Atriooftreasures…

Facedwithherstrangedestiny,theelfGlissaandhercompanionsmusttravelthroughthemetalworldofMirrodin,seeingthemysteriousbeingattheheartoftheworld.

WhatdoeshewantwithGlissa?Whatroledothesinistervedalkenplayin

thedramathatisunfoldingbeneaththemoons?AndwhatarethethreetreasuresthatGlissamustnowfindtofulfillherquestandavengeherparents’death?

JessLebowcontinuesthestoryofasearchthatleadstotheverycenterof

Mirrodin.

EXPERIENCETHEMAGIC™

TheBrothers’WarJeffGrubb

Planeswalker

LynnAbbey

TimeStreamsJ.RobertKing

BloodlinesLorenColeman

MercadianMasquesFrancisLebaron

NemesisPaulB.Thompson

ProphecyVanceMoore

OdysseyVanceMoore

Chainer’sTormentScottMcGough

JudgmentWillMcDermott

TheThran(APrequel)J.RobertKing

InvasionJ.RobertKing

PlaneshiftJ.RobertKing

ApocalypseJ.RobertKing

RathandStorm

TheColorsofMagic

TheMythsofMagic

TheDragonsofMagic

TheSecretsofMagic

OnslaughtJ.RobertKing

LegionsJ.RobertKing

ScourgeJ.RobertKing

THEDARKSTEELEYE

©2004WizardsoftheCoastLLC

All characters in this book arefictitious. Any resemblance toactual persons, living or dead, ispurelycoincidental.

This book is protected under thecopyright lawsof theUnitedStatesof America. Any reproduction orunauthorizeduseofthematerialor

artwork contained herein isprohibited without the expresswritten permission of Wizards oftheCoastLLC.

MAGIC:THE GATHERING, WIZARDS OFTHE COAST, and their respectivelogos are trademarksofWizardsofthe Coast LLC in the U.S.A. andothercountries.

AllWizardsof theCoastcharactersand the distinctive likenessesthereof are trademarks of Wizards

oftheCoastLLC.

CoverartbyBrom

Library of Congress Catalog CardNumber:2003111900

eISBN:978-0-7869-5914-3

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Dedication

ToR.D.L.Thisoneisforyou.

Acknowledgements

ThanksgofirsttoPeterArcherforhisinsightfuleditingandselflessmentoring.Thanksalsoto:

WillMcDermottandCoryHerdonforhelpingmecreatesuchafantastic

story.JeffGrubbandJ.RobertKingforcreatingthe

backboneoftheMagicstoryworld.

PhilipAthansandMarkSehestedtforsimplybeing

brilliant.SteveWhitmanandPhilipTascaforalsobeing

brilliant.AndthebaristasatmylocalcoffeehousefornotthrowingmeoutafterIfinishedmycup.

Contents

CoverOtherBooksintheSeriesTitlePageCopyrightDedicationAcknowledgements

Chapter1Chapter2

Chapter3Chapter4Chapter5Chapter6Chapter7Chapter8Chapter9Chapter10Chapter11Chapter12Chapter13

Chapter14Chapter15Chapter16Chapter17Chapter18Chapter19Chapter20Chapter21Chapter22Chapter23Chapter24

Chapter25Epilogue

AbouttheAuthor

Alone in his laboratory,Memnarchclosedthelatchon the arm cuff andfinished strapping himselfin. A giant hummingconstructcoveredbytubesandfunnelscrouchedhighoverhisbulbousframe.

“Yes, yes,” he said.“Everything is workingproperly.”Memnarch eyed thestraps and glittering lightscoveringtheartifact.“So much effort forsomething so simple,” hesaid.“Wouldithavetakenso much if you had builtit?”Helistened.“Ithoughtnot.”

He cleared his throatand fingered a tiny lever.Gargantuan articulatedarms on the back of thedevice unfolded thenunfolded again. Theymoved with a practicedprecision, a simple gracethat belied their size andthe bulky tubes attached.The metallic limbsenveloped Memnarch inhis cushioned restraints.

They buzzedwithmagicalpower.“You see that,” he said,admiringtheleatherstrapsthatheldhisbody.“Thesebonds, Memnarch, endurein your name. The self-imprisonment of worship.If ever you doubted, nowyou know.Memnarch is atruedisciple.”Memnarch’s rightappendage moved. Three

red beams issued fromeach of the mechanicalarms, crisscrossing hisflesh. Tiny pinpricks oflightmoved over his skin,illuminating the tissuesand vessels underneathwithaneerieorangeglow.A soft click echoedthrough the laboratory,and the arms shook a bitastheylockedintoplace.“Butyouneverdoubted.

Memnarchknows.”Memnarch closed his

eyes and leaned his headbackintoapaddedcradle.The soft curve held himfirmly, and for a briefmoment, the beingstrapped inside his devicerelaxed,breathingagentlesigh. This would be themost peaceful instant ofhisday,andhewanted toenjoy it. In that brief

moment,therewouldbeabalance of pleasure andpain, darkness and light,goodandevil.After that, there wouldbeworktodo.With a deep breath,Memnarch focused on themana thatwould start theinfusion.He felt thewarmglowofpowerflowuphisspine and out his fingertips,andhebracedhimself

against the restraints. Thehum of magic filled hisears then the sound ofbubbles coursing throughthick liquid filled hislaboratory.The serum transference

began.Themagicalprocessdid

not hurt, but the infusionwasnotwithoutpain.Theliquid was thick, thickerthanhisblood,andittook

awhile to enter his bloodstream.As it crossed fromthestoragevesselsintohisbody, he could feel thestrain on his body. It feltalmost as if he weredrowning but from theinsideout.Slowly the serum made

its way through his body.When it hit his heart itburst into flame, and hefelt as if he were being

burned alive, anexcruciating pleasure thatboth exhilarated andtormented him. This wasthe moment he had builttheartifactfor—thereasonhe strapped himself inbefore each dose. Afterseveralpumpsofhisheart,his whole body wasfloodedwith the serum. Ithadn’t been like thisbefore. It hadn’t taken so

mucheffort,buthehadn’tneeded so much of theserumthen.Every muscle tightened

as he tried to hold backthe unbearable pleasure.Hescreamed,oratleasthethought he screamed, lostin the overwhelmingsensation that he couldn’thonestly saywhat the restof his body did while hesuffered. After a moment

more, the fire entered hisbrain, and he opened hiseyes.Every morning he

followed the same ritual.Rarelydidheseeanything—nothingdefinitive.Tearsfilled his eyes and randownhischeeks.Thedarkgray tiles lining the floorof his laboratory swirledtogether with the blue ofthe walls. Light coming

through an enormouswindowmixedinredsandyellows. The artifacts,weapons, and scryinginstruments inside hislaboratory were invisiblethrough the pleasure.What Memnarch sawresembled a puddle ofliquidsilver,reflectinganddistorting the colors ofMirrodin.“Master,you’vecome.”

Memnarchheldhiseyesopen, fearing that if heblinked the distortedimage before him woulddisappear.Then theburningwould

peak,climbingtothepointwhere it could get nobetter—ornoworse.Lingering at the height

of pleasure and pain, heheld his breath. Theserum’s effects receded

slowly,leavinghimsoakedwith the memory of itspresence.As the burning slipped

away, turning back into aknife blade and driftingagainintothedullstingofan insect, it revealed toMemnarch a new power.His mind became clearer,his thoughts morebrilliant,hisunderstandingof all thingsmore perfect.

Hisoverlarge,bulbous feltmore nimble, lessburdensome, more alive.His four hydraulicallyenhanced limbs feltstronger, and his sixmagically perfected eyesnow revealed the truesecretsoftheworld.The tears ran away,

clearing his sight—hisvision of the creator, hismaster,slippingaway.The

floorandwallstookshape.His scrying pedestal roseup from the ground,cradlinginitsbasinapoolof silvery liquid, and themassive window thatformed onewhole wall ofhis laboratory came backinto view. Beyond it, theglowingblue-whiteball ofpuremanaatthecenterofMirrodin pulsed, and itsrayswarmedhisface.

Memnarchgazedoutthewindow. Crystal-shapedchromespiresroseupfromthe curved ground,reachingforthemanacorelikeplantstoasun.“Odd how organic life

copiesartifice,”hesaid.“Isitthesameonalltheotherplanes?”Helistened.“Yes, that is what

Memnarchthought.”

Thedoor slid open, anda figureentered theroom.It was a metallic bipedalcreature, similar in shapeto the elves or humans ofthe outer world—noticeably lacking theenhancements andimprovements Memnarchhadgivenhimself.Memnarch recognized

the creature immediately.“Malil,”hesaid.“Comein.

Comein.”“Is everything all right,Master? I heardscreaming.”Memnarch maneuveredcontrols, and thearticulatedarmswithdrew.The straps holding hisbody inert during theritual released, and thedevice let out a long slowhiss.“Yes, yes, everything is

fine, just fine. Is it not?”Memnarch scuttled acrossthe floor toward hisservant, the tips of hismetallic crablike legsclickingastheytappedthestone tiles, thebaseofhisgigantic abdomendragging along behindhim. “Thank you forasking us.” He could feelthe muscles in his backrelax and a sensation of

simple calm wash awaythe last remnants ofexhilaration from theinfusion.Malil stepped to one

side, looking pastMemnarch at the hugedevice.Memnarch watched

Malil examine the device.He smiled at the metalman’s obviouswonderment.Prideswelled

withinhim,andhelookeddown on Malil’s face—afacenearlyidenticaltohisown.“He is curious,” said

Memnarch, looking awayfrom Malil. “Shall we tellhim what we havecreated?”Malil turned to

Memnarch and blinked.“Yes, Master.” He turnedback to the device. “What

doesitdo?”Memnarch smiled.“Manythings,Malil.Manythings.”“Whatkindsofthings?”Memnarch crossed hislaboratory again. Lookinginto a glass funnel full ofmilky white liquid, hestroked it gently as if itwere a favored pet. “Tobegin,” he said, notturning away from the

device as he spoke, “itharvests and storesblinkmoth serum. Is notthatright?”Malil stood completelystill,notmakingasound.Memnarch laughed,slowly at first. Theproblems he had facedonly the day beforeseemed trivial now. Whyhad he been so concernedover such insignificant

thoughts? His laughterbecamehysterical,andhisbodyconvulsed.“Isnot…isnot…isnot

that … wonderful?” heaskedbetweenbreaths.“Yes, Master,” replied

Malil.Memnarch abruptly

stoppedlaughing.“Why must we be

surrounded by such punyminds?”hesaid,slamming

hisfistagainsttheedgeofthe device. “On one sideMemnarch is in thepresence of greatness, onthe other, the presence ofnothing.”Liftinghimselftohis full height, he movedaroundtothecontrolunit,touching one of the arms.“Yes, yes, Memnarchknows.Youareright.”He turned back to hisservant, continuing his

tourofthedevice.“Here is the deliverysystem,” he explained,rubbing a smear markfrom the brightly polishedchrome.“Deliverysystem?”Memnarch spun onMalil, his legs clickingagainst the tile. “Yes, thedelivery system.” Hecrossed his arms over hischest. “You see what

