Beyond Redemption 24 Chapter 22

—ÜBERSETZEN MIST, SCRIBE TO KONIG FURIMER

How did this happen?" Konig screamed into the quivering priest's face.

Tragen Nachrichten wilted in the heat of Konig's wrath. The Theocrat's three Doppels stood gathered, threateningly, around the Geborene priest. Acceptance, beaten and bruised, wheezed through an open mouth showing jagged fractured teeth while glaring through one bruised eye. The Doppel had covered the other eye with a rough cloth patch that did little to disguise the damage done.

The priest's gaze jumped from the Doppel's ruined face and back to Konig's. No doubt Tragen wondered who could have done this, and then saw the only answer. What would he tell the other priests, that the Theocrat wars with himself?

Konig glanced at the mirror. A dozen of his reflections gathered there, watching with calm disinterest. His Mirrorist powers had grown. Useful, perhaps, but it meant his mental state was decaying quickly. The finger he'd broken punching Acceptance still throbbed, a distraction and a reminder of just how close he'd come to losing everything.

I'm running out of time.

Konig took a deep breath and fought for control. Morgen would save him. He'd kill the boy, thereby forcing his Ascension and ensuring the G.o.d's loyalty. Those whom you slay must serve. Reciting the plan and credo calmed him. "Tell me once again. Leave out no detail."

Tragen bowed low. "Yes, Theocrat. Schwacher Sucher, the temple Mirrorist, is dead. Stabbed to death. He had no meetings scheduled and the door showed no signs of being forced." Tragen paused to swallow uncomfortably. "Schwacher's mirror was broken. Completely shattered."

Konig paced back and forth in front of the young priest. "They broke the mirror."

"Yes, Theocrat."

"Stabbed to death?" Konig asked. "Stabbed many times?"

"Many, many times," Tragen answered. "The guard I left to watch the room said it looked like the panicked attack of a scared amateur rather than a professional a.s.sa.s.sination. He said the attacks were all over the place. Many weren't fatal. Schwacher's arms were deeply wounded."

"Had Schwacher been a.s.signed anything important?"

"Yes, Theocrat. I checked the logbook. Schwacher had been watching several Wahnvor Stellung temples. I found no reference as to what he was looking for."

"You don't have the rank."

The Wahnvor? Could they have agents within the Geborene High Temple? Had Schwacher found something only to be slain before he could report it? If they had infiltrated the Geborene hierarchy . . .

Konig turned to Tragen. "You must check on—"

The door to Konig's private chambers slammed rudely open and Meineigener Beobachter, chief of Konig's personal security force, stormed into the room. His normally stony face betrayed a look of horror. Meineigener bowed and stood waiting at attention.

The Doppels frowned at the interruption and the gathered reflections—now dozens, some of which huddled at the rear of the crowd—suddenly looked interested.

"Yes?" Konig snapped.

"The child is gone." Meineigener, three hundred pounds of towering muscle, swallowed nervously. "Morgen is gone. We can't find him anywhere." He dropped his gaze to the floor. "We think he's been taken."

Taken? Without Morgen his plans were ash. Without Morgen . . . Konig glanced at his Doppels.

"Oh," whispered Acceptance, hiding a smirk and shattered teeth behind a bruised hand, "that is a shame."

Konig, ignoring the Doppel, stared at his chief of security. "You think?" The man nodded mutely, staring at the floor. "Meineigener," Konig said quietly.

The ma.s.sive guard met Konig's flat gray eyes and stood rigid, unable to look away, muscles locked motionless by the Gefahrgeist's will.

"Yes, My Theocrat." said Meineigener, voice soft with awe.

Konig gestured at Tragen, who stood quietly listening. "Kill him. Now."

Meineigener drew his sword and cut the young priest down in one smooth motion. He cleaned and sheathed the blade before Tragen's corpse hit the floor.

"In the future," Konig said, "you will be more careful who you share information with. Or, in the future"—he gestured at Tragen's corpse—"that will be you."

"Yes, My Theocrat."

At least the oaf didn't apologize. Few things angered Konig more than pointless apologies. "Who else knows?" he asked.

"I left Vertrauens Würdig to watch over the room and came straight to you. I also sent a man to detain Morgen's nurse, though with no explanation as to why."

