Vanessa stood up. "I have been patient this long. I can wait a while longer. So can you, believe it or not. Knowing the secret will hasten nothing." Vanessa raised her arms and stretched. "By the time I reveal all I know, I might even earn Ruth's trust."
"I'm not getting anything else out of you, am I?"
"Sorry, Kendra. Vanessa Santoro may not be perfect, but she knows how to keep a secret."
Chapter 10 Nagi Luna
T he coin flared bright enough to awaken Seth. Temporarily disoriented, wiping sleep from his eyes, he pawed for the source of the blinding light. As his fingers closed around the coin, the brilliance dimmed, and words sprang to mind.
There you are! I was just alerted that the Sphinx is descending into our section of the dungeon. All things considered, he's probably coming for you. Don't relax around him. Keep your guard up. I'll extinguish the coin.
"Thanks," Seth whispered, trying to push the answer mentally toward Bracken.
Don't mention it. And you don't have to concentrate so hard, just let your thoughts flow to me. We'll talk later.
The coin went dark, and the connection to Bracken's mind dissolved. After the recent brightness, the cell seemed pitch-black. Seth smacked his lips, trying to get the sleepy taste out of his mouth. His eyes began to adjust. The coin remained in his hand. It had been a gift at the end of his previous meeting with Bracken. Not only did the coin normally serve as a light source, it also functioned like a magical walkie-talkie.
Seth still did not wholly trust the supposed unicorn, but deep down he would be shocked to learn that his new friend was a fraud. Bracken hadn't tried to ferret any information out of Seth, and, by all appearances, he had been busily planning an uprising with Maddox and others.
Seth absently rubbed his thumb against the foreign coin. It felt good in his hand, somewhat larger and thicker than a quarter. More like a half-dollar. Minted from silvery metal, the tarnished currency displayed a griffin framed by unfamiliar glyphs. With the Sphinx coming, he should hide the coin. Relying on touch as much as sight, Seth lifted his cot and set the coin under one of the legs.
What could the Sphinx want with him? Had he arranged some sort of prisoner exchange? Was that too much to hope? Did the Sphinx want to grill him for information? Torture him?
The sound of approaching footsteps increased his anxiety. Maybe the Sphinx had other business down here. Bracken could not know for certain that the Sphinx was coming for Seth.
A guttering torch appeared outside Seth's peephole. A key rattled in the lock. The door opened. The Sphinx entered, surveying the room.
"Not the grandest accommodations," the Sphinx said.
"Great toilet, though," Seth responded.
"You are, after all, a prisoner," the Sphinx said. "Come with me. Somebody wishes to speak with you."
"I'm not feeling very chatty today," Seth said. "Rain check?"
"Not a good day for jokes," the Sphinx said. "Don't make this less pleasant than it has to be."
The Sphinx sounded serious. Deciding he would rather walk than get dragged to their destination, Seth followed the Sphinx out of the room. A pair of torchbearers accompanied them, large men dressed in leather armor studded with iron. Unless Seth was mistaken, the direction they were taking would lead them deeper into the dungeon.
"Where are we going?" Seth inquired.
"Nagi Luna wishes to meet you in person," the Sphinx said.
Seth slowed. "That sounds bad."
The Sphinx shrugged. "I see little value in the exercise, but she insisted."
"She's still in the same place?" Seth asked. "In the bottommost cell?"
"She has resided there a long time," the Sphinx said.
They reached a filthy iron door. One of the torchbearers thrust in a key. The hinges protested as it opened.
"Do you come down here much?" Seth asked.
"While at Living Mirage, I can speak with Nagi Luna mind to mind, so there is little need."
"Is she always in your head?"
"No more than I allow."
They descended a long staircase and passed down a hall, around a corner, and through a formidable iron door with three locks. After another flight of stairs, the corridor grew narrow and winding. They passed many tangled intersections, the floor sloping constantly downward. At last they reached a squalid chamber with a grate in the floor.
"Leave us," the Sphinx told the guards, accepting a torch from one of them. Both guards looked pale. One was shivering. Both men hurriedly retreated down the hallway out of sight.