Memnarchmustdealwith?Howhe lacks the intellecttounderstand?”Malilloweredhiseyesto

thefloor.“Isee.”Memnarch scrutinized

his servant.Malil was tallby elf standards with anordinary pair of legs andmatching arms. He had awide, strong chin, thatmimickedthatofahumanandnarrow,gentlysloping

shoulders. Except for thefact that he was madeentirely of metal, Malilcould pass for one of thehumansonthesurface.Memnarch turnedaway,

toward the window. Atone time, he had lookedjust like Malil. At onetime, he too had beenmade entirely of metal.The thought made himsad.Helookeddownathis

hands.Alineofredliquidseeped from the edge ofhis fist where he hadslammed it against thedevice.Memnarch touched thespot with his finger. Heactually bled! Memnarch,the Guardian of Mirrodin,was bleeding! His sadnessturnedtoanger.“Is this what youintendedforme?”Heheld

uphisbleedingfist.“WhenMemnarchwasmade,wasthiswhatyouenvisioned?”Malil shuffled forwardastep.“Master?”Memnarch looked up athis servant. “Silence! IfMemnarch wanted you tospeak, Memnarch wouldhaveaddressedyou.”Malil stepped back,remainingsilent.Memnarch looked back

down at his arm. “This isnot what the creatorintended.Isit?”Memnarchshookhishead. “YouwhomadeMirrodinthenplacedit in Memnarch’s custodydidnotwantthis.”He listened but heard

nothing.“Has Memnarch not

beenfaithful?”Helistenedagain.“Ofcourse.Ofcourse.So

why have you forsakenMemnarch?”Memnarch paced the

lab.Heranfromtheroom,then he paced back thewayhehadcome,his feetmaking a high-pitchedgrinding noise on the tileashespun.“You have not?” he

continued. “Memnarch’sperfectbody,thebodyyougave Memnarch, created

for Memnarch, is slowlyturning to flesh. If this isnot your wish, thenwhose? If you had notwanted this, why is ithappening?HasMemnarchfailed?”Memnarch shook his

head. “No. No,Memnarchcould not. Memnarchwould not.Memnarch hasbeen given the task ofprotecting Mirrodin, of

caring for it until thecreator himself returns.Memnarch has done that.Memnarch has doneeverythingyouhaveaskedofhim—andmore!”“Master?”Memnarchlookedup.Malil blinked, watchinghim. “Master? Are you allright?”“Yes,” he said thensmiled. “Why would not

Memnarchbeallright?”The scrying pedestal inthe middle of thelaboratory began tochangecolors,waveringina dark blue. Memnarchscuttled over to it, liftinghis considerable girth offthe floorsoasnot todragit along behind him.Settling down before themetalpool,helookedintothe silvery liquid. Ripples

formedat thecenterof itsperfect circle, spreadingout in rings toward theedgeofthebasin.Images began to form,imagesofagiganticmetaltunnel.“The blue lacuna.”Memnarch brought hishead closer to the basin.“Someone iscomingdownthebluelacuna,comingtoseeus.”

Malil crossed the roomand stood beside hismaster, gazing down intothepool.More images began toform—fuzzy pictures, andthey were moving fast.Memnarch squinted,focusing his attention onthe scrying pedestal. Theimages grew clearer. Theywere bipedal and movedupright. There were

several figures, perhapstwodozen,maybemore.“Vedalken,”hesaid.Malil shiftedhisweight.“Why would vedalken becomingnow?”“A good question.”Memnarchwavedhishandover the pool. “Memnarchhas not granted them anaudience.…” His voicetrailed off. “They seem tobe chasing something.We

do loveagoodchase.”Hestared into the scryingpool. “This is mostunusual.”The wavering silveryliquid suddenly grewcrystal clear. A tall,slender female elfappeared. Her arms andlower legswere, likemostcreatures of this world,coveredinthickmetalthatseemed to grow from her

skinas if itwereapartofher body. Her medium-length hairwas held backby a strip of tanned hide,and she wore a leatherjerkinthatcoveredmostoftherestofherbody.“She is here,” gaspedMemnarch.“Who,Master?”Memnarch looked upfromthepedestal.Hisskintingled with delight. His

bones ached withexcitement, and his mindracedoveralltheworkhestillhadunfinished.“She is here,” he

repeated. “The one.” Heturned to Malil. “The elfgirl.”Malil straightened to

attention. “What are yourdesires,mymaster?”Memnarch rubbed his

handstogether,andheran

his tongue over his dry,parchedlips.“Bringhertous.”Malil bowed his head,turned on his heels, andexited the same way hehadcomein.Memnarch leaned downover the silvery pool onceagain.“Memnarchhadnotexpectedyousosoon.”

*****

Malilmarchedatdoublespeed along the long,curved corridor. His pathled him in a gentledownward spiral—a longway to go to get fromMemnarch’s laboratory tothenextlevel.Ashedescended,heranover the scene withMemnarch in his head.He’d spokenof theelfgirlbefore. Malil didn’t claim

to understand everything.HeknewonlythosethingsMemnarch told him andthe things he’d witnessedfor himself, but both ofthosewereconsiderable.Memnarch’s regular

scolding repeated itself inhisears,“Youdonotneedto know everything. Youneed only followMemnarch’sdirections.”The metal man

redoubled his speed.Steppingoffthecauseway,Malil entered theobservation platform. Thisroom, by design, wascompletelyempty,andtheouter walls were made ofone contiguous piece ofmagically curved glass.From here, he could seethe entire interior ofMirrodin.Out the window, at the

centeroftheplane,ahugeball of blue-white manafloated above everything.Below that, the groundcurved up in everydirection, encircling theglowing sphere andeventually meeting itselfon theother side, formingboth the floor and theceiling of the interior.Pointy chrome towers,called mycosynth, rose

from theground, reachinguplikegnarled,sharpenedfingers grasping for theballofpowerabovethem.Malil crossed the openchamber to a spot at itsvery center. There a redcircle marked the floor,andthemetalmansteppedontoit.“Groundlevel,”hesaid.Theroomfilledwiththehum of magic, and the

floor descended, slowly atfirstthenpickingupspeed.It slowed and finallystopped. Malil walkeddown a short ramp,stopped at a waist-highrailing, and looked overthe edge at a legion ofmetalwarriors.Eachwasidentical.Theyhad curved heads, eachwith a singular glowingyellow eye in the center.

Their arms came fromtheir sides, growingwiderand thicker as theyextended, ending ingigantic, razor-sharpblades. The warriors’torsos were armored withmetal plates, interlockingovertheothersothattheycouldmove independentlywithout exposing theirdelicate insides to harm.Where a human or elf

would have legs, thesewarriors had two wheelstipped with heavy spikessharp enough to punctureeven the strongest metal.On their backs, every onehad a short, trifold sail,which they used to steerthemselves across the vastopenexpansesofMirrodin.The metallic killerscrouched, quietly readyandloyal,preparedtostay

where they were for aneternity or cut down anarmyatamoment’snotice.Malil smiled. “Open thegates,” he shouted. “TheGuardian wishes us tobringbackanelf.”

Glissa ran.She ranwithallofhermight,allofherbeingitseemed.Theearthbeforeher sankdownanddown. If she didn’t knowbetter, she would havethought this great hole intheground throughwhich

she descended led rightthrough the middle ofMirrodinandouttheotherside. Of course, thatcouldn’tbethecase.Slobad ran beside her.His wrinkled little goblinbody moved surprisinglyfast,consideringhowshorthis legs were. His toolpouchbouncedagainsthisbody as he ran. It alwaysdid whenever they were

running away fromsomething. It seemedas ifthey had been doing thatsincethedaytheymet.Glissa spared a glance

over her shoulder. Bosh,the artifact golem,tromped along rightbehind her. His rustingiron frame seemed tolumberalong,butwhathelacked in agility, hemadeupforinsizeandstrength.

Each one of his footstepsmeasuredmore than threeof Glissa’s. It was a goodthing too. On more thanone occasion it had beenBosh’s long legs that hadsavedtheirnecks.The clanking sound ofhis heavy metal feetcolliding with the groundwas dampened by theglowing mossy substancecoveringevery inchof the

tunnel and lighting theirway. The funny thingabout Bosh was that nomatter what he did, hisfacealwaysheld the samestoically seriousexpression. Right now,that look of utterconcentration andcontemplation seemedappropriate.In the giant construct’s

outstretched arms, the

newest member of thegrouprode,herfacecurledup tight in a grimace ofpain, her hands grippingher leg. She had been hitby a harpoon whilestanding beside theKnowledgePool.Theyhadalreadyremovedthemetalshaft, but the legwas stillbroken. Bruenna was ahuman wizard ofconsiderable power,

though none of thosepowers could heal herbrokenleg.Glissa turned herattention back to themossy ground before her.Itgrippedherfeet,makingeachstepmoretiring.The lacuna tunnelthrough which they ranwasroundandregularandtraveled downward in acurved line. The slight

bend in the passageblocked Glissa’s view ofthewarriors pursuing her.That, at least, wascomforting.Though she couldn’t see

the vedalken, she knewtheywerethere.Shecouldhear their marching feetsquish the mossy groundas they gave chase. Ofcourse theywere going tochase her. She and her

friends had broken intotheir most sacred place.Even though it was for agood reason, Glissa didn’tthink the blue-skinned,four-armed creatures sawitthatway.Infact,shefeltcertain they wanted herdead.Rounding a bend, the

lacunasplitintwo.Glissacoasted toa stop,

breathing hard. Were this

the Tangle, she wouldknowwhich path to take,but she was a long wayfromher homenow—in aplace that until a fewminutes ago, she neverknewexisted.“Bruenna.… Which

way?”Thewizardlookeddown

through pained and tearyeyes.“I…Idon’t—”“Left.” Bosh’s voice

boomedoverBruenna’s.Glissa looked up at her

metalcompanion.“Left?”“Left,”herepeated.“How you know?”