"Good." The man hadn't been an utter moron. Vertrauens was a member of Konig's personal guard and one of Meineigener's most trusted men. "Find out what the nurse knows. Kill her afterward." Konig frowned. "What became of Viele Sindein?" How the h.e.l.ls had anyone gotten past Morgen's Mehrere guard?

"Viele was slain. Many times."

Konig ignored the Doppels as they gathered to mutter quietly among themselves. He had forever shattered any chance of their working together and no longer feared their huddled conferences. "How many would it take to kill Viele?"

"I sparred with her often. She was an expert."

"And?" Konig growled.

Meineigener blinked. "It would take dozens. They left no dead. Either they carried their wounded and slain with them when they left—no easy thing—or Viele didn't manage to kill any of them."

Konig resumed pacing, his reflections mirroring his actions. "How did dozens of people enter the temple, kill Viele, and escape with Morgen without being seen?"

Meineigener answered immediately. "Inside help."

Konig agreed. "Find out if anyone is missing."

Schwacher had been the only useful Mirrorist in the temple. With him dead, Konig had been effectively blinded. He rubbed his chin and glared at the mirror. A few reflections mirrored his actions while the rest pressed against the gla.s.s as if trying to shove their way free. Useless! Or were they? Could he hone his growing Mirrorist tendencies before his mind crumbled under the strain? No—it would take more time than he had. His three Doppels stood uncomfortably close, their eyes bright with hunger. They know what this means. If I lose Morgen, I lose everything. His delusions were growing in strength. Soon they would drag him down.

"Find the nearest Geborene Mirrorist and bring them here."

"Yes, My Theocrat." Meineigener turned to leave.

"Meineigener."

"Yes, My Theocrat?"

"Send for the Schatten Mörder and Tiergeist."

Meineigener swallowed uncomfortably and nodded. He clearly wanted nothing to do with Konig's corps of deranged a.s.sa.s.sins. Konig saw the concealed distaste and didn't care. Meineigener would happily cut down an unarmed man at Konig's command but found a.s.sa.s.sination distasteful. Meineigener was damaged; he lacked that which stopped a man from committing heinous acts of murder but lived by a strict code of conduct that reined in his psychopathic tendencies: loyalty to the Theocrat above all else.

Konig placed a hand on the ma.s.sive man's arm and pinioned him with gray eyes. "If word spreads Morgen is gone I will be very displeased. Find Aufschlag as well and send him here immediately."

When Aufschlag arrived he found Konig waiting, Doppels gathered behind him like a pack of dogs, thin features as flat and expressionless as their gray eyes. Between the Doppels and the reflections in the mirror, Konig filled the room.

"Morgen has been taken. Whoever took him has agents within the Geborene hierarchy."

Aufschlag looked away, unable to make eye contact. He glanced past Konig and met the bruised and battered eye of a Doppel. Acceptance? The Doppel showed broken teeth in a twisted grimace and Aufschlag desperately looked elsewhere. Planning to lie to Konig was one thing, but now, as he stood in the powerful Gefahrgeist's presence, the reality was much more daunting. Eye contact, Aufschlag knew, was a key component in one-on-one manipulation. He dared not meet Konig's eyes for too long, but how could he achieve this and not seem guilty? He looked again to Acceptance, meeting the wounded gaze, and the Doppel gave him a curious and knowing smile.

Does the Doppel know? Aufschlag looked away and saw the corpse of Tragen Nachrichten shoved rudely into a corner. Thank the G.o.ds! Something to stare at other than Konig or his Doppels. Aufschlag had to say something soon.

"The Geborene couldn't have been infiltrated without you at least suspecting." The sly compliment should distract Konig. Aufschlag's gaze darted to the mirror and then back to Tragen's body. Had the reflections been staring at Acceptance, or had he imagined that? "It's more likely only one or two agents were involved." Too close to the truth, but Konig would know if he lied outright. He gestured at the corpse. "Tragen was an infiltrator?"

"No. He overheard Morgen had been taken."

"It will be impossible to keep this hidden for long."

"Obviously."

The Chief Scientist felt the weight of Konig's flat gray gaze upon him and did his best to ignore it. He glanced to Acceptance instead. The Doppel, who had been staring at the mirror, looked away when he noticed Aufschlag's attention.

What in the h.e.l.ls is that about? He swallowed and ran fat fingers across his greasy scalp in an attempt to flatten the fringe of hair. "We must get the boy back quickly."

