“Father!”
“Isaac—”
“If Icast some fire, there should be at least a minutiae of transfer—”
“Isaac,”Caine said.“I’ve accepted this.It has been a long time coming.”
The whining grew louder.Pressurized gas hissed from the top ofa device, smelling of metal and lightning.Inside, the soul churned like bugswithin a jar.
“Tellme what to do,” Isaac said.“You’ve studied this device.You must have somenotion of its inner workings, how to spin the metal a little longer.You mustknow how to save yourself.”
“I haveno idea.”
“Whynot?”Isaac nearly yelled.
“Becausethe last time I saved myself, it ruined your life.”
Isaactried to think, tried to ignore the alarms and hissing gas and the reeling ofhalf a dozen gauges.All his lessons on mechanical instruments fell through hismind, like sand through a clenching fist.
“I wantyou to forget about me,” Caine said.“I want you to leave this tomb and neverreturn.I want—”
Isaacslapped at the buttons, hoping for some manner of reaction.Most of them weredead or rusted shut.“Why didn’t you warn me?I could’ve tried to save some ofthe energy.I could’vedone something!”
“Listen.You have to leave.The Diet will send assassins.The treasure is below.Take asmuch as you can.Use it to start a new life.”
Herattled the metal cylinder back and forth, like rocking a vase.“You could’velet the Diet in from the start.They could’ve studied this instrument.Theycould’ve saved you!”
“Isaac,if there was another way, none of this would’ve happened.”
Thesoul had turned from a gaseous ball into a long, spreading shape, like a clouddrifting through the sky.The air glinted with dust and energy.
“Pressthe button,” Caine said.“Please.I’m losing it all, and I want to remember.You and her.”
It wasa large, red circle in the center of the device.There was a faint oval stampedinto the layers of dust, like a fingerprint from decades before.For a moment,Isaac uncurled his fingers, reaching out.He stopped halfway, finding his handshaking.
The high-pitchedwhining filled his ears.On the interface below, all the lights had died.
“Iheard you talking in the tomb,” Caine said, his voice faint and warbling.“Follow your dreams.Travel the world.Never stop learning.”
Streamsof purple light drifted out from the device, spreading through the air in aglittering wave.
“Don’tlet any of us keep you waiting.Do it for yourself.”
Isaaclaid his finger on the button.It was cold and riddled with dust.He could feelthe mechanism already start to give.
“I’m soproud of you, Isaac.”
Hisvision blurred.His hand trembled.
“Liveyour life.Be happy.”
“Goodbye,father,” Isaac said, and pressed the button.
Therewas a mechanical shunt.All at once, the purple cloud came spilling forward,tendrils rubbing against his robes like a fine mist, and, for just a sliver oftime, he almost felt wrapped in a hug, each of the arms made of fog and light.An instant later, the contact began to dissipate, breaking apart into streamsand wisps, vanishing into the dust.He found himself clutching desperately atthe last little strands, failing to grasp a single solid form.In the end,there was only dust, swirling through the eddies of air.
Helooked down at his empty hands.His palms were smeared with the blood of hisuncle.His strength gave way, and he felt himself falling forward, his headleaning against the cold metal of the necromancer’s device, his injuriesscreaming, his stomach aching from hunger, and he was filthy and tired andweak, and he cried until all the pains and wants became a single, large, gapingwound.
Zariacame up behind him.Without a word, she kneeled down, wrapped him in her arms,and held him tight.