"Is this the place?" Seth asked.
The Sphinx spoke with quiet gravity. "For your sake, be polite, and say no more than you must. You are about to address an ancient being of incomprehensible power. Although I have dealt with her for centuries, I never enter her presence lightly."
Seth nodded. Even without the warning, he already felt apprehensive. As the Sphinx unlocked the grate, Seth fought to suppress a queasy nervousness.
The Sphinx lifted the heavy grate and unrolled a rope ladder. He started down first, the torch in one hand. Seth struggled a little getting onto the ladder, but once he started moving, the descent was no problem. Dust fumed up from where his feet landed. The cool room smelled musty. Several sets of oxidized manacles dangled from the rough stone walls.
Seth's eyes were drawn to the Quiet Box. Although it looked older than the Quiet Box at Fablehaven, the knothole-riddled wood unvarnished and unornamented, the cabinet appeared solid. On the flagstone floor, a metal circle, half obscured by dust, created a perimeter around the Quiet Box.
"Where is she?" Seth whispered, eyes sweeping the room.
The Sphinx nodded toward the Quiet Box. A small, shriveled woman shuffled out from behind it, a woolen shawl draped over her hunched shoulders. She did not look quite human. Her blotchy skin was purple and maroon. Thin ear-lobes sagged almost to her shoulders. Gray claws tipped her gnarled hands, and her yellow eyes had a strangely slanted shape.
Nagi Luna tottered to the near edge of the circular boundary. Only then did she fix her fierce eyes on Seth. "What are you called, boy?" she croaked, her voice a hoarse whisper.
"Seth."
She sucked her withered lips against her gums, making an unpleasant, wet sound. "Do I frighten you?"
"Sort of."
She grinned, showing ragged, inflamed gums. Her eyes darted to the Sphinx. "We were right, of course. This one is most unusual."
She glared at Seth, nose wrinkled, lips twisted. What business do you have as a shadow charmer? The venomous shout struck his mind with unnerving force. "It was an accident," Seth said.
It was profane! It was lunacy! Seth took a step back. He wished he could block out her awful telepathic shouting. The snarling words jarred his thinking. This is clearly the work of Graulas. His mark lingers upon you. The lackwit always showed an unbalanced interest in humans.
"Stop yelling at me," Seth demanded.
Or what?
"Or I'll throw rocks at you."
Seth heard the sharp intake of breath from the Sphinx. Nagi Luna cackled, a shiny strand of saliva connecting her top and bottom lip. The wild, throaty laughter echoed insanely in the large room.
You have courage, I will concede that much. The words remained abrasive, but they came with less force. She gestured toward the Sphinx. This one disgusts me. His naked fear makes me ill. Come, we are both prisoners here, run to me. Enter my circle and we will unite against him.
Seth shook his head.
Grant me permission to hear your thoughts. I will forge a connection so we can confer in private. "No way."
You would deny my aid? The words arrived more forcefully than ever. Seth put his hands over his ears, but it did nothing to muffle the mental tirade. Darkness seemed to gather around her. Some of the greatest figures in history have knelt before me! I have drowned navies! I have founded plagues! I have toppled monarchies! Who are you to deny me?
"I'm the guy outside your circle," Seth said, resisting the urge to crouch and start gathering stones to throw.
The voice in his mind became gentle and slippery. Very well, you have a will of your own, I can respect that. How is Graulas? I expected he would have perished by now.
"He's dying."
In his season, he was quite powerful. What a waste. He became so pathetic. So soft. An embarrassment to his kind, fascinated by an inferior species, a student of their trite philosophies. He doted on his human pets, at times favoring them over demons! The weakling deserves a miserable demise. Nagi Luna glanced at the Sphinx. I do not want our captor eavesdropping on our conversation. He cannot hear my current thoughts. I can open and close my mind to him. Answer me with only yes or no. Let Nagi Luna do the talking.
"I can't imagine what we would talk about," Seth said, watching her cautiously.
Perhaps we should not converse. Perhaps I should speak with our captor, tell him a tale of passageways and glowing coins.
Seth tried to keep his worry from showing. "No."