"Perhaps. There are other options."

"Other options?" What have I missed?

"I have summoned the Schatten Mörder and Tiergeist."

Aufschlag blinked, startled. "You'd send a.s.sa.s.sins to fetch the boy?"

Konig ignored the question.

The door to Konig's chamber swung open and the stench of death filled the room. The Schatten Mörder, Konig's Cotardist a.s.sa.s.sins, arrived first. Four men and two women filed quietly in, their bodies in varying states of decomposition. Their leader, a naked middle-aged woman known only as Anomie, bowed before Konig. Her lungs, like moldering cheesecloth sacks, hung visible between cracked and yellowing ribs. Her internal organs long absent, only flaked brown gristle clung to her spine. Aufschlag had heard she kept her organs preserved in jars in her personal chambers. Spa.r.s.e clumps of pale hair clung to the few shreds of flesh still gripping her skull. Five other Cotardist a.s.sa.s.sins stood mutely behind her. Though none looked to be in such an advanced state of decay, they all showed signs of rot and neglect.

Anomie's eye sockets were empty pits, but there was no mistaking her attention. When she looked toward Aufschlag, the scientist avoided her dead gaze. She seemed to look through him for a moment and then returned her focus to Konig, who remained unperturbed. Her lungs made a dry rattling noise as she drew breath to facilitate speaking. Aufschlag watched, mesmerized, as her lungs filled and immediately began leaking air out the many small tears.

Her voice was thin and dry. "We are summoned."

"I have—"

"It has been years since you have summoned us."

Konig frowned in annoyance, unaccustomed to being interrupted. "I have not had need—"

Anomie's lungs deflated, turning her last words into a dusty wheeze. "We are worthless. Cursed immortal dead. Hated."

He had his own issues to deal with and Anomie's touched too close to home. "I don't hate you."

She sucked in another breath. "We rot unheeded and unneeded. We fall away to dust." Some small fragment of scalp flaked away and fell with its few attached hairs to the floor between her bony feet. "We are nothing and yet denied the nothing we desire."

Konig stepped forward and placed his hands on her desiccated shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes. He turned the full force of his Gefahrgeist power upon her.

All communication is manipulation.

"You are worthless, but you serve something greater than yourself. I am your purpose. Your service defines you. Without service you will be denied even a moment of value, the slightest taste of intent with direction. You serve because in those rare moments you find yourself valued." He stared into those dark, empty sockets; his own unshakable belief in himself—the paradoxical result of his self-doubt and feelings of inferiority—protected him from fear. "I have need of you."

"We will serve," she whispered with the last of her foul breath.

No need to ask if the other Cotardist a.s.sa.s.sins agreed; they were nothing without her, lost in pits of self-loathing, animated only by her need.

The cost of service would be high, but Konig knew she would pay it. Her need to serve something greater than herself left no choice.

There was a polite knock at Konig's door before it swung open and Meineigener reentered, followed by a young woman and three rough-looking men. The girl, Asena, was slightly built and long-legged, her arms thin but wiry with muscle. Her olive-shaped eyes, an unnatural green fading gradually to dark, mottled pupils tilted at an odd angle, slanted up and out. She would have been attractive if not for the matted brown tangle of gray-streaked hair and the obvious disdain she had for her attire. She wore clothes as if unaccustomed to being dressed. The three men ranged in size from half a foot shorter than Asena to the ma.s.sive and s.h.a.ggy Bär, who towered over seven feet in height. Bär made Meineigener, not a small man by any means, look like a child. Konig couldn't help but think of the man as a slab of walking muscle with all the intellect of a pair of cheap shoes.

Asena bowed impatiently to Konig and he caught a quick glimpse of small b.r.e.a.s.t.s as her s.h.i.+rt fell open . . . and he couldn't help but think of Gehirn. Though he thanked the G.o.ds she wasn't here—the Ha.s.sebrand had an unhealthy fascination with Asena, turning every encounter into a near-death experience—he was concerned at her lack of communication. Gehirn had many faults, but lack of loyalty was not one. More likely the Ha.s.sebrand had discovered something important and decided to handle it on her own—in the hopes of impressing Konig—rather than return and report. G.o.ds d.a.m.n it all! If Schwacher were alive, checking on Gehirn would have been simple. Why had he not done it sooner?