Slobadasked,nowgaspingbeside the elf. “Yourmemorybacknow,huh?”The golem’s voice

rumbled through thetunnel again. “Yes. Irememberthisplace.”The sound of the

marching vedalken armygrew louder in the curvedtunnel. Glissa looked toBruenna. The humanshrugged.“Wegoleft,”announced

the elf. She continued hersprint down the tube. Thegoblin loped along besideher,as theclankofBosh’smassivefeetresumed.The tunnel continued

on, and the mossy

covering grew thicker,more dense. After anotherlong turn the passagestraightened, and a brightblue-white light beamedin. Glissa shielded herface, her eyes painfullyadjusting from the dullglow of the moss that litthe tunnel to the blindinglight now cascading downonher.Slowing down, she

asked,“Whereisthatlightcomingfrom?”“I don’t know,” replied

themage.“The mana core,”

answeredBosh.HenudgedGlissa forward with hisgreat bulk. “It is a longwayoff.We can travel onsafely.”The elf shook her head.

“Ihopeyou’reright.”“Hope it not levelers,”

addedSlobad.“Slobadnotdismantlewholearmy.”“No,”saidBruenna,“but

the vedalken army willdismantle us if we don’tkeepgoing.”Notthemostidealsetof

options.Glissa took off without

another word. Bruennawas right. It didn’tmatterwhat the light ahead ofthem was. They couldn’t

stop.Bettertoheadforthepossibility of escape thancowerfromitandbekilledbythevedalken.The light grew as the

comradesran.Glissacouldmake out the end of thegreat tunnel. Back-litshapes began to formbetween the light and thethickcarpetofmoss.At last elf, goblin,

golem, and human burst

fromthelacuna.Glissa fell to her knees

atthesightbeforeher.Herstomach churned, and hereyes seemed unable tofocus. The world she hadknown, that had beenchanging daily for daysnow, was once againturnedupsidedown.“It’s true,” she

whispered. “Mirrodin ishollow.”

The interiorofMirrodinwas more beautiful andterrifying than anythingGlissahadeverseeninherlife. It was as if all theworld had been turnedinside out and stuffeddown the lacuna. SinceChunth’s final words toher, she had tried toimagine it, butimagination fell short ofthereality.

A whole world rolledout before them. Spires ofcrystalline chrome rosefrom theground, reachingtoward the sky like thetrees and brambles of theTangle, but unlike thegreat metal forest, thesestructures were not soclose together. At theirtops, where branches andleaves should have been,these spires came to a

jaggedpoint.Thetoweringgrowths rose from theground toward a blindingblue-whiteballinthesky.A low, electrical buzzissued from the hissingcore—made up of mana,Glissa guessed—filling theinterior of the plane,settling over all creaturesandstructuresasifitwerea blanket. It didn’t drownoutallothersounds,butit

createdabarrierthatothersounds couldn’t escape. IfSlobad or Bruenna weretoo far away, Glissa feltcertain theywouldn’thearher call their names. Thesensation from this all-encompassing noise wasodd but somehowcomfortingto theelf,as ifin this wide-open space alittle piece of it had beenreservedjustforheruse.

Above the interior“sun,” hanging from theceiling, more of thepointed chrome monolithsjabbed downward. Fromwhere Glissa stood, theinteriorofMirrodinlookedlike a rotting, toothymouth, poised to bitedownonthemanacoreatitscenter.The mossy carpeting

continuedfromthelacuna,

covering the ground andeverything in its path.Here and there, straightpatches had beenseemingly stripped away,making lines on theground like the veins of aleaf. In these openings,polished metal shonethrough, reflecting thelight of the mana coreoverhead.Inthefardistance,atall

blue tower distinguisheditself from the rest of itssurroundings. It stoodabove the other pointedtowers and ended in arounded bulb at the top.Thoughalltheotherspireswere covered at the baseby the mossy groundcovering,thisonewasnot,and it shone brightly,reflecting the blue-whiteglow that touched

everything.Looking out over thismythical world, Glissabecamedizzy.Shefeltasifherbrainweregrowing,asif it might burst from herpuny skull. There was somuchtotakein,andnoneof it seemed to make anysense. The monsters herparents had spoken of inbedtime stories were nowall suddenly real.Awhole

world existed inside herworld—but that wasimpossible.“Whatisallofthis?”she

asked,notreallyexpectingananswer.“These tall chrome

structures are calledmycosynth,” replied Bosh.The metal golem liftedBruenna, pointingwith anoutstretched finger at theshining structure in the

distance. “That is calledPanopticon.”“How do you know allthis?” asked the humanwizard suspended in hisarms.“Iusedtolivehere—”Bosh’s explanation wascutshortbyahigh-pitchedwail. Slobad jumped upanddown,pointingtowardPanopticon,squealing.“Levelers! Levelers!

Levelers!”Comingdownoneofthepathways, a mob ofartifact creatures spedtoward them. The levelersweresleekandcurved,likegiant metal prawns withkillingblades for tentaclesand spikedwheels insteadof tail fins, which seemedto push them effortlesslythroughthestickymoss.At the front of the

group, atop a modifiedleveler, rode a silverymanlike creature. Fromthis distance, Glissacouldn’t make out muchdetail. Except for itsreflective skin, thecreature could have beenanelforahumanfromtheouterworld.“Run,”shoutedBruenna.“No wait,” replied

Glissa.“Ifthisplaceexists,

it means Memnarchexists.”“And?” asked the

impatientwizard.“And,” snapped the elf,

“he’s responsible for thedeath ofmy parents.” Shelooked at each of hercompanions in turn. “Thisis my destiny. EventuallyI’m going to have to facehim,forgoodorill.”Bruenna looked down

fromwhere shewasbeingcradled in Bosh’s arms.Her face was pale. Sweatran down her brow, andher eyes seemed sunken.Grimlyshesmiled.“You’reright.”Sheshookherhead.“Butifyoutrytoconfronthim now, it’ll just get therestofuskilled.”“But—”startedGlissa.“We don’t have time toargue about it,” said

Bruenna,cuttingheroffasthelevelersclosedin.“Wecan avenge your parentsand save the worldanother time. Right now,wehavetogo.”“Where?” Glissa turned.The vedalken hadn’tappearedinthelacunayet,but she knew they werecoming, and heading backupthetunnelwouldmeansuicide.

“Thisway,”saidBosh.“Iremember another tunneltothesurface.”The metal golem took

offatarun,chargingawayfrom the opening to theblue lacuna, theapproaching horde oflevelers, and the strangestructure he had calledPanopticon.GlissagrabbedSlobad by the arm andfollowed.

They were runningagain. Glissawas tiring ofrunning. Not even on thehuntsintheTangledidsheremember running somuch. An elf had herlimits. She shrugged. Shesupposedshewasabouttofindherown.Slobad struggledagainst

Glissa’s grip, strainingaroundtolookbehindhimas they ran. “They’re

gaining.”“Run faster!” shouted

theelf.“He’s right.” Bruenna

looked back over Bosh’sshoulderashecarriedher.“Bosh,howfarisittothisotherexit?”“Alongway.”Thehumanwizardlifted

her arms out to her sidesand spoke a single word.Her hands flashed with a

blue light.Theopenspacebetweenherupraisedarmscongealed into a silverymembrane, and Bruennavaultedintotheair.Hovering above Bosh,shesaid,“Iguesswehaveno choice.” She looked atGlissa.“Westandandfaceyourdestinyafterall.”

*****

Malil rode atop aspecially designed leveler.This beast had beenoutfittedwithasetofstepsand two curved handles.The metal man crouchedoverthekillingdeviceasifhe were riding a dolphin.Grippingitwithhisknees,Malil didn’t somuch steerthe creature as tell itwhere to go.Throughoneof the handles, a magical

conduit, the leveler could“hear”histhoughts,anditobeyed his whims. Absentthisconnection,thelevelerwould respond to hisverbalcommands,butthatwas less satisfying. Malillikedtosimplythinkaboutwherehewantedtogoandlet the beast take himthere.The metal man hadridden fromPanopticonat

the head of a battalion.The leveler he rode wasslower than the otherssince it carried hisweightinadditiontoitsown,andultimately,heknew,itwashe who held back theentirepack.Oncetheyhadtheelfandhercompanionsin sight, Malil gave theorder.“Catch them,” heshouted to the levelers

rolling along beside him.“Bringme the elf.Kill theothers.”The killers took offahead of their general.Malilnoddedhisapproval.Soonhewouldhavetheelfin his possession, and hewould fulfill his ordersfromMemnarch.The metal man leanedforward and watched hisquarrygrownearer.

*****

Glissa turned. Thelevelers were much closerthan she had imaginedthem. She had seen thesecreations before, evenfought them, but neverhadshebeenwitnesstosomany collected togetherinto one space. The sightwas terrifying, and ashiver flushed down her

spine,making all the skinalongherbacktingle.The metal beasts wereclose enough now thatGlissacouldclearlyseethehumanlike figure at theirhead.Hewastallandthin,not clearly elf or human,and he wore a long bluerobe that billowed outbehindhimashe rodehisleveler forward. His shinysilver skin made the

expressiononhisfacehardtoread,butGlissathoughthe might be handsomewereitnotforthefactthathe was charging towardheratopakillingdevice—the same sort of devicethathadtakenherparents,her sister, and her bestfriendfromher.The tingling sensation

faded, giving way to apalpableangerthatheated

her blood and steeled herspine. She could feel herlip curl up and her eyesnarrow. She didn’t evenknowwhothissilverymanwas,butalreadyshehatedhim. He had much toanswer for, and if thiswere the fabledMemnarch, he had anenormousdebttorepay.“Time to settle,” shesaid,liftingherhandshigh

overherheadanddrawinggreen mana from the far-away Tangle. She wassurprised how easily itflowed to her. The arcaneenergiesfloodedherbody,andshefeltstrong.Bosh stepped in frontofGlissa and Slobad, hishammering footfallsshaking both elf andgoblin to the bone. Theirbig friend came to a stop,

and the rumbling of thelevelers replaced thepounding of the metalgolem’sfeet.For a moment, all four

companions were silent,watching the approachingthrong.Glissa tookadeepbreath, channeling themana she held. Lookingout at the chargingartifacts, she singled outtheclosest.Asshereleased

herspell,themanagusheddown her arms, rippingacross the open air in agreenzigzag.The magic smashedheadfirst into theoncoming leveler. Thecreature exploded.Interlocking metal platesshotoutat all angles.Theanimated device’s wheelsspun off wildly, smashinginto other levelers who

simply ran over thedismemberedpartsoftheirone-time comradewithoutslowing down. Thecreature’s scythe bladesflopped uselessly to themetal ground, tumblingendoverend,thencomingtorest.The levelers continuedon, the silvery manunflinching.Over her head, Glissa

watched a glowing blueorbracetowardthehorde.Bruenna, she thought.Thespell struck a chargingartifact, and its spikedwheels suddenly stoppedspinning. The metallicbeast shuttered, skiddingsidewaysbeforecomingtoa halt. Another levelerplowed into the back ofthestalledbeast,knockingitoverandgettingtangled

in its bladed arms andsteering sail. The twocreatureslayonthemossyground in a heap, forcingthe constructs behind tosmash into them or drivearound.Bruenna’s spell hadcaused a break in theadvancingenemyline,andthe once orderly artifactcreatures now looked likeariotingmob.