When I condescend to speak with a mortal, he had better listen. More especially a hapless whelp like yourself. I made our captor everything he has become. I could do much more for you. You could eclipse him. You have more native potential. There is great power inside of you, but you do not know how to use it. You want out of here. So do 1. We can work together to overthrow our jailer.
"Then what?"
A world without boundaries and cages. You could lead that world. Rule it.
"Not interested."
You could free your family. Protect them. You could keep Zzyzx locked forever.
Seth scowled. He glanced at the Sphinx, who was staring at the floor, hands behind his back. "That doesn't make sense. Why would you help me that way?"
You think I care about opening the prison? Ha! That is the dream of our captor! You know what dwells inside of that prison? Competition! If I had my freedom, I would be the most powerful demon in the world! Why would I want to spoil an advantage like that?
"You'd be my biggest enemy," Seth said.
No, no, no . You lack understanding. Before either of us goes free, I will train you. As you mature into your powers, you will find I am no threat. We will protect one another, link our destinies. You will become the greatest hero the world has known.
"You might as well save it, lady. I may be young, I may even be stupid, but not this stupid."
Fool! Ingrate! The barbed words lashed his mind, full of spite. Men a hundred times your superior would trade everything for an offer like this! You imagine that you matter, that your sister matters, that your family and your friends matter! You are inconsequential, and doomed to remain so. Go! Away with you! Take whatever smug pride you can muster in denying me! You have sentenced your family to death and your cause to failure!
Seth kept his composure. He said nothing else. Nagi Luna was dangerous. Not the type of person to provoke more than necessary. The idea of having someone like her as a partner or teacher filled him with horror. He couldn't stand her in his mind for a few minutes, let alone a lifetime. By contrast she made Graulas seem like a big teddy bear. He glanced at the Sphinx, who impassively stared at the wilted demon. She returned his gaze with raw malevolence. Seth assumed they were communicating.
Seth tried to imagine himself as a miserable slave with no options. Under those circumstances, might he have accepted Nagi Luna's offer? He hoped not.
"No," the Sphinx said with finality. He turned to Seth. "This interview is over."
Nagi Luna flailed a frustrated hand at the Sphinx, as if bidding him good riddance. Hissing and gurgling, she spat on the floor. The Sphinx climbed the ladder first. Seth followed.
At the top, he helped the Sphinx shut the grate. "She wanted your help to overthrow me?" the Sphinx asked.
"She made all sorts of offers," Seth said. "I don't see how she hasn't driven you crazy."
"Nagi Luna is a manipulator," the Sphinx said. "She employs every available tactic to find leverage. What she most desired was access to your mind."
"Were you rooting for her?" Seth asked.
"Had you been foolish enough to offer such access, I would have taken advantage of the opportunity."
"She seemed mad at you."
"She has her reasons."
"Like what?"
The Sphinx switched the torch to his other hand. "She wanted me to force you into her ring of constraint."
"Why didn't you?"
"That was not my purpose. She thought meeting you might yield useful information. I was willing to give her an opportunity to study you. But not to destroy you."
"Do I have to go back to my cell?"
"I'm afraid so."
Seth said nothing more as the Sphinx rejoined the torchbearers and they caravanned back to his cell. One of the guards opened the thick door and Seth entered.
"Home sweet home," Seth said, rubbing his hands together. "This was fun, we should do it again."
"Stay out of trouble," the Sphinx said. He gave a nod, and the guard closed the door.
Seth approached the peephole as the torches moved away. He cupped a hand beside his mouth. "Hey, I don't know who does your maintenance, but I've got a leaky roof in here." No response came. "You might want to pass that along." Still no answer. "I'm not sure where the water keeps coming from. Seems to be a limitless supply."
The torches were growing distant. A moment later, he heard a door open and clang closed. Only the indirect glow from a single unseen torch threw illumination into his cell.
Seth stepped away from the door. "Back to normal," he mumbled, patting his hands against his sides. He felt alone. "Hello, cell. How are you? Still dank and horrible? Sorry to hear it. Me? I've decided to take up a new hobby. Talking to my room. It's a lot like talking to myself, but slightly more pathetic."