A thought occurred to Konig: Could the murders at the temple in Gottlos be connected to the theft of Morgen? Calling something a coincidence just meant you didn't have enough information to see the connections. Konig pushed these thoughts aside. First things first.

He would have to handle Asena much differently from Anomie. "Asena, I have—"

"We don't need that b.i.t.c.h!" Anomie wheezed. She had forgotten to take the breath necessary to power her words. "The Schatten Mörder—"

"Will learn not to interrupt me again." Konig turned the force of his will against Anomie and let displeasure pour from his eyes like poison. "You serve. You obey. Or"—he paused to draw a slow breath—"I have no use for you."

Anomie's empty sockets lowered and she stared mutely at the floor. Her shoulders hunched with anger but she remained quiet.

Asena laughed, a guttural bark. "Your pet doesn't know its place."

Konig turned his attention to her. "An interesting choice of words," he observed. Asena possessed a fierce loyalty, like a well trained but extremely dangerous dog. Where Anomie needed to feel worthless and despised, Asena craved praise and love. Unable to supply the latter, Konig faked it as best he could. He'd discovered Asena when she was a child, sleeping in the city's gutters, starved for both food and attention. She had immediately latched onto him, looking to him as both father and leader of the pack. For years she'd slept curled at the foot of his bed, refusing to leave his side and whining piteously when sent away. Later, when she'd begun to develop into a beautiful young woman, he'd sent her to separate chambers. Her proximity and need made him uncomfortable. He alternately regretted the decision—she would have done anything he asked—and believed he had made the right choice. Asena would make a fitting partner, but he dared not let anyone become too close, too valuable. He understood all too clearly what love did to people.

If communication was manipulation, emotion was the fulcrum on which the leverage was applied.

"I need you both," said Konig, glancing from Asena to Anomie. "The G.o.d-child, Morgen, has been taken."

Asena snarled in sudden anger. She often watched over the young boy and felt a protective love for him. Morgen's way of making people feel valued appealed to her needs.

Anomie groaned. "He hugged me once, offered to cure me. I was afraid."

"Dead and still a coward," snapped Asena.

"Witless, fawning b.i.t.c.h," wheezed Anomie.

"Silence!" snapped Konig. "I need you both. We can't be sure where the thieves have taken him. They killed Schwacher, my only Mirrorist. There is much ground to cover and not much time. Where," he asked the roomful of people, "would the kidnappers take Morgen?"

"Neidrig," answered Asena immediately. "It is close and our influence there is nonexistent."

"N-no. No," stammered Aufschlag. When everyone turned to look at him he swallowed uncomfortably and glanced about as if surprised by the sudden attention. "It's . . ." He swallowed again and pressed flat a greasy fringe of hair. "It is too obvious. If they knew well enough to slay our only Mirrorist, they would not flee to the first place we would look."

Aufschlag made sense.

Konig noticed Acceptance staring at the Chief Scientist, head c.o.c.ked at an angle, right hand on chin; the same pose Konig often used when deep in thought.

"True," said Konig. "So where, then?"

"North," Aufschlag stated. "The Schatten Mörder and Tiergeist should go north."

"Perhaps," suggested Asena, "one group should go to Neidrig while the other travels north. Whoever finds the kidnappers can slay them and return with the child."

Konig shook his head. "No. Spending that much time in the company of a.s.sa.s.sins might pollute Morgen." The Theocrat didn't apologize for the harshness of his words. He paced the room, hand on chin. "Morgen must be pure when he Ascends." He stopped and stared at the two groups. There was a reason he had summoned a.s.sa.s.sins to find the boy. "Kill the boy the moment you find him. Kill the thieves afterward. Morgen must die untainted by violence and murder. Kill him before he is polluted beyond redemption." He had more to ask of his a.s.sa.s.sins: whoever killed Morgen must die at Konig's own hand to ensure they—and whomever they killed—served him in the Afterdeath. That small detail he'd save for later; while he might not doubt his a.s.sa.s.sins' loyalty, trust was for fools. "Return immediately to me when he's dead." Risky, but he had no choice.

Anomie bowed low. "It will be as you wish."

Asena remained quiet, her face betraying inner turmoil.

"No!" Again all eyes turned to Aufschlag. "Morgen is not ready to Ascend," he added quickly." He gestured to Konig. "You know we have to control his environment. Any damage done by the thieves or rescuers can be undone. We must control every aspect of his Ascension." Aufschlag paused to draw a gasping breath. "If the boy is brutally murdered by a gang of a.s.sa.s.sins in some back alley, there is no telling what damage might be done to his mind."

