high-speed slider," Christian said. "The rest of ours are meant for local transport. They're too slow to ferry troops all the way to Atlanta."

"We have two high-speed sliders," Thomas said. "But each one only holds eighteen."

"How is it possible you guys don't have a big plane somewhere meant for troop transport?" I asked. "Aren't you the Overworld equivalent of the army?"

Christian shook his head. "We're more like local militias. That's why there are legions dispersed around the world, a legacy from the Roman Empire. The Synod never saw a use for aircraft since Obsidian Arches are usually sufficient."

I groaned. "God only knows what Maximus is doing in the meantime."

"Most of my forces are down here," Thomas said. He scowled. "I nearly ordered them to remain in Atlanta, and then received word of Artemis Coronus's intent to order off our attack against Maximus. I now wonder if Daelissa let me know this so I would divert more troops here."

"Webs within webs," Christian said. "And now Maximus has nearly free reign in Atlanta."

"Do you think that was the plan all along?" I said.

Elyssa shook her head. "Before Daelissa wiped my mind, she acted crazy half the time. For all we know someone else is pulling her strings."

"It won't stop us for long," Thomas said. "If I have to hijack transports from the Colombian government, we'll find a way back."

"There is a way," I said, a shiver running down my spine at the thought. "You'll need to contact the Arcanes near El Dorado for help."

"El Dorado?" Elyssa said. "What could possibly help them there?"

"Thunder Rock has a huge room full of arches. El Dorado might have one too." I shrugged. "It's not the best plan, I know, but—"

"It's suicidal," Elyssa said, crossing her arms. "Remember the hordes of husks and shadow people down there? And didn't you tell me there are more of those things in Thunder Rock?"

"Well, what about the arch in Maximus's compound?"

"Our people inspected it," Christian said. "The magical energy required to send through so many troops would be staggering."

"We could capture another leyworm," I said.

Elyssa's eyebrows shot up. "That's as crazy an idea as using El Dorado."

Thomas, looked at me with a strange light in his eyes. "Sending an army of Templars inside those caves to search for an arch room that may or may not exist could be disastrous, especially with enemies that cannot die by the sword." He shook his head. "No. Commander Salazar and I will weigh the options and come up with a plan."

I sighed, though I couldn't blame him. El Dorado was the last place on Earth I wanted to return to. "At least talk to the Arcanes near El Dorado. There's a whole town of them. Maybe they'll know how to deal with this hex."

"I agree," Christian said. "I have their contact information."

"Then let us proceed." Thomas looked at Elyssa. "I suggest you get some R and R in the meantime."

"Yes, sir," Elyssa said. She took my hand and we exited the building. The streets were clear, save for a harried Templar or two jogging past with some important duty awaiting them. Or maybe they'd just eaten spicy Indian food and were looking for the nearest latrine.

I brainstormed for possibilities as we walked back to the cabin. Inside, Nightliss lay sleeping on the bed, her face still wan and pale. I'd hoped she might, at the very least, have some useful information, or use her angelic powers to zap the Templar army north.

Not gonna happen.

Nightliss had been Plan C. As with most of my plans, I'd probably end up using all the letters in the alphabet by the time it was all said and done.

"Might as well pack," Elyssa said. "When Thomas and Christian make a decision, it'll come down the pipeline fast."

"I really need to wash my clothes," I said, grabbing my duffel bag. It was the same one I'd used when escaping hellhounds as they attacked the home I grew up in. After returning to the States from Colombia the first time, Shelton had given it back to me. Inside it were all my remaining worldly possessions and a few thousand dollars in cash I'd raided from my parents' rainy day fund.

I turned the bag upside-down over the table, emptying all my clothes into a heap. I picked up a pair of shorts and sniffed them. Tossed them back into the bag. Sniffed a pair of boxers. Wrinkled my nose and tossed them on the floor.

Elyssa laughed. "That's disgusting."

I gave her a sheepish grin. "I meant to wash all this stuff, but Shelton didn't have a washer or dryer in his hideout." Within a couple of minutes, I was left with two pairs of tighty-whities, cargo shorts, and a single sock. Everything else smelled or looked dirty.

"You're in luck," Elyssa said, opening a door to the side of the kitchen to reveal a washer and dryer. She eyed the pile of dirty laundry and grimaced. "I think I'll let you handle it from here."

While I shoved in the load, Elyssa emptied out the other compartments on the duffel bag to make sure I wasn't missing anything. The companion sock to the lonely one on the table spilled out of an end pocket. Two large bundles of cash, my wallet, and an old folded piece of parchment tumbled from the others.

"What's this?" Elyssa asked, unfolding the thick yellowed parchment on the table.

I shrugged. "Meghan found it on Vadaemos when we brought him back to Atlanta. I figured it might be something important, but forgot about it."

"It's a map," she said. "A really old map."

When fully unfolded, it formed a rectangle two feet by three feet. Black ink outlined streets and buildings in what appeared to be a small town, or maybe a portion of a town. For all I knew, it was a map of Disney World. A black dotted line ran from the edge of the map and intersected a house, terminating in an "X".

"Is that where the treasure is buried?" I said, touching the mark and tracing my finger along it. "I'd definitely like to know how to get there."

The lines on the map shifted. I jerked my finger back and stared. "Did I imagine that?"

Elyssa shook her head. "I saw it, too."

The black lines soaked into the parchment, vanishing altogether. As if by an invisible artist, the map redrew itself, showing crooked little streets, and birds-eye outlines of buildings, detailed down to shingles and ridges. Trees, shrubs, and other details sketched themselves into place. The black outline of a stick figure appeared within the outline of a house. The invisible pen drew a dotted line, running down a nearby street and vanishing off the edge of the map.

"Whoa, this is trippy," I said.

"Wait a minute," Elyssa said. "I recognize those streets." She grabbed the map and ran outside the house. Stopped beneath a tree, and gaped at the map. "This is trippy. Look!"

I stared with disbelief. The stick figure had moved outside the house and now stood beneath the outline of a tree. "What kind of map is this?" I said.

"Show me a wider view," Elyssa said.

The map redrew itself, showing more of the surrounding area.

"Show me all of Bogota," she said.

Nothing happened.

"Show me this entire city."

Again, the map redrew itself. Though almost too fine and cluttered to make out, Bogota was clearly the city.

"Show me where I am," I said, and watched as the map circled our location. I looked at the amazed expression on Elyssa's face, certain my own looked about the same. A light bulb flickered on in my head. "Show me where Maximus is."

Nothing happened.

"I've seen a lot of crazy things," Elyssa said, "but I've never seen a magic map like this one."

"You told me about the Key of Juranthemon," I said. "And that it required a map to create new connections from one place to another. What if this is it? Maybe Vadaemos was hoping to find the key so he could stay one step ahead of everyone."

Elyssa said an unladylike word. "And I was so close to stealing it from Underborn."

"Where's the key you stole from him?" I asked.

She dug in her pocket and pulled out an old-school skeleton key. It was made of thick steel with a head shaped like a skull. Two rubies glittered in the eye sockets.

"It looks exactly like I imagined it," I said, taking it in my hand.

"It definitely didn't look like that when I took it," Elyssa said.

Our eyes met.

"Where's the place Underborn used it?"

We raced to an ancient stone building not far from the cabin. I took out the key. Put it in the old rusted lock. Pulled the door open.

Instead of the inside of the tiny building, the broken ruins of something massive greeted us. Elyssa poked her head through and gasped. She jerked back, as if afraid it might get cut off.

"That's the Coliseum. In Rome, Italy."