The first leveler closedinonBosh,andthegolemsmashedit tosmithereens.With one swing of hisheavy fist, he bashed itflat. He swung his otherfist. The shriek of metalbending and glassshattering followed a loudcrash, and another of theartifactswentdown.As the front line of

levelers reached the

companions, Slobadjumped atop the first oneheencountered.Raisingitsscythelike blades, theleveler turned towardGlissa. Its spiked wheelstore up the ground,greedily eating up thespace between itself andtheelf.Holdingontoitssteeringsail, the goblin pulled anarrow crowbar from his

pouch. Jamming itbetween interlockingplates, he pried thedevice’s outer shell free,opening a hole largeenoughforhimtostickhisfistinside.Reachingin,thegoblin tinkered with theleveler’sinnards.Glissa watched it come,the goblin on its back.Seeing him dig into thatartifactcreaturebroughta

smile to Glissa’s face.When it counted, Slobadwas the bravest goblin onMirrodin.A whistling sound

brought Glissa from herreverie. Diving forward,she managed to duck andtumble away from asecond leveler’s blades astheycamedownwhereherhead used to be. Comingto her feet, Glissa pulled

her sword. It seemed sillyto try to dismantle adevice with a sword. Shewishedshecouldturnthatpointy blade into apoundinghammer.Butthiswasnoordinarysword. She didn’t knowwhere it had come from,only that shehad found itinside theTreeofTales inChunth’s chamber. It wasmore powerful than any

weapon she’d everwielded, and for that, atthis moment, she wasgrateful.The blade rang as shebashed back the newleveler’sattacks.Sparingaglancetoher left, shesawthelevelerwithSlobadonitsbackwasalmostonher.Looking back and leaningin, she lunged for theartifact’s glowing yellow

eye. Her blade struck theseam,lodgingbetweenthehousing and the lens.Twistingher sword,Glissapopped the creature’s eyefrom its socket, and thedevice swung side to side,grasping with its armblades like a blind mantryingtocatchathief.Glissa turned to the

leveler with Slobad on itsback. The construct

brought its arms together,scissoringdownon the elfwith its razor-sharp grasp.The artifact was close,closer than Glissa hadthought. She rolledbackward, fallingontoherbehind and ducking awayfrom the blades. Thecreature missed her butjust barely, and it openedits arms, ready for aseconddeadlyembrace.

Glissascootedbackwithlittle room to move. Theleveler behind her stillflailed blindly. The onebefore her leaned down,ready to take her headfromherbody.Thekillingdevice brought its bladestogether, right down onher.Pushedbackagainstaflailing, blinded leveler,shehadnoroomtomove.Glissa cringed, bracing for

the impact—but it nevercame.The artifact creatureveeredtoitsright,turningaway from Glissa andlunging at the flailinglevelerbehindher.“Kill it,” shoutedSlobadfrom the creature’s back.“Cut it up.” The devicefollowedhisorders.Glissa rolled away andgot to her feet. The two

levelers cut into eachother. Sparks flew asSlobad’s fighter slashedthrough the blindedmonster’storso.Thegoblinleaped onto the back ofanother device, hiscrowbar gripped in histhree-fingeredhand.Bosh smashed deviceswith both fists. Bruennafroze the oncomingmonsters intheirtracksor

blasted them away withgusts of wind. Slobadturned them against eachother or dismantled themas fast as his little fingerscould pry them apart.Glissa battled them backwith her sword and hermagic.Still, the mass of

sharpened creatures cameon, endless andunrelenting. The flood of

levelers swarmed overBosh. Their spiked wheelspushed themup his body.Their scythe blades struckhim,andhisbodyrangoutlike a tolling bell. In amatter of seconds, thegiant metal mandisappeared under a pileofkillingdevices.A high-pitched squealfilled Glissa’s ears. Slobadhad jumped from one

device, and he now rodeonthebackofanother.Hisarm was buried to hiselbowinsidethecreature’smetal frame, and his facewas held tight in apinched, painedexpression.Withthefistofhis otherhandhebeat ontheleveler’shide,pushing,pulling, and squirming toget his hand free.Something had gone

wrong.Slobadwascaught.The leveler he rode

reached its armsback andswiped at the goblin.Slobadducked,butthetipof the creature’s scytheblade caught the side ofthegoblin’shead.Achunkof Slobad’s scalp slicedaway, and blood spurteddownhisneck.Glissa’s heart sank. Her

stomach felt as if she’d

swallowed a bottomlesspit,andthehairsalongherback and neck stood atattention. She watched asthe beast took anotherswipe at Slobad. Thegoblin disappeared fromsight.The creatures swarmedin, climbing on eachother’s back to reach intotheskyandpluckBruennafrom where she flew.

Glissa heard the humanwizard scream as she wasbrought back down toearth. The horde ofmetallicmonstersclosedinontheelf,blockingoutthereflected blue-white lightfromthemanacore.Thrashing about withherbladeheldhigh,theelffoughtoffonelevelerafteranother.Scytheblades felltotheground.Eyesockets

wentflying.Spikedwheelswere cut in two. Still, thecircle closed down, andthere were too many tofightonherown.Slipping her blade into

the crease between twometalplates,Glissalungedto kill another leveler. Asshe stretched out, asharpened claw tore intoher side, then a spikedwheel collided with her

leg, and the elf fellbackwardontotheground.Insecondsshecouldfeel

her arms pinned and herlegsimmobilized.Someonepulled the sword fromhergrip,andthetipofanotherbladetouchedherexposedbelly. Spreadeagled, limbsheld firm, a deadlyweapon pressed againsther gut, Glissa thoughtabout her family—and

Kane. She was going todie, and with any luck,she’d see them again inwhateverplace elveswentto after they left thehorrorsofthisworld.Even the thought ofseeing her parents againcouldn’t quell the fearinside her. Life onMirrodin had been nopicnic,butshedidn’twantto die—especially not at

the hands of a leveler.Overthepastfewrotationsshe had come to believe,reallybelieve, that shehada destiny, a greaterpurpose,butherquesthadbecome a monumentalfailure.Shehadtraveledtobringherparents’killertojustice, only to beslaughtered in the samefashion.Itseemedtragic.Shewasn’t theonlyone

here.Shehadfriendsnow,friends who had followedher to this place. Thoughshe couldn’t see them,their faces flashed in hermind: Slobad, Bosh, evenBruenna whom she’d onlyrecently met. They wereallgoingtodie.Glissa’s fear once again

gavewaytoanger,andshescreamed. Not a shriek ofterror or the startled

screamofalittlegirl,butaferal, predatory screechthatdrippedofpower.Shetookinadeepbreath.Thepounding of her heartfilled her head, and thegrinding wheels of thelevelersfilledherears.Shelooked up at the metalbeasts holding her down,and she hated them. Shewantedtosmasheachandevery one into greasy bits

ofscrapmetal.Then something inside

snapped.Glissa feltas ifadoor had been openeddeepwithin.Powerflowedoutoverherbody,andallher muscles tensed. Awave of green energyexploded over thebattlefield, filling theinteriorofMirrodinwithabright flash of light—followed by silence.

Nothing could be heard,not the grinding oflevelers, not the buzzinghumofthemanacore.Allwasquiet.The light subsided.Levelers were flung back.As if a switch had beenflipped reversing gravityfor a brief moment, thekilling devices werelaunched into the air.Their blades flailed. Their

steering sails flapped sidetosidewithoutresult.Justas suddenly, the switchwas re-engaged, and theconstructs fell back toearth, smashing intootherlevelers and crashing intoatangledheap.Glissawasfree.Beside her, Bruennahovered. The artifactmonsters that had pulledher from the sky were

thrown away, and thewizard launched herselfback into the air—nolongeracaptive.The pile of killing

devices completelycovering Bosh were tornoff, tossed to the metalground like discardedchildren’s toys. Theirheavy carapaces hadcracked on impact,sending metallic sinews

and glass lenses flying inalldirections.Metal torsoscollapsed in onthemselves, smashing themechanisms inside. Theglowing yellow lights intheireyeswentout.All the climbingdevices

were flung away, and thegreat metal golem wasrevealed. Bosh wasted notime.Steppingoverawallof bent and ruined metal,

he reached down andpickedup the levelerwithSlobad on its back.Squeezing his fingerstogether, he pinched thebeast’s lower back. Itshead popped off, and themechanism’s insidessquirtedout.Slobad’s arm slipped

free of the creature’scarapace, escaping fromwhatever had held it, and

he climbed up Bosh’schest, crouching on thegolem’sshoulder.“Thank you,” cried the

goblin, holding Bosh’sneck.“Now,run,huh?”Boshturned,andhisfeet

resumed their heavydrumming on the metalground.From the distancemore

levelers advanced. BeforeGlissa, a crescent-shaped

portionof the groundwasclearoflevelersandrubblealike. Itwas as if the elf’sanger had created a giantgust of wind that hadblown everything back,but ithadbeenmorethanthat. Where her spell hadtouched a leveler, it hadbeendestroyed.Bosh reached down andscooped up the young elfwhere she stood. He

continued on, Bruennaflyingbesidehim.Slobad looked at the elfwithwideeyes.“Howyoudothat,crazyelf?”Glissa looked down atherhands.“Idon’tknow.Ijust…did.”“Think you can teachSlobad that trick? Maketaking apart levelerseasier,huh?”“Yes, it would,” replied

the elf, “but I still haven’tfigured out how to do itmyself. It just sort ofhappens.”Bruenna swooped down

closer to Bosh. “Whereto?”Bosh lifted his face,

pointing with his chin.“Just over that rise.There’s another entrancetothebluelacuna.”Glissa wrinkled her

forehead. “The bluelacuna?”“The tunnel we came

down,” explained thegolem. “It is called alacuna.”“I know that, but you

said the ‘blue lacuna.’Aretheredifferentcolors?”“There is a redone and

ablueonebutnogreen.”“Howyou rememberall

this stuff,huh?”asked the

goblin. “Dross finally leakfromyourrustyhead?”“The Pool of

Knowledge,” interjectedBruenna, nursing herinjured leg as she flew.“Thepondwejumpedintothat led us down here.”Shegrimaced. “I toldyou,my father was right. Thevedalken have a way ofputting all of what theyknow—everything every

single one of them knows—into the serum inside.Our swim through musthave revived Bosh’smemories.”“Yes,”repliedthegolem.“Wait.” Over Bosh’sshoulder, Glissa watchedthe surviving majority ofthe leveler battalion startto regain their composureand line up behind thestrangemetallicman.“We

can’t go back into thetunnel… theblue lacuna.Thevedalkenareinside.”“This entrance shouldbringusbacktowherethetubespiltintotwopaths.Ifwe are lucky, we willavoidthem.”Boshheadedupa slightincline, and Glissa turned.Just ahead, barely visiblein the near distance wasthe opening to the tunnel

the golem spoke of. Shelooked back to thelevelers.“Betterhurry,” she said.

