“That is significantly less fun,” I say.
“Is it?” Nolan asks. “Landon, the more I’m around your friends, the more I’m concerned for you. I know you had trouble making friends growing up, but I assumed it was because you never looked up from your books to notice that they existed.”
“Right? I also thought they were weird, but I kind of like them,” Landon says before holding his hands out. “Deus… up the stairs, please.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I reply as I pick him up and lift him above my head.
“Why are you so strong when you look so average?” Landon asks while I take a step up.
“He was wounded! Landon, don’t make him carry you!” Nolan snaps.
“Oh, right, I forgot,” Landon says as he squirms down. “August, carry Deus up the stairs.”
“Of course,” August agrees before lifting me in a bridal carry. I feel very pretty as I’m hefted up to the second floor and carried into Ellison’s room. He’s sitting in front of his suitcase but hasn’t added anything to it since I saw it last.
“Let’s talk,” I say once August sets me down.
Ellison sighs before glancing up at me. “You ready to knock me out?”
“Not quite. So… if we think about things, we know that El likely has three targets: me, your mother, and your father,” I say.
“I have to assume.”
“I think we should have Valerie place eyes on both of them,” Nolan says. “I understand there’s nothing they can do if El attacks, but we’ll know where to show up.”
“And do what?” Ellison asks. I sink down into the desk chair and begin to twirl while I think.
“We’re going to find out. August, can you text Valerie for us and get that set up? Now, Ellison, when Nolan controls you, can he stop your illusions?” I ask.
“I’m more than happy to try, but we’ve tried before when Valerie and I were hoping to figure this out, and it didn’t seem to work.”
“Then can Nolan control the illusions?” Landon asks.
“Aspen, help us find out,” Ellison says.
Aspen hurries into the room and plops down on my lap. “Of course. I’m happy to help.” He smiles and strokes my cheek before kissing it.
“Nolan’s going to try to control you,” Ellison tells him.
“All ready for you, big boy,” Aspen says as he hangs on me.
Nolan stares at him but nothing seems to happen. “I think because he’s a part of you, I just can’t even feel him.”
“You can hear his thoughts?”
“I can hear a jumble of thoughts, but I think they’re connected to Ellison. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s like multiple strings of thoughts coming from one person. Let me try with more of a focus on Ellison while separating out just Aspen to see what I can do.”
He closes his eyes and concentrates for a few minutes before Aspen quickly stands up.
Nolan opens his eyes. “That’s… not easy but I can kind of do it. It’s like I have to sort through the streams of thought to latch on to Aspen. I’m not sure it’ll be the answer to everything, but it seems like I can have limited control over them.”
Ellison looks thrilled. “It’s better than nothing. This is… this could change things. If you could just… control him long enough, maybe I can force him away. Can you feel him now?”
“No, but I bet if I was in the room with him, I could.”
I ask, “So we have one possible way to control El; what about August? A while ago we learned that when August freezes time, they freeze too. But can you unfreeze them?”
“Why would you want to do that?” Ellison asks.
