20
If I had a hundred questions before, now I have a thousand. I try to focus on the most important one. “What are the Elven Command’s plans?”
“They want to ascend to the surface.”
“But… why? Humans tried to kill us. They almost wiped us out. Why would the Command want to go back there?”
“Grayson’s mother was a Visionary. During her pregnancy she had a vision of a world that is vulnerable to sorcery. The Elven Command would be like gods if they made it to surface. There are many human lives to feed their sorcery—many easy deaths to build their power. They’re dying here. They don’t have much time left. They’re feeding off the old and weak. They can’t take enough lives to sustain themselves.”
Throughout our history, elves with Visionary powers have seen images of the Earth’s surface. It’s how we know about the cities that humans have built—the skyscrapers and giant monuments. But all of the visions until now have told of the destructive power of human weapons—of bombs that would rival the power of Incorruptible’s strength. All of the visions have warned against ever trying to ascend again. But now, Grayson’s mother has seen a world that the Elven Command could manipulate and control.
Part of me wants those old bastards to leave. But I would not wish their cruelty on the humans.
“Once they ascend, they will destroy the springs so that nobody can follow them.”
I shake my head in shock. Grayson told me they wanted to destroy the springs. Now I understand why. “If the springs are destroyed, it will devastate the gargoyles.”
“Worse, Marbella: our world will collapse. The springs are the center point at which our world was created. Without the springs as an anchor, the sky will fall. The Earthen city above us, the one the humans call Chicago, will also suffer catastrophic damage.”
Wide-eyed, I try to come to terms with this information. The Elven Command is basically plotting to destroy our entire world, along with the Earth city above us. I wonder if Grayson knows this will be the outcome of destroying the springs. I exhale my frustration about the sheer magnitude of the Commander’s plotting. They’ve been trying to find a way to access the springs for as long as Grayson has been alive.
“Why wouldn’t you tell this to anyone else? Why only me?”
“Because the Elven Commanders have killed everyone who knows about the entrance. Even though I despise their methods, the more people who know, the more chance there is that someone will try to find the entrance, try to ascend, and damage the springs in the process. We can’t take that risk. We also can’t let the humans find out about us.”
I whisper, “Grayson’s mother knew.”
“That’s why they killed her.”
I stare at her. “No… the Elven Command didn’t… Grayson did…”
She shakes her head adamantly. “They said it plain and clear. Gideon Glory killed her. She was his first kill.”
I’m shocked. I told Grayson to question everything he was told but I never imagined how deep the lies went. Elise sags against me. “I don’t think the Command is completely united in its mission.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Before I escaped, Elwyn Elder stormed in very upset and said that Grayson threatened him and accused him of telling lies.”
That must have been the night that Grayson first brought me to his home. Elise was still imprisoned then.
Elise continues. “Elwyn said: ‘We never should have listened to Gideon. We never should have bound Grayson.’”
“What does that mean? Binding Grayson?”
“I don’t know for sure, but binding is something that is done as part of a curse.”
I urge her, “What more do you need to tell me before you’ll eat something?”
“Only one more thing.” She sighs. “It was very strange… When the others thought they killed me, they brought Grayson to see me for the first time. He came with that female and she was laughing because you would be so upset, but Grayson… I was sure…” She shakes her head, tiny trembling movements. “I was sure he saw through my trance. I thought for a moment he was going to tell them I wasn’t dead, but instead he told them to take me out to a field and dump me in an uncovered grave where the talon crows could get me.”
I shudder. Grayson said he told them to bury Elise properly, but it turns out he really told them to dump her like a piece of unwanted trash. Anger flies through me so fast that I jolt. “That’s… Grayson… I’m going to kill him…”
Elise grabs my arm. “No, no. You don’t understand… The only way I could call for help was because they took me way out beyond the cloaking spell. They didn’t cover me up so I was easily visible from the sky. That’s how Baelen could find me.”
My anger turns to utter disbelief. “You’re telling me… you think Grayson helped you?”
“He knew I was alive. I’m sure of it. His sorcery is stronger than any I’ve ever encountered. He could have told them but he didn’t.”