“They’regainingagain.”

Malil sat atop hisleveler, stunned.Howhadtheelfdonethat?Memnarchwouldnotbehappy.“Formup,”heshouted.The broken line oflevelers obeyed his

command. Despite thespelltheelfhadcast,mostof Malil’s army was stillintact, if scattered. In afew moments, the killingdevices were in formationandreadytoroll.Someone else emergedfromthebluelacuna.“Pontifex,” said Malil.Spinning his leveler, heonce again ordered thepursuit.“Afterthem.”

The mob of metalliccreatures rolled on. Malil,atop his killing device,stayed put. Instead of thesoundofwheelstearingatthemetalsoilheheardthevoice of Memnarch insidehishead.“Bringthevedalkentous.

We want an audience withPontifex.”Here, inside the interior

of Mirrodin, the Guardian

could speak to Malil, nomatter where he was.Fromwhat themetalmancould tell, Memnarchcouldseethroughhiseyesas well. No doubt theGuardian had beenwatching the wholeencounter with the elf.There was no way forMaliltobesureofthis,noindication inside that toldhim when this was

happening. For all heknew,Memnarchcouldbewatching constantly.Malilbehaved at all times as ifthiswere the case, just tobesafe.Malil urged his leveler

forward—toward theopening of the bluelacuna.

*****

Pontifex stepped fromthe tunnel.With the headof a broad-tipped spear,the tall, slender vedalkenshieldedhis eyes from themana core’s glow. Brightpurple spots clouded hisvision.A teamofwarriors filed

outbehindhim.“Marek, where is that

elf?”heshouted.The four-armed

bodyguard shrugged. “Idon’tknow,mylord.”Pontifex had to catchthatelf.Heneededthatelf.Thespotsbegantofade,and for the first time hesawthelevelerhorde.Thekilling devices rolled upand over a curved pile ofwreckage, speeding offintothedistance.“Follow them,” heordered.

The army of skinny,blue-skinned, four-armedbeingsbehindhimtookoffdouble time without aword, the heads of theirspears gleaming in thepreternaturallight.ToPontifex, the interior

of Mirrodin was awondrous place. He hadbeen here many timesbefore on official visits toMemnarch, but this time

wasdifferent.Thistimehecameas thenewest leaderoftheSynod.Thistime,hehadn’tbeeninvited.The thought of being

chided by Memnarchtugged at the back of histhoughts. The freedom hetook in coming here withhis warriors wasexhilarating.As if his thoughts had

been broadcast across the

interioroftheplane,Malil,Memnarch’s personalservant, appeared, ridinghis leveler toward thevedalken.Malil was new.

Memnarch had createdhim some time betweenthe last two blue mooncycles and the currentconvergence, and Pontifexhadonly encounteredhimonce before. Still, there

was no mistaking whomhe served. Atop his lithemetal body,Malil had theface of his creator. Fromthe shoulders up, everycurve,nuance,andgesturewasreplicatedexactly.Talking to Malil

produced mixed emotionsfor Pontifex. Malil was aservant, but he looked somuch like Memnarch thatit was hard to look him

right in the eye. Thoughhe was unsure if it weretrue, Pontifex assumedMemnarch could heareverything Malil could.Certainly, the guardian ofMirrodin could seeeverything on the planefrom inside Panopticon.Why wouldn’t he be ableto hear what his servantheard?This annoyed Pontifex.

Hewasthemostrespectedresearcher on Mirrodin,andnowhewastheleaderof the vedalken Synod.Why should he have tospeak to an intermediary?He hadn’t before. Now,instead of talking directlyto his lord, he had to getpast a mere servant. Thewhole process washumiliating.Malil pulled up and

stopped his leveler.“Greetings,LordPontifex.”“I have no time for

pleasantries, Malil,”replied the vedalken lord.“Whereistheelf?”“She is headed for the

second entrance to theblue lacuna.” The metalmanwho looked somuchlike the Guardian ofMirrodin pointed towardthe receding column of

levelers.Pontifexspuntowardhis

army.“Halt,”heshouted.The order worked its

way up the line ofmarching warriors, thewords echoing indifferentvoices all the way to thefront. The line stretchedout and finally stopped.Marek returned toPontifex’ssideatasprint.“Yourorders,mylord?”

“They’reheadedbackupthe lacuna, through theother entrance,” Pontifexsnarled. “Go back up thisway and cut them off atthebreak.”“Yes, my lord.” Marek

spun and ran back to theother soldiers, shoutingordersashedid.Pontifex turned to the

metal man. “Thank you,Malil, you’ve been very

helpful. Now, if you’llexcusemeI—”“The Guardian has

requested your presence,”interjected the metalservant.“The Guardian has

frequently requested mypresence.”“The Guardian has

requested your presencenow.”Pontifex narrowed his

eyes at Malil. “Surely mylordhas seen that I am inpursuitoftheelf.”“Yes,” replied Malil,

“but now he requires tospeak to you.He has sentme and the levelers tocapture the elf. Your helpisnolongerneeded.”“My help is—” Pontifex

cut himself off. Grippinghisfourhandsintofists,hetook a deep breath then

continued. “Of course, I’llreport to his lordship atonce.”“I shall escort you to

Panopticon.”Through gritted teeth,

Pontifex said, “As youwish.”

*****

MalilledPontifexupthelift. The two rode in

silence. When theyreached the observatory,Malil spared a glance outthe window. In thedistance, he could see hislevelers, a column of rustrisingintotheairmarkingtheirprogress.The metal man and theblue-skinned vedalkenclimbed the curvedentranceway toMemnarch’s laboratory at

the top of Panopticon.Beside the door stood arectangular pedestal,which rose from the floorto the height of Malil’swaist. Embedded in thetop,a triangular red stonepulsedwithasoft internallight. This was the portaltothelaboratory,andonlyMemnarchandMalilcouldopenit.Malilplacedhishandon

the stone,and thedoor tothechamberslidopen.Turningtothevedalken,

heindicatedthedoorwitha wave of his hand. “Youarefreetoenter.”Pontifexglaredathimas

he brushed past into thelaboratory.Inside,Memnarch gazed

outovertheinterioroftheplane. From behind, theGuardian of Mirrodin

looked like a four-leggedmetal crab. His roundedabdomen rested on thefloor.Hislong,pointylegswere bent, the jointspoisedabovehimreadytolift his bulk with athought.“Pontifex,” said the

Guardian without turningaround.“Sogoodofyoutocometoseeus.”Thevedalken researcher

fell to his knees, loweringhisfacetothegroundandspreading his arms in anelaboratebow.“Ofcourse,mylord.”Helifted himself then bowedagain.“Forgiveme for theintrusion.IknowIwasnotinvit—”“Enough babbling,Pontifex,” interrupted theGuardian. “Memnarchwillforgive your

incompetence.” Thecrablike creature turnedaway from the window,scuttling around withoutliftinghismidriff fromthefloor. “We forgive yourintrusion.”“Thankyou,greatlord.”Pontifex stayed prostrateon the ground, though heraised his head enough toglareatMalilagain.The swollen joints in

Memnarch’s legs whirredinto action, and theGuardian lifted his girthfrom the floor. Once hisweight was up andbalanced on his legs, hemoved with a smoothgrace that belied his size.He headed across thelaboratory to his scryingpool. Pontifex shiftedhimself on the floor asMemnarch moved so that

his head pointed towardtheGuardian.“We see that youbrought your warriors,”saidMemnarch.“Yes,my lord.Wewerechasingtheelf.”“Yes,” replied theGuardian. “She is a hardone to catch. We haveyearned for her, yet bothyou andMalil have failedtobringhertous.”

“I am sorry, my lord,”repliedPontifex.Malil stood stock stillbesidetheopenlaboratorydoor but did not say aword. He wished it washim lying prone on thefloor,beingberated.Itwasworse to be chastised forhisfailureindirectly.“Once again,Memnarchwill forgive yourincompetence,” said

Memnarch, “but that isonly because the Creatorwishes it so.” He wavedhis hand over his scryingpool and looked into itsdepths. “We have moretime.”From where he stood,

Malil couldn’t see whatMemnarch saw, but itapparently did not pleasetheguardian.“The next great

convergence is coming,”the Guardian said. “Themana core is overripe. Itwilleruptsoon.Whenthathappens, we must beready.Wemust.Wemust.”Memnarch ran his fingerthrough the pool.“Memnarch is almostready. Is not that right?Only a few morepreparations to take careof, and all will be as we

have planned.…”Memnarchwent silent,hisvoice trailing off, staringintentlyintothepedestal.Malil stood quietly forseveral minutes. Pontifexdid not move from thefloor,hisfacepressedhardagainstthetile.After a long while,Memnarch spoke. “Wemusthaveherbythen.Doyou understand us?” He

waved his hand over thepoolonceagain.“Yes, my lord,” repliedbothmeninunison.Memnarchraisedhisfistintotheairandbroughtitdown inside the pool.Blinkmoth serum sloppedfrom the pedestal in ahugesplash.“Damn, damn, damn!”heshouted.Spinningawayfrom the scrying pool, he

turned to Malil. Theguardian pointed atPontifex, still prostrate onthe floor. “See him out,”he said. “Memnarch mustspeak with the Creatoragain.” The Guardianraised himself to his fullheight.“Inprivate.”Malil nodded and

crossed the floor to theworshipping Pontifex.“Timetogo.”

Pontifex looked up atMalil, hatred in his eyes,buthegotupoffhiskneesand followed Malil fromthe laboratory. “I willbring you the elf, mylord,” he said over hisshoulder on the way out.“Thisyoucancounton.”The metal man led the

vedalken lord down thecurved corridor andwaiteduntilhewasaboard

thelift.“You know the way

out,”hesaid.Theliftdescended.Pontifex slipped silently

through the floor,disappearingfromsight.

