Keys to the Demon Prison (Page 53)

"And the demons can finish it," Kendra said.

Bracken pounded a frustrated fist into his palm. "Deluded as the Sphinx was, we’re all worse off than before."

"We have one ray of hope," Warren said. "If he can’t do it on his terms, the Sphinx wants to abort the opening of Zzyzx. He wants to stop Graulas as badly as we do. He can’t let the demons know his intentions. He wants to remain close to the center of things, in the hopes of bringing them down from the inside. But he provided me with some key information."

"How did you meet up with him?" Bracken inquired.

"Earlier in the night, I was part of a rescue attempt," Warren said. "Kendra came here as part of the same mission. I was dropped off separately from the rest of the strike force as a fail-safe. I began evasive maneuvers the instant the dwarf left my side, and good thing I did. Minutes later I was the target of a manhunt. Coulter, a friend of ours, had lent me his invisibility glove, which improved my chances. Even so, I barely managed to elude my pursuers.

"Not long after Graulas arrived at Living Mirage, the Sphinx decided to personally lead the hunt for me. Accompanied by a few wraiths under his control, the Sphinx tracked me down. But instead of bringing me in, he told me the situation, gave me some keys, and explained about a secret passage into the depths of his dungeon."

"You can lead us out of here?" Bracken exclaimed.

"By a pathway known only to the Sphinx," Warren confirmed.

"Then what?" Kendra said.

"He wants us to protect the Eternals," Warren said.

Bracken laughed bitterly. "The world is upside down."

"He said there are three Eternals left. He recently learned the location of one, a man called Roon Osricson, who has long occupied a heavily fortified stronghold in Finland."

"Okay," Bracken said uncertainly.

"The Sphinx feels certain Graulas will move against Roon immediately," Warren said. "The demon is already campaigning for support to remove Nagi Luna from her confinement in the dungeon. The Sphinx believes it will not be long before Nagi Luna holds the Oculus in her hands. Once she does, he believes she will speedily discover the remaining Eternals. Bracken, he wants you to leave one of your psychic communicators in your room. He will retrieve it and feed us information as it becomes available."

"This is a dangerous game," Bracken whispered. "You understand, our interests may temporarily align, but the Sphinx does not share our agenda. His end goal is not to stop the opening of Zzyzx, but to regain control of the situation and open it on his terms."

"I get it," Warren said. "But keep in mind, if Graulas is here and healthy, what are the odds of the Sphinx regaining control?"

"I see your point," Bracken said. "Nevertheless, we mustn’t underestimate him. Or place full trust in him."

"Agreed," Warren said. "However, for the moment, I think it benefits everyone to use each other."

"How can we get out of here?" Bracken asked.

"It has to look like we escaped," Warren said. "The Sphinx said the main gate is heavily guarded. According to him, our best bet is to head to the fairy shrine."

"The shrine here is sealed," Bracken said resentfully.

"Right," Warren said. "By the Sphinx. He gave me the key."

Bracken cocked his head as if weighing the odds. "So we hope the Fairy Queen can conjure a way out of here."

"Seems like our best bet," Warren said.

"What do you mean, the shrine is sealed?" Kendra wondered.

"The Sphinx didn’t want the Fairy Queen to be able to spy on him," Bracken said. "He lacked the power to destroy her shrine here, so he sealed it off, covering it with an ensorcelled iron dome."

"The dome has an access port," Warren said. "And I now have a copy of the key."

"Getting to the shrine will be no simple affair," Bracken warned. "This is not a mild preserve."

"Tell me about it," Warren said. "When the Sphinx showed up with his wraith squad, he had to rescue me from a manticore."

"Won’t the wraiths share what is happening with the demons?" Kendra asked.

"The Sphinx is a mighty shadow charmer," Bracken said. "His wraiths and phantoms communicate only with him. They will not divulge his secrets, and he should be strong enough to shield his mind from Graulas and Nagi Luna."

"Let’s hope so," Warren muttered.

"The Sphinx gave you that amulet?" Bracken asked.

"He did. And he promised to help divert the search for me away from the path to the shrine."

Bracken turned to Kendra. "What do you say? Your brother currently holds the record for quickest escape from the dungeons of the Great Ziggurat. You ready to dethrone him?"

"What about the others?" Kendra asked. "Can’t we take my grandparents?"

Warren winced. "The passage out of the dungeon is down very deep. The Sphinx warned we should keep the escape small. In fact, the only people he specified were you two. He promised to try to aid the others."

Bracken patted Kendra’s arm consolingly. "If the passage out is down here in the depths, we can’t get to your parents or grandparents without passing numerous checkpoints. We might be able to collect Maddox and Mara. Of course, Mara is still recovering from injuries, Maddox has had trouble moving quickly ever since Rio Branco, and neither of them is nearby."

"Up to you guys," Warren said. "Speed will matter. As soon as Nagi Luna gets the Oculus, we won’t be able to shield ourselves from her view."

"Then we should seize the moment and depart," Bracken decided. "Kendra?"

"Seems like the only choice."

"Either of you have a coin?" Bracken asked.

Warren dug in his pockets. "How about a quarter?"

"Perfect. I prefer coins to stones." Bracken cupped the coin in one hand and covered it with the other. For a moment, his hands shed a pearly radiance. Then he placed the quarter under a rock in a corner of the room.

"Did you just turn that into a communicator?" Warren asked.

"Correct. If the Sphinx wants to feed us intelligence, he now has the means." Bracken adjusted the position of the stone over the coin. "How did you get into my cell? There are three secret entrances."

"I came through the front door. The Sphinx gave me a key. The passage out of the ziggurat begins just around the corner."