Chapter 510: The Node
Ram, now dressed as I was in a black robe, led me, a pair of rebel guards flanking us, back the way we came to the library and the table where Ameline had stood. The busybody colleagues already cleared the book she'd read from away, but after letting my demon sniff the spot, I followed her guidance to a nearby shelf and retrieved the tome in question.
It stank of Ameline, so much Ahbi's power jerked inside me.
Look, I sent, not knowing if what was left of her could understand me or not. I'm doing my damned best. But if you keep doing crap like this, we won't get anywhere. Got me?
The power fluttered, shot me one last jab and subsided.
Okay then.
Ram had already flipped the book open by the time I finished my little internal argument and from the pale look on his face, it wasn't good news. Since I couldn't read what was written there, I had to impatiently poke him in the ribs to catch his attention. He was so concerned he didn't even frown at me.
"What?" I looked down at the sketch of what looked like a giant teardrop hovering in a cave. "What's that?"
"That," Ram said ever so softly, "is the Node, Sydlynhamitra."
The two rebels gasped, stepped away, also concerned. Not good, then.
"What's the Node?" I hated feeling stupid, but Ram didn't seem to find it strange I had no clue.
"You know our history?" He slid a chair out, sat down, hands shaking and I joined him, impulsively taking them in mine. "How we used to be multiple planes, all pulled together into one world?"
I nodded. "Thousands of years ago," I said. "Yeah, I know that part."
"Well," he said, "the Node is the core of demonic energy holding everything together."
Giant power source. Ameline. Yeah, this would end well.
"Ancient scientists created the Node as a focal point," Ram said. "Like balancing a plate on a pin. It keeps us spinning, linked. If the Node were to fail..." He shook his head, hands tightening around mine. "This Ameline of yours. Would she be so ambitious?"
Uh, hell yeah. And yet, no. If she was after demon power, why the center of all of it? Surely it would be easier to just take what she needed from other demons. Attacking a whole world? I didn't realize her goals had grown so big. "How hard would it be to disrupt the Node?" I had to find her. This could be a disaster. I couldn't even imagine the wreckage a collapse would cause, all the planes separating again.
"Not hard." He released my hands, color returning to his cheeks. "But she has no way of reaching it, Syd." I noted the lack of "Princess" and attitude. "It's impossible."
"Why, where is it?" I glanced at the picture again. "Underground?"
Ram closed the book with a thud. "No one knows," he said. "At least, no one but the monitors. And unless she can somehow find and coerce a monitor, she'll never find it."
"Don't look relieved," I said. "Ameline will find a way, trust me."
Ram's eyes locked on the book but he was far away. "This is terrible news," he said. "We're talking about the utter destruction of our race, Syd. If the planes separate..." He finally met my eyes. "The force of the destruction would wipe out most of the demon population."
"I'm not sure that's her aim." I chewed my bottom lip a moment. "The Ameline I know is evil personified, yes. But she claims she wants more power so she can fight who we both agree is a bigger enemy. And I'm not convinced destroying Demonicon is on her agenda." I sighed then and sat back, rubbing my aching temples. "Still, there's no question we have to stop her. Before she can get close enough to do any damage." Damn her, she was after more power, her insane need to become maji driving her still. Didn't she know by now stealing magic wasn't giving her what she needed?
"Hang on a sec," I said, confusion rising. "She already has demon power. She has to. Otherwise, how did she cross over?"
Ram didn't comment, watching me as my mind tried to wrap around the evil witch's motivations.
"Like I said, it makes no sense for her to destroy Demonicon." I tapped my fingertips on the table top. "So maybe she's just after a part of it." So many questions and no answers, not really.
"The Node is under delicate balance," Ram said. "Any shift in its output could mean the end. But it is constantly supervised. Demon monitors give up their entire existence to protect it and keep it stable, using their own power to do so, tied in to the Node so they don't disrupt anything."
"Would they be able to protect it from her if she did manage to reach the Node?" It made sense the teardrop-shaped center of everything would have some kind of defense system. But would it be enough to keep Ameline in check?
Ram's shrug didn't make me feel any better. "The monitors themselves are the only ones who can access it," he said. "That's always been protection enough."
"All that power," I said. "And no demon has ever tried to steal it?"
He met my eyes with his brimming horror. "It would mean the deaths of all of us," he said in a shivering whisper. "Would you risk so much?"
I wouldn't. "Sorry," I said, not really meaning it. After all, this was Demonicon we were talking about. Power was the middle of every single driving emotion in the entire race.
Ram's fear didn't ease as much as he hid it behind a stubborn frown. "We need to warn Leader," he said. "And the monitors, if we can."
"And my Dad." Nice of him to leave my father out of the equation.
Ram didn't comment. "Regardless, if this Ameline wants to destroy us or if she only wants a fraction of the power for herself, the Node is just too fragile to tamper with. If someone were to tap into it, push it past their ability to keep things level, my world will be destroyed."
Right. Priorities.
And happy thoughts.
***