*****

Memnarch paced incircles around hislaboratory.Theclickingof

his sharpened limbsmingledwithhiswordsashespoke.“Things were easierwhen Memnarch and thecreator were the onlycreatures on the plane.”Memnarch laughed. “Yes.Yes,theywere.Therewereoccasional visitors, andsometimes theCreator leftfor long stretches at atime.” Memnarch pointed

hisfingerintheair.“Still,healwaysreturned.“Now things aredifferent. Memnarch hasexplored the entire plane.There is nomore sense ofwonder.” He shrugged.“Therewasnotmuchtoitreally, at least, not beforeMemnarch brought in thetest subjects. Back then,the only unique things onthe plane were the

blinkmoths.”Helistened.“Sure the towers andchambers you created forus were interesting, buthowmuchcananobserverreally learn froma tower?The blinkmoths, though,they could be studied,dissected, andexperimented upon.Memnarch found themostamazing things. Yes he

did.” He giggled, rubbinghis hands together.“Memnarch discoveredtheir separation anxiety.Yes. And found theirthresholdfordistance.”He cocked his head,listeningagain.“Yes, Memnarchremembers the firstexperiments. The solitarymoth taken more than afewmeters from theother

moths became frantic,smashingaroundinsideitscontainment cube.” Helaughed again. “As if itcould build up enoughmomentum to break theglass walls.” Memnarchlifted an emptycontainmentcubefromthedesk.He lookedat itwithall six of his enhancedeyes, admiring his ownhandiwork. “It could not,

of course, Memnarch hadseen to that. Eventuallythe moth expired.Separatedfortoolongandat such a distance provedtobefatal.“Atfirst,Memnarchwassaddenedby thedeaths ofthese delicate creatures.They had died ofloneliness.” He shrugged.Putting the cube back onthedesk,heheadedacross

the lab. “That is what ledus to populate Mirrodinwith test subjects. Yes. Toeliminatelonelinessandtohave more creatures toexperimentupon.“But that was a longtime ago. A long timeago.”Memnarch strappedhimself into his apparatusonce again. Before he hadthedevice,hehadcreated

aportabletankthatwoulddeliver the serum to himin measured dosesthroughouttheday.Itwasuncomfortableand limitedhismovements around hislaboratory,sohepreferredto simply dose himselfwhile he worked withinPanopticon. If he neededtoleavehisfortresstotendthe soul traps or takespecimens off the

mycosynth growths, hewore the tanks. Today,though, he was workinghard and would have notimetoleave.The straps came downaroundhim,andheguidedthe articulated arms intoplace.The door to thelaboratory slid open, andMalilentered.Memnarch looked away

from what he was doing,examining his servant ashe came into the lab.“Damn him,” said theGuardian.“He’ssoperfect,so metal. Oh, to be madeonly of metal again.” Hesighed. “If only tobeableto remember what it waslike to be blissfullyignorantagain.”Memnarch tilted hishead,nodded.

“True, the serum hasexpanded Memnarch’sintellect, but who wouldhave known thatconsciousness could besuchaburden?Youneverspokeofsuchthings.”“Master, is everything

all right?” asked Malil ashesteppedcloser.Memnarch channeled

mana into the device.“Yes. Yes.” He turned

away. “Perhaps achievingthe state of planeswalkerrelievessomeofthestrain.Memnarchhopesso.Itisalot of work to strugglewiththeresponsibilitiesofrunninganentireplane.”Hepushedhisheadbackinto the soft cradle, andthe red lights raced overhisskin.MemnarchlookedacrosstheroomatMalil.

The metal man stoodstockstill,watching.“Do you understandwhatwearedoing?”askedMemnarch.“Yes.”“Perhaps soon we willletyoutastetheserum.”

Glissa’s eyes adjusted tothe dark inside of thelacuna. Themossy groundglowed as it had before,but its light was fardimmer than that of themanacore.“Can you see where

you’re going?” she askedBoshasheboundedupthetunnel, carrying her andSlobad.“Yes,” came the metalman’sreply.Bruenna hovered alongbehind, just off Bosh’sshoulder. She looked upthe lacuna, and whenGlissa looked over thegolem’s shoulder theywerealmostfacetoface.

“How’syourleg?”askedtheelf.“Ithurts.”“How long will that

spellkeepyouintheair?”“Long enough to get us

back to Lumengrid—if wedon’t run into anyvedalkenorlevelers.”“Don’t look now.”

Slobad stuck his scrawnyarm out in front of him,pointing down the tunnel.

“Well,maybeshould look,huh?”Glissa turned to see thepointwherethetwopathsin the lacuna joined,heading up the surface asone tunnel. Comingaround the corner, spearsheldhigh,wasthefrontofthevedalkenarmy.“Hurry,” shoutedBruenna. “If we can getpast these few before the

rest of them make thecorner, we might be abletogetby.”Glissa could feel Bosh’s

whole body rumble as hespoke. “Good plan.” Thegolem took off at doublespeed.“Hope crazy elf can do

that trick again,” said thegoblin as they closed onthe slowly growing groupof blue-skinned soldiers.

“Better figure out how tomakeithappen,huh?”“Yeah, right,” replied

theelf.

*****

Marekturnedthecornerandlookeddowntheotherpassageofthebluelacuna.“Theresheis.”“Sir, we’ve cut them

off,” said a soldier beside

him.“Lord Pontifex will bepleased.”“Whatshouldwedo?”“We should …” Mareklooked back over hisshoulder.More vedalken soldiersfilled the tunnel. It wouldbe some time before hisentire squad could marchup the passage and jointhe fight,butmore thana

dozen soldiers alreadystood by his side, andmore were arriving everyminute.“Sir?”askedthesoldier.“We should delay them,

give the rest of the squadenough time to catch upwithus.Don’tletthemgetpast,anddon’tletthemgoback down the lacuna.Whenmoreofoursoldiersarrive,we’llcapturetheelf

girlandkilltheothers.”“Sir,therearemorethan

enough of us here tocapture an elf, a goblin, ahuman, and a rusty oldmetalgolem.”“Perhaps.”Mareklooked

into the warrior’s eyes.“Butwewilldothingsmyway, and you’re going tofollowmyorders.Right?”“Yes sir,” replied the

soldier. “We will delay

them until the rest of thearmyarrives.”Marek smiled. “Good.

Makesuretheothershavetheirorders.”

*****

“Are you sure we cangetthrough?”askedGlissaas they scrambled up thelacuna.“No,” replied Bruenna,

“but what choice do wehave?”“Wecouldgoback.”“The levelers have

surelyfollowedusintothelacuna. We’ll be trappedbetweentwoarmies.”Glissalookedahead.The

vedalken had lined upshoulder to shoulder, tenwide, across the tunnel,waiting.Asecondlinehadformed, and a third was

beginning behind them asmoresoldierscamearoundthecorner.“What are they doing?”

askedtheelf.“Clogging the tunnel,”

saidSlobad.“Theyholdushereforlevelers.Cutustolittle bits. Dead goblin.Deadcrazyelf,huh?”Bruenna nodded. “He’s

right.”“What do we do? We

can’tfightallofthem.”“No,”saidBosh,“butwecanbowlthemover.”“What—?” Glissa’squestionwascutshort.BoshliftedbothsheandSlobadoffofhisshoulders.A huge section of rustediron opened on his chest,and the metal golemstuffed the elf and thegoblininside.“You might get dizzy.”

Bosh replaced the metalpiece.Glissasat,kneesjammed

against her chest, incomplete darkness. Theheavy thumping of Bosh’sfootfalls echoed loudinsidethechamber.“Is this going towork?”

sheasked.“Don’t ask Slobad,”

grunted Slobad. “Slobaddon’t know what crazy

golemdoing.”

*****

Bruennaflewbehindthestomping golem. “What’syourplan,Bosh?”“Stay behind me,” he

said,“andstayclose.”With that, Bosh pulled

hisarmsintohissides.ToBruenna, it looked as ifthey were retracting. His

head did the same thing,dropping down inside hisbody and disappearingfromview.The metal giant took

threemoreboundingstepsand leaped into the air.Whenhecamedown,he’dretracted his legs, and hiswhole body had turnedinto a perfect ball. Themetal sphere rolled at thewaitinglinesofvedalken.

“Good plan,” mutteredBruenna,andshefollowedthe rolling golem as hecrashedintothesoldiers.Spears, helmets, and

other accoutrements wentflying, making a terrificnoiseastheysmashedintoone another and camedown in a heap. Thosesoldiers who didn’timmediately jump fromthewayweresquashedflat

under the weight of therollingmetalball.Bruenna slipped in

behind, following Bosh ashe bowled the vedalkendownlikeapatchofrazorgrass.

*****

Marek couldn’t believehis eyes. One minute,there was a golem

charging down the lacunaat him and his men. Thenext,agiantballcareenedinto his soldiers. Blue-skinned, four-armedvedalken were knockedeverywhichway,manyofthemmaimed or killed asthe ball rolled over themand through the ranks.Marek dived out of theway to avoid beingsmashed.

Getting up from theground, the vedalkenlieutenant dusted himselfoff. He watched the stillrolling ball and the flyinghuman wizard as theypassed swiftly through hisshattered ranks, andcontinued up the lacunatowardLumengrid.“Whatwasthat?”Moanswereallhegotinresponse.

*****

Glissa braced herselfagainst the inside of thegolem’s empty chest. Thesteady beat of Bosh’s feeton the metal ground wasinterruptedbyseveralloudslamming noises and onelong grinding sound, thentheworldbegantotumble.She wasn’t able to seeanything in the lightless

chestcavity,soshehadnoway of knowing whichsidewasup.Wheneverherhead hit something hard,shefiguredshewasupsidedown.Herlegs,hands,andhair had become tangledwith Slobad. Eventually,the twocompanions clungtogetherfordearlife.“Slobad scared,” the

goblinshouted.“Me—”

Glissa’sresponsewascutshort when her backsmashed into somethinghard, knocking the windfromherlungs.“—too,” she finished

when she had regainedenough composure toscream.Therewere several loud

thumps that sounded likesomething hitting theoutsideofthechestcavity.

Abruptly, the tumblingstopped.“Thankthemaker,”saidGlissa.She had landed on herhead.Shewas sureof thisonly because her neckhurt, and her feet seemedtobetouchingnothingbutthinair.Flippingover,sheuntangled her body fromSlobad’s and lifted herselfupoffthedarkground.

