Read Online Phoenix Ascendant - eARC by Ryk E Spoor - Free Book Online

him back more than the rest of us.”
    Your stolid exterior, Child of Odin, is rather misleading when you show so clear an evaluation of the world around you. “You are of course correct, Bolthawk; he had the best overall…mindset for the job as I envisioned it. Unfortunately, and rather ironically, his journey along the path to become one of my people led to him meeting the final death, one from which even I could not retrieve him.”
    “That path gave him a weakness, then?” Bolthawk’s face suddenly went pale; it could tell that Bolthawk was realizing that the question itself was potentially dangerous, one that could draw an immediate and fatal reaction.
    Instead it laughed. “Certainly it did, Bolthawk. Of course poor Thornfalcon, being so new to his power, was far more vulnerable to that weakness than I; I would have been wounded by the same strikes, but not slain, let alone had my soul shredded irretrievably. All things have their weaknesses, even the King of All Hells…or me. But while I might, if it amused me, tell you his weakness, I think I will leave mine for others to guess.”
    “I would expect nothing else, sir.”
    It grinned again, and straightened, looking at the now almost invisible seam. Almost done. “It wouldn’t do you a great deal of good, Bolthawk; the oaths you and the others have sworn would make it inadvisable for you to plan a rebellion, even if I not only told you my weakness but allowed you to prepare to make use of it. It’s more a dramatic preference than anything else; all things must be done properly , you understand?”
    Bolthawk started to nod, then cocked his head, and shrugged. “I can’t say I do, sir.”
    “I suppose not. If you live long enough, perhaps we shall have this conversation again and your answer may change. But—”
    A signal touched its consciousness in a way another might have described hearing a faint but significant sound. “Ah. I have something to attend to. Clean this up and lay it aside; I’ll complete the work later.”
    It took only a few minutes to reach the inner sanctum of the Retreat and place the silver-and-gold scroll on its pedestal. “Yes?”
    The scroll did not show a face; the person on the other end did not have the capability to make a full connection. “Initial attempt complete. Progress as expected.”
    “Good. Do not contact me more often than once every three weeks. The more you disturb the matrix, the greater the chance you will be discovered. Let its truth hide your own.”
    “Understood. I will only act under the agreed-upon conditions.”
    “Correct. Thank you for your report.”
    It leaned back in the chair with a smile. Placing agents at the right places, with the right preparation, could be so much more effective than sending armies or monsters. And—as with Miri, the poor girl—it wasn’t even necessary that the agent understood what their true goals were, or even that they follow its literal instructions. Many agents, again including Miri as well as Master Wieran and Kalshae, were best when they thought it was their agent, or at most ally, and thought that by disregarding its instructions they would foil its plans.
    But if you knew how such people thought, you could make sure that even their betrayals were part of the plan. So far, everything was going according to that plan. The most dangerous—and by the same principle, most entertaining—parts were coming soon, however.
    But, it reminded itself, even the most careful manipulator could also be manipulated. And as the endgame approached, it had to watch the board more carefully than ever. Even the smallest piece—like, say, a Toad—could upset plans years in the making.
    That would be extremely costly for it; setting up these precise conditions had taken more years than even Thornfalcon would have believed. It certainly did not want to lose this particular game.
    And yet…if that were to happen…wouldn’t that be exciting?
    Smiling broadly, it turned and