Page 20 of Blue Embers
She thought for a moment, biting her lip. “About four weeks ago. Why? What’s so great about the bullets?”
“They’re a problem,” I said vaguely. “I’d very much like to know how your friend got a hold of them.”
“He never told me. It was part of our deal. I paid him a lot to keep me out of it. Well, technically you paid him. I didn’t want to know what he was really doing and I didn’t want to be involved.”
“Smart, but a pity.”
Persephone crossed her arms and stared sternly at me as if trying to psychically force an explanation.
“So you’re interested in the bullet. My contact goes missing after he shows up with the same kinds. You’ve got this elaborate setup and now you’re hung up on my sister’s necklace? Are you planning to explain anything to me or am I just supposed to sit here and try to figure it out on my own? Because I probably can. It'll just take me longer."
“My, you’re not the kind to be kept waiting,” I said. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain.” I walked over to the bullet and lifted the glass cylinder that covered it, picking the small object up and holding it between my thumb and index finger for Persephone to see. “This small thing is made of a substance called Phyre Glass.”
“Phyre Glass?” she knitted her brows. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“No, you wouldn’t have. It’s a synthetic material. We didn’t think it existed here at all until we found this inside the stomach of a very powerful Draak three months ago. It injured him severely. Well..” I bobbed a shoulder, somewhat amused over the idea of someone thinking they could kill Draven with a few black bullets. “It subdued him briefly,” I corrected myself.
Persephone reached out, taking the bullet in her hand to examine it closer. “This can subdue a Draak?” she asked.
Part of me didn’t want to explain how it could kill our kind. Something in me trusted Persephone not to let that fact go to the public, but considering the delicacy of the situation, the caution card had to be in constant play. Word was bound to get out that something existed to kill Draak. Telling anyone, trustworthy or not, would only speed up that process.
“Phyre Glass is something that is engineered, but it takes a very special mind, materials, and particular care to create it,” I continued. “You know about Zephyre. They mated with the Leviathan and created Ash Bringers. They were the beginning of Draak advancement. They gave us language. Intelligence. They’re all our strengths and few of our weaknesses and therefore they know us well enough to engineer something that acts like a poison or an allergen to my species. When the first war started against our creators, they realized they made us too strong and they needed something to help them fight us. So this little shard,” I said, taking the bullet back. “Means there’s a Zephyre here with us.”
“How do you know for sure? It’s science, right? Could a human make this?”
“Unlikely. Zephyre minds are far too advanced to warrant a successful copycat. Humans likely wouldn’t even be able to fathom the creation process for Phyre Glass. That and there are biological advantages Zephyres have that allow them to create unimaginable things.”
Persephone’s lips parted with astonishment. “So they made this using a process we can’t replicate,” she said, glancing once more at the bullet.
I placed the bullet back under its casing, taking a deep breath to prepare an explanation as I leaned up against the side of the table.
“We refer to them as witches for a reason. Their advancements seem more like magic, but I assure you it’s not. Their minds were the strongest weapons they possessed. Telepathy. Technopathy. Etcetera. Honestly we never discovered their limits. They spent centuries studying us. We never got a real chance to study them. They could manipulate matter, among other things. They manipulated genetics to allow the Leviathan to take the forms of men and that trait passed on to the following generations. Evil as they were, the Zephyre were a marvel. Why else would we have called them gods?”
“Actually, I studied them closely,” Persephone said. “I find them fascinating. Something with limitless power? Then again, I’ve read up on the wars so many times. I know that you’ve never won one against the witches, which makes the idea of one being on Earth fairly terrifying.”
“It is,” I agreed. “Zephyre wiped out thousands of us and they’re capable of doing it again, but believe me, Ms. Grant. Without the Draak, humanity has no chance, even against one of them.”
“Just the thought of a Zephyre on Earth is...insane. I mean, the historian in me wants to see her. The human in me hopes she doesn’t exist. Say she does exist, though. Is she alone? How many bullets has she made so far? Where does she get the materials and the location to make them? What’s she planning to do with them?”
“I’ve been very interested in finding all that out.”
“If shewerereal and she was really the one creating these weapons, she has to want war. After all this time, why would she want that? I mean, not to make things worse, but what makes you think she is alone?”
“I’ve not let that possibility pass me by. As for war, there are endless reasons why a Zephyre would want to start one,” I exhaled. “The point is, we’re on thin ice at the moment. Urgent is a word that doesn’t quite sum it all up.”
Persephone’s eyes wandered slowly around. I could practically hear her mind spinning to pick up all the clues. Her intuition hadn’t failed her yet and I was certain it wouldn’t fail her now. When I saw the realization spread across her face, I knew what was coming. She glanced at the bullet once more.
“It can kill you, can’t it?” Persephone said.
I paused, leaned forward on one of the desks. I clearly didn’t do a good job of keeping that point vague. Then again, something in me wanted to tell Persephone everything. At the very least, she could provide some insight. She was also another body. Another mind I could bounce things off of. I stood, slowly turning to face her pointed gaze.
“The Phyre Glass,” she said in a gentle tone as if she was sympathetic to the fact. “It can kill Draak. That’s why this whole setup is here. That’s why it’s urgent.”
“Anything can kill us.”
“But this can kill you easily, can’t it?”
I took another deep breath, letting it out slowly.