“Goblins not made forrolling, huh?” said thegoblin.“Slobadsick.”Hiswordswerefollowedby a gurgling sound, andthesplashof liquidonthechamber floor. Glissa feltthe wave of fluid floodoverherfeet.“Nice,Slobad.”The door opened andlightpouredin.In the dark, Glissa

hadn’t noticed how dizzyshehadbecome.Whenshesawthewallofthelacuna,her head spun one way,andhereyestheother.Shevomited.Bosh’s stubby digits

reached in and pulled thetwo nauseous riders outintothelight.“You must stop that,”

saidthegolem.“Ittickles.”GlissalookedupatBosh

then leaned over his handandthrewuponceagain.“Thanks for thewarning,” she said. “Whatdidyoudo?”“We can cover thatground later,” interjectedBruenna. The wizardhitched her thumb overher shoulder. “Right nowwe’vegotabunchofangryvedalkentooutrun.”Bosh lifted Glissa and

Slobad onto his shouldersand took off along thetunnel.Glissa clung tightly tothe seam in Bosh’s neck.The fresher air and thelight were helping her toregain some equilibrium,but she was still a littlequeasy. Slobad lookedevenworse off. Every fewsteps,hislimplittlegoblinbody threatened to fall

fromthegolem’sshoulder.He hung on with all hismight, his knucklesturning pale against hisrumpled flesh. Every timeone of Bosh’s feet landedon the ground, Slobad letoutalittlemoan.Bruennahoveredbehind

them. “You two going tomakeit?”Glissa looked up,

shrugged,thennodded.

“Good,becauseonceweget up the Pool ofKnowledge,we’ve still gottogetoutofLumengrid.”Glissagrabbedherhead.

“I’d forgotten about that.I’mnot sure if Icanmakeit.”Slobad gagged. “Me

neither.”The company continued

up the lacuna. The mossystuff on the ground began

to give way to simplemetal,andthetunnelgrewdarker. The vedalkenwarriors were nowhere insight, though Glissa knewthey couldn’t be too farbehind.“We’renearingthetop,”exclaimedBosh.The giant metal golemcame to a halt. On thefloor, the edge of thetunnel rippled. An

opalescent oval broke theregular metallic sheenbefore them—the bottomofthePoolofKnowledge.Glissa looked at it. “Ididn’tlikethisonthewayout.”“It’s easier on the wayin,”saidBosh.Thegolemliftedhistwopassengers off hisshouldersthenkneltdown.Hepokedhis fingerat the

floor, and the silverysubstance gave way,letting the golem’s wholehand pass through.Wavesrippled off in everydirection, as if a drop ofwaterhadhitapuddle.“That all serum, huh?”

saidSlobad.Bruennanodded.“But how does it stay

there?Why doesn’t it justdrain into the lacuna?”

askedtheelf.The human wizard

shrugged. “If I had toguess,I’dsaymagic.”Thesoundofbootedfeet

coming up the lacunaechoedupthetunnel.Slobad dashed for the

silverywall.“Goodenoughfor Slobad,” he said. Thegoblin dived upward intotheserum.The wall wavered but

none of it came into thetunnel.Bruennalevitatedintoit

aswell,disappearing fromviewafterabloop,bloop.Glissa looked after her

friend.“Idon’tknow,Bosh—”“Time to go,”

interrupted the golem andshoved the elf into theserum.Glissa slipped through

the wall, her mouth stillopen from her last word.Theworldaroundherwasthickandslow.Shefelttheweight of the pool on topof her, and her chestseemed empty. Her earsfelt as if someone had hishands cupped over them,and everything had gonesilent.Openinghereyes,Glissalooked up. Theworldwas

blurry.Thetopofthepoollooked like the wall shehad just passed through,only it was a long wayaway andwasn’t in focus.Ahead she could see asmall, frantic green thingthat looked like a child’sdrawing. That must beSlobad, she thought.Behind him, a fluidlymoving blue streak racedtoward the surface.

Though nothing wasrecognizable, Glissa knewthismustbeBruenna.Turning around, shewatched Bosh transformfromadisjointedreflectionbeyond the wall to aghostly blob as he slippedintotheserum.Thegolemmoved toward her in arush. Grabbing Glissa bythe arm, he forced her uptothesurface.

Kicking her legs, andwith Bosh’s help, Glissarose through the thickliquid. Her lungs burned,andhermouthwas fullofserum. Shewanted to spitit out and take in a bigbreath. Looking up again,she tried to focus ongetting to the surface. Itseemed such a long wayaway. The pool hadn’tseemed so deep on the

waydown.Glissa kicked harder,pulling free of Bosh’sgrasp. Still, the surfacecame no closer.Reflexively, she tried totakeinabreath,buttherewas no air, and all shemanaged to do wascollapse her cheeks. Shefelttrapped,panicked.Shemight drown in this pool.Her heart pounded in her

ears, and her limbs achedwithfatigue.She felt Bosh’s handagain, and the top of thepool dropped toward her.She could see the surfaceclearly now. There werelights, andwhere they hitthe serum, a star formed.There was something else—dark figures movingaround the edge of thepool. She couldn’t make

out what they were. Shesquinted, but it was nouse. Whatever they were,they slipped from view asher head breached thesurface.Glissa spat out serumand sucked in a hugebreath.Blowingitout,shetookanothergasp.“I didn’t think I’dmakeit out alive,” she shouted,wipingtheserumfromher

eyes.“You won’t,” said

someone in a gurglingvoice. The words soundedas if they had come fromunderwater—farawayandmuffled.Dragging her hand over

herfaceonceagain,Glissalooked out over the edgeofthepool.A dozen vedalken

guards filled the room.

Two of them held Slobadbythearms,whileanotherpair pointed their glowinghalberds at the woundedBruenna.“Get out of the pool,”said the same far-awayvoice.Glissa couldn’t tellwhich one was talkingbecause all of them woreheavy helmets filled withwhat looked likewater or

blinkmothserum.“I said ‘out,’ ”commandedthevoice.“All right, all right.”Glissa began pushingherself toward the edge.From underneath, she felta largepulse, as if ahugebubble rising from belowhadhitherlegs.Thenshewasairborne.Serum trailed from herlimbs as she rocketed

towardtheceiling.Wavingherarmsinacircle,Glissamanaged to keep herselfupright. As she reachedthe apex of her upwardarc, she drew her swordfromher belt and glanceddown at where she hadbeen. Below her, the poolwrithedandbubbled,as ifa hundred deadly fishwere fighting over thecarcassofazombie.Bosh’s

head had burst throughthe surface, and he roselike a piston—climbing toa height with tremendousspeed then falling backundertheserum.Waves lapped over thegolem’s shoulders as heslippedbackintothepool.Theelf camedownatopavedalken guard. Her bootheel smashed through thecreature’s face mask,

spilling the liquidunderneath. The guarddropped his halberd andclutchedathisface.Glissa turned on thenext vedalken guard. Thisone was ready with hishalberd. Angling in, thefour-armed warriorbrought the head of hisweapondownontheelf.Glissa just managed toget her blade around in

time, blocking thevedalken’s strike. Had shemissed, shewouldnowbemissing an ear. Twistingaway from the blow, theelf stepped in, pulling herswordfree.The guard wasdefenseless, unable tobring his long weapon inso close, and hebackpedaled, but it wastoo late. Glissa cut a long

gash across his belly,opening his robe andabdomen in the samestroke. Pink and purpleblobsoffleshpouredfromthe warrior’s openstomach. Glissa assumedthey were vedalkenentrails, though she’dnever seen the inside ofonebefore.The guard went to hisknees,scoopinguphisguts

inbotharmsandtryingtostuff them back in. Glissaturned away, sure thathe’d cause her no moretrouble, at least for theforeseeablefuture.Four halberd blades

descendedonher at once,blocking each of thecardinaldirections.“Drop your weapon,”

came another gurglingvoice.

Glissa bashed away oneof the great spears,dodging through the holeas she did so and comingaroundbehindthecircleofguards. As she spun,somethingcaughtherfoot,and the world spun withher. For the dozenth timeinasmanyminutes,theelflanded on her head andsawstars.“Notagain.”

Glissatriedtositup,butherpathwasblockedbyatrioofspearheads.“That’sfarenough.”Glissalookedupintotheeyes of a vedalken guard.His head swam inside ahelmet full of serum,making his lips and eyesappear stretched andrubbery. He looked like acrossbetweenafishandahuman—no elf could ever

besogrotesque.Glissalayontheground,

panting. “What do youwant?”“Iwantyoutodropyour

sword.”Up this close, Glissa

could see the creature’slips move as he spoke.Somehow the wordsseemedtobecomingfromhis neck or the top of hischest.

Thevedalkenjabbedhisspearintoherbelly.“All right.” Glissareleased her blade, andone of the other guardskicked it across the floor,awayfromheropenhand.A great splashing soundechoed through the room,and a wave of serumspilled over the sides ofthe Pool of Knowledge.Bosh’sheadandchestrose

into the air. The golemlifted himself from thepool,hisfeetcomingdownwith a thud as he landedonsolidground.“Stop right there,”sputtered one of theguards.Glissa felt two pairs ofhands reach under herarms,and shewasyankedto her feet by a vedalken.To her left, Slobad and

Bruenna were being heldin the same fashion, theirarmspinnedbackbyapairof guards, blades to theirnecks.“On your knees, golem,

oryourfriendsaredead.”Bosh looked to Slobad

and Bruenna then toGlissa.She shook her head.

“No.”Aguardgrabbedherby

both cheeks, immobilizingher head and jaw. The elfstruggled, but it was nouse. The vedalken had agood grip, and all shecould do was move hereyesintheirsockets.“On your knees,”repeatedthevedalken.Slowly,Boshloweredhishead and dropped himselftotheground.A pair of four-armed

warriors rushed over andpried open a metal plateonhisback.Flakesof rustfell to the floor. Boshflinchedatthesound.“No,” shouted Slobad.“Don’t turn himoff. I justturnhimbackon,huh?”A guard shoved thegoblin to the floor andkneltonhim.Glissa felt a cold chillrundownher spine.She’d

gone too far. All of thishad started because shehadvowedrevengeforherparents’ death. Along theway Bosh and Slobad hadjoined her, and thispersonal quest had turnedinto something bigger.Now Glissa had dug toodeeply, and they were allgoing to die. She closedhereyes.Shecouldn’tbeartowatch.

