Page 8 of On A Rift's Edge
The guardians not only resembled sculpture, they moved and made decisions at glacial speed. Lyall had hoped he was wrong and the research on rift boundaries he had done over the last several months wouldn’t be needed. If the komainu agreed the control object could have played a role, though, that told Lyall a lot.
“First I’d like to ask you if you’ve destroyed it.” Lyall thought that would be too much to hope for. The device Remi liked to describe as a giant glowing dildo was a biological construct used by the Saguaro Rift drakones to expand or contract the Riftworld territory they controlled. Kaveh had been aware of its existence but hadn’t known it worked by cannibalism, consuming one of the phantoms trapped in the abandoned military base every time the rift boundary was altered.
Remi had been sent by his father Arimanius to Moon Star Ranch to steal the device, and had succeeded, after a fashion. Now he had a drakone lover to go along with it.
Kaveh gave a slight shake of his head, as if the subject was something he had agonized over. “The control object is more complex than I expected. It’s a phantom fetus—and it isn’t. Either way, it’s a sapient creature.” Kaveh stopped for moment, then corrected himself. “I should say they are a sapient creature. Remi’s been able to use his psychic abilities to communicate with whomever is living inside the device. Our best understanding is that they’re currently in fetal form, but that’s all we know. You mentioned you’ve been trying to find out more in the past several months. I’d like to know what you found out.”
Lyall wanted to share information as well, but he and Kaveh were from enemy clans, and a fair exchange of information wasn’t an unreasonable request. “I’ll tell you all I know, with two conditions. First, I’d like to ask for your permission to speak to Remi alone.”
It might be old-fashioned, but if Lyall wanted to talk to a drakone’s Matchmaker-chosen mate in private, this was the proper way to do it. The privacy wasn’t for Remi, though, it was for him. Seeing Kat again had brought up all sorts of feelings Lyall had tried to squelch with little success. He needed advice about Kat, and Remi was the only person he felt comfortable asking.
Kaveh smiled, and Lyall could see how Remi might have fallen for him even without the Matchmaker getting involved. “I’m sure Remi would love to catch up with his former bodyguard, but I’d advise you not tell him you asked for my blessing first. I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Lyall had wondered how his friend was handling his first serious relationship after years of seduce-and-run work for Arimanius. It sounded as if things were going well, which was welcome news. What he had learned about the control object, on the other hand, wasn’t encouraging.
“I’ve spent months traveling and researching the control object. Before that bizarre portal opened in my clan’s territory, I gave a full report to one of my alphas, and she had several thoughts on it.”
Kaveh drank down more coffee and nodded, his expression serious. “Would that be Alpha Gremory? She’s famous for her knowledge of Riftworld weaponry and technology.”
“Yes.” Lyall was surprised that a Saguaro Rift drakone knew his birth mother’s name and role in his clan, but he shouldn’t be. Information about opponents was a weapon in and of itself. “The conclusions she drew were similar to mine. The object contains a hybrid phantom who was created from the deaths and biological matter of murdered individuals from a variety of species. Phantoms can’t survive outside a riftland, but humans can. Phantoms can’t create portals, but other species can. Imagine a phantom who can travel anywhere on Earth, manipulate rift boundaries, and translocate itself by using earth, water, or air portals.”
“Air portals as well?” Kaveh furrowed his brow, but before Lyall could spell it out, he came to the logical conclusion on his own. “Rhys gave the construct some of his own biomatter.”
Lyall gave a grim nod. Rhys, a member of Kaveh’s adopted clan, had been the mastermind behind altering the control object to suit his purposes. That meant whatever lived inside the glowing egg was technically part of Kaveh’s family.
Kaveh’s face darkened. “This is deeply disturbing. Rhys is in France now, but I doubt he’d be forthcoming with information even if he was here. Xiang Jao’s first husband Tarasque and I are on speaking terms, though, and I can also reach out to the matriarch of the Witch City Rift drakone clan, Ceto. I was already planning to ask for her assistance with a different matter.”
Lyall would be happy to avoid any meeting with that formidable aquatic drakone. “That leads to my second request. I’d like to take a look at the control object. I’ve told my clan about the risk it poses, but I’m not here to try and steal it. I said I didn’t want my pack to have it any more than I wanted yours to take possession of it, and I meant it. I do need to understand the threat it poses and why portals opened up for both me and Zale, of all people.”
It was a big ask, and that was why Lyall had given Kaveh what he had learned before requesting the favor. “If you have it in a secret location, I’m willing to abide by any security precautions you want to impose, within reason.”
Kaveh let out a sigh. “That won’t be necessary. You can visit Remi and the control object at the same time. He insists on keeping them in our living room.”
The first thingLyall saw when he stepped into the apartment Remi and Kaveh had moved into was the fucking control object.
It sat in the corner of a tastefully decorated space, amidst furniture done up in earth tones, with rustic touches of natural wood, and an enormous picture window looking out onto the sunbaked desert and the gleaming wall of light that was the Saguaro Rift. The elongated oval hovered in midair with no visible support, pulsing with a soft white glow.
Even worse, the damn thing had grown since he had last caught a glimpse of it. It was now one and a half meters tall.
“What the fuck, Remi.” Lyall glared at his half-ratkind friend, who had bounced up from a lounge chair flanked by two live saguaro cacti, his arms outstretched.
Damn, touchy-feely was unlike Remi. He had left his friend with his Matchmaker-chosen spouse, so he hadn’t been worried for his physical safety, but safe didn’t necessarily mean happy.
“It’s great seeing you again too, sweetheart.” Remi dropped his arms and adopted his best cutting-sarcasm tone, which made Lyall feel much better. “What’s got your doggie underwear in a twist now?”
Lyall stomped closer to the control object. It was filled with a shifting substance somewhere between fog and liquid in consistency. “This thing should have been destroyed. It’s too dangerous.”
“Don’t talk to them like that.” Remi hissed out the words and gave Lyall a solid shove that would have moved anyone who wasn’t a hellhound a meter back from the floating egg. “They’re sensitive to negative energy.”
“This thing has gobbled down the life forces of who knows how many phantoms and any other species it could suck in.” Lyall was stressed out enough by the thought of telling anyone else, even Remi, about Kat. He had no idea why his ratkind friend was acting like an overprotective phoenix with a clutch of fire eggs. “It’s got plenty of its own negative energy.”
Lyall jabbed a finger at the control object to emphasize his point, which was a mistake. A bolt of electricity shot into his finger, sending searing pain up his arm and jerking his body back until he slammed into a nearby couch.
“Now you’ve done it.” Remi held his hands close—but not too close—over the now vibrating surface in a soothing gesture. Lyall caught a glimpse of something dark inside the object, which resolved itself into a pair of black eyes, then disappeared into the swirling mist. “Bug, play the music.”
Remi’s cyberbug zoomed over to rest on the couch arm near Lyall, and the pounding beat of vintage rock music filled the room. The insect made a series of clicks and whirring noises in Lyall’s direction.
“Yes, Bug, I realize that was a stupid move.” Lyall rubbed his aching arm and leaned back against the couch pillows. “Kaveh told me the damn thing was secure, but not that you were fussing over it like a newborn.”