A clank rattled aroundinside the room, echoingover the pool and thewalls. Glissa cringed,rememberinghowsheandSlobad had found thegolem,sunkandforgotten,lying in pieces in theDross,andatearrandownhercheek.There was anotherclank, and another,followed by the sound of

footstepsandshouting.Glissaopenedhereyes.Humans, wizards and

soldiers alike wereflooding into the room.They all wore blue robes,and most carried wickedhooked staves, ending injagged points, coveredwithglowingjewels.Half of the vedalken

guards holding Glissabroke off, heading to

intercept the humans. Theelf’s head and jaw wereagainfree.“Bosh, get up,” sheshouted.The iron golemanticipated her command.Standing in a single fluidmovement, Bosh broughthis hands together—behind him. The clapcrushedavedalkentopulpandshut thegolem’sopen

access door at the sametime. Spinning to face theremaining guard, thegolem let the vedalken’slimp body fall to theground.Glissa didn’t see anymore. With her arms stillheld firm by two guards,she kicked her legs intothe air, flipping overbackward and comingdownbehindthevedalken.

Twisting, she got one armlose. That was all sheneeded.Funneling mana into a

spell, the elf willed herbodystrongasabear,herskin tough as bark. Herarms grew thick andmuscular, and her once-lithe elf frame doubledthen tripled. Reveling inher new found power,Glissa scooped up the

guardwhostillhadholdofher arm and lifted himoverherhead.Withaferalgrunt, she heaved himagainst the wall of thechamber. His face maskcracked from the impact,leavingawetstreakdownthe wall as he slid to theground.Turning, Glissa reachedfortheotherguard,buthewasgone.Ahumansoldier

had the crook of his staffwrapped around thevedalken’s neck, the tipdrippingbloodas itpokedfromhisthroat.Therestofthe vedalken guards hadsuffered similar fates, andas quickly as it hadstarted,thefightwasover.Bruenna, her armsdraped over the shouldersoftwosoldiers,hobbleduptotheelf.

“They got here just intime,”shesaid.Glissa looked around.

“Theseareyoursoldiers?”Bruenna chuckled. “You

saw the marketplace.Many people from myvillage work insideLumengrid.”“But they seemed so

scared before. Everyonescattered when Pontifexcame through.” She

scratched her chin. “Whatmakes them so bravenow?”“Thereisnoloveforthe

vedalken in my village,”replied Bruenna. “Whenthe time comes, we takecareofourown.”Bosh stepped up beside

thewomen, Slobad on hisshoulder. “No time towaste,”hesaid.“Theothervedalken warriors will be

coming from the pool anyminute.”He ran his huge,glowing eyes over thefloor. “Idonot think theywillbehappytoseeus.”

Glissa leaned back ontoa comfortable bed andpulled her boots from herfeet. Quicksilver rushedontothefloor.AsBruennahad said, it had been aneasy thing to catch avedalken transport from

Lumengrid. The humansfaroutnumbered theblue-skinned, four-armedcreatures. Once the grouphad hit the lower levels,they disappeared in thecrowdofhumanworkers.Now she was safelyinside the humansettlement of Medev.Bruenna had beenimmediatelycartedofftoahealer.Glissa, Slobad, and

Boshhadbeenshowntoalarge metal building, notunlike Bruenna’s ownhome. Three well-madebeds with soft clothcoverings greeted theminside. Slobad lounged ononeofthemnow.Boshsatbeside another, his bodymuch too large to fit ontheframe.“I’ve never seen a bed

like this before,” said

Glissa, as she dried theremainderofherbody.“Inthe Tangle, there isn’tmuch cloth. The leavesandthornstearittoshredspretty quick. My motherhadashawl,but…”Glissafelt something stick inherthroat,andtearswelledupinhereyes.Slobad sat up on thebed, leaning toward theelf. Glissa smiled at him

then looked away. Sheclosedhereyestokeepthetears from running downhercheeksandtookadeepbreath. Behind her, thebed sagged under thegoblin’sfeet.Slobad put his arm

aroundGlissa’sshoulder.“Imissthem,”shesaid.Slobadsatdown.“Yes.”“I think about them

everyday.”Glissa tried to

hold back her emotions,but they were toooverpowering, and she letoutasob.“Iknow.”Theelf lookedupatthe

goblin, puzzled. “Howcouldyouknowthat?”The goblin shrugged.

“What? Think goblins gotno feelings too? Slobadhear you talk ’boutparents, sister, friend

Kane. Slobad lose friendstoo.”“I didn’t mean that. Iknowyouhavefeelings.”Slobadsmiled.Glissa wiped away atear. “Will you tell meabout some of the friendsyoulost?”Slobad nodded. “WhenSlobad little goblin, gowithothergoblins tohuntsquirrels.” His head

drooped as he spoke.“Littlegoblinssurprisedbytwoclockworkdragons.”“Clockwork dragons? I

thought they were just amyth.”“Think Slobad make

something up, huh?”snorted the goblin. “Theyreal, you bet. Kill all thegoblins.” He nodded.“ExceptSlobad.”“Whathappened?”

“One minute Slobaddeep in crevasse, pokingfor squirrels. Thenscreaming. Slobad hithead.” The goblin rubbedhis scalp, as if he wasrememberingthepain.“Someone was holding

you?”Glissa scratchedherhead.“Youmeanlikewitharope?”“No. Crazy elf. By

ankles. Never catch

squirrelsbefore,huh?”“What?”Glissashiftedto

face the goblin. “By theankles?I’vehuntedalotofthings but never thatway.”“ ’Course,” said Slobad,

he held up both arms.“Howyouthinkgoblingetreally good squirrels,huh?”Glissalaughed.“That’sa

goodquestion.”Shesettled

backintoherplaceonthebed. “I guess I hadn’tthought of that. Anyway,whathappenednext?”“Slobad climb back up,

nothing of other goblinsbut bloody bones andbits.”Slobadcringed.“That’sterrible.”The elf and the goblin

sat silently for a while,lookingatthefloor.Glissamassagedherforeheadand

eye lids, feeling thewetness from her tearscoverherfingertips.“Doyoustillthinkabout

yourfriends?”Thegoblinnodded.“Everyday?”The goblin nodded

again.“Does it ever get any

better? I mean, doesthinking about them hurtless?”

At this, Slobad loweredhis eyes. “Depends.Sometimes, not so bad,huh?Othertimes…notsogood.”Glissa nodded. Shewipedtherestofthetearsoff of her face and lookedat Bosh still sitting at thefootofhisbed.“How about you?” sheasked.“Nowthatyouhaveyourmemorybackisthere

anythingyoumiss?”“Yes,”repliedthegolem,

his voice rumbling in hischest. “I miss being allmetal.”Boshliftedhisarmup to reveal a large tearnearhiselbow.Athickredand black liquid drippedfromtheopening.Glissa jumped up from

thebed.“You’rebleeding.”Crouching down besidethe golem, she examined

thewound.A large patch right

above his elbow hadchanged from a dark grayto a lighter peach colorthat resembled thecomplexionofhumanskin.Up close, it looked as ifpartofBosh’sforearmhadsimply transformed frommetalintoflesh.Glissa poked at the

wound with her finger.

The flesh was primarilyjust on the surface. Shecould feel the metalunderneath. Only near hiselbowdiditfeelmorelikethedeep,meatyfleshofanelforagoblin.“Does it hurt?” she

asked.“Hurt?”“Canyou feelmy finger

touchingyou?”“Yes.”

“Doesitfeelbad?”“Yes.”SheandSlobadspokeat

thesametime.“Ithurts.”Glissa examined the

golemmoreextensively.Inseveral other places, thedark metal seemed paler.She turned and looked atSlobad.“How could this be

happening? I mean everyflesh creature has some

metal in her body—” sheheld up her own arm asproof—“but I’ve neverseen a metal creaturebecomeflesh.”This was true. Every

organic creature onMirrodin had some metalattached or growing fromits body. The onlycompletely flesh creatureshe’d met had been thetroll Chunth, but he was

very old. Everyone else,Slobad, her parents, eventheothertrolls,hadbitsofmetal on their bodies.Glissa’s own forearms andshins were covered inmetallicscalesandclaws.Slobadjumpeddownoff

the bed and padded overto his two friends. Heleaned inclose, lookingatthe fleshy patches onBosh’s arm and abdomen.

Thegoblinclimbedupthegolem’s shoulder, made afist,andknockedonBosh’shead.Bong…Bong…Bong.“Feel that?” asked thegoblin.“No,butIcanhearit.”The goblin grabbed apiece of peach-coloredflesh between two fingers.“How’boutthis,huh?”HepinchedBosh.

The golem flinched,tossing Slobad from hisshoulder.“Yes.”The goblin landed hardon the bed behind thegolem.Theframecreaked,the mattress sagged thenrebounded, and Slobadwas tossed back into theair,bouncing twiceon thesoft bed before finallycomingtorest.“Please,” said Bosh,

“stop touchingme. It feelsverystrange.”“I’msorry,Bosh,”Glissa

said.“We’reonlytryingtohelp.”“I know,” replied the

golem,hanginghishead.“Itmakesme sad to see

youthisway,Bosh.”Glissatouchedhisarmlightly.“Iwish I knew what washappening.”Boshnodded.

“Until we figure it out,you’regoingtohavetobemore careful about whatyousmashinto.”“Crazy elf is right,”

agreedthegoblin.“Slobadcan fix broken golem, notbrokenperson,huh?”Bosh poked at the

wound on his arm. “I amstillagolem.”“Yes, you’re still a

golem, but now you

are …” Glissa fishedaroundfortherightword.“Fleshy,” finished thegoblin.Glissaglaredatrumpledgreencreature.“You’renothelping, Slobad.” Sheturned back to Bosh,watching the metal manpoke and prod at theblotch of skin that wasnowpartofhisframe.Shetook a deep breath and

threwher arms in the air.“Nowyou’rejustmorelikeme.”Bosh stopped hisexamination and turnedhis attention on the elf.“Likeyou?”“I guess so. Imean, I’mmostly flesh, but look.”She held up her leg,tracing the line betweenwhere her shin stoppedand the metal plate that

grewfromherskinbegan.“Weliveinametalworld.The ground, the trees,even the grass is made ofthestuff.”“So are golems,”

interjectedBosh.“Yes,andsoaregolems.

Even so, with everythingelsemadeofmetal,maybeit’snotsobadtobealittle‘fleshy.’”

*****

“Damn this flesh body.”Memnarch lifted himselffrom his serum infusiondevice.“WhyisMemnarchcursed with suchimperfection?”Malilstoodbythedoor,waitingout another of hismaster’stirades.“But with the elf, yes,with the elf, Memnarch

will be metal again.” Hecrossed to the scryingpool. “No. Memnarch willnot be metal. Memnarchwillb