"I would not let him suffer," Asena said quietly, eyes damp.

Konig didn't have time for this. His Doppels were growing in strength. His reflections were becoming bolder and more solid. Morgen must Ascend before it's too late. Yet Aufschlag spoke the truth. The idea of Morgen's Ascension happening somewhere beyond Konig's control terrified him. Perhaps the boy should be brought back to Selbstha.s.s, if just to ascertain the extent of any damage done.

Konig glanced at Aufschlag's flushed face. Was the scientist's concern really for the Ascension? Had his feelings for the boy gotten the better of his reason? Konig had watched Aufschlag torture uncountable peasants in search of the key to directed delusion. One child couldn't possibly achieve what a thousand screaming mothers watching their children slain could not. The Chief Scientist was cold and calculating . . . and invaluable.

"Perhaps," whispered Konig.

Acceptance cleared his throat, ducking his head in apology when Konig scowled at him. "Our Mirrorist powers are growing. Perhaps we can make use of them." The Doppel cradled tender ribs. His expression suggested talking was painful.

"My Mirrorist powers," Konig corrected.

"Of course," Acceptance agreed quickly. "Perhaps your reflections can tell you who took Morgen."

Konig gave Acceptance a searching look and the Doppel averted his bruised and battered eye. Was Acceptance up to something or simply conforming to his nature and seeking acceptance? Konig understood how much the Doppel craved the feeling of belonging; he felt the same hunger.

"The reflections do not speak to me," said Konig.

"Perhaps they need not speak," suggested Acceptance.

Konig glanced from the Doppel to the ma.s.sive mirror dominating one wall. Trepidation and Abandonment stood quietly behind Acceptance, and Konig would have suspected their involvement in some plan had they not shared his look of confusion. They had been awfully quiet of late.

"Well?" Konig asked the gathered reflections.

As one, they pointed unerringly at Aufschlag, who made a tight squeaking noise and raised his hands in desperate protest.

"No!" He looked from the mirror to Konig, to Acceptance, and back to the mirror. "They point at something beyond me." He moved and accusing fingers followed.

"Interesting," said Konig. "But unclear."

"They must be saying I am correct," stammered Aufschlag. "The boy has been taken north and it is too early for Morgen to Ascend. They agree with me."

Konig stared at the reflections for a moment before turning to Acceptance. "And what do you say?"

Acceptance pointed at the Chief Scientist's shoes.

Konig glanced down and raised an eyebrow. "Shards of broken gla.s.s."

"Broken mirror," corrected Acceptance.

"Oh," Aufschlag said. He stared at his feet. "Bad luck indeed."

"You?" Konig's chest squeezed tight, crus.h.i.+ng his heart. "You betrayed me?"

"Everyone abandons us in the end," whispered Abandonment from behind Acceptance. Konig knew it to be true.

"He may have poisoned the boy's mind against us," added Trepidation. "He wants you to bring the boy back so he can finish his work."

Abandonment hissed agreement. "The experiment is a failure."

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Aufschlag reached imploringly to Konig but kept his eyes averted. "My Theocrat, you know I would never betray you. My actions . . . I did what I had to do. I serve only you."

Lies, all lies. "Look at me," snapped Konig. Aufschlag met his gaze and deflated. "Did you kill Schwacher?"

Aufschlag, eyes red and wet, licked his lips and said, "Yes."

"He has betrayed us," growled Abandonment.

Konig ignored the Doppel. "Are you a Wahnvor agent?"

"No! I sought to protect the boy. He isn't ready to Ascend. Konig, you must trust me."

Konig feigned a hearty laugh, crus.h.i.+ng the desire to scream and cry at the betrayal. "Trust you? My dear Aufschlag, I have never trusted you." His voice trembled and then grew in volume. "You are a tool, nothing more!"

"I didn't mean to hurt you," whispered Aufschlag.

"Hurt me!" Konig screamed, advancing on the cowering Scientist. "You cannot hurt me! Your foul betrayal was expected. You are a worm. Worthless!"

Asena and Anomie advanced on Aufschlag in hungry expectation, ready to do their Theocrat's will.

"Where," demanded Konig, "have they taken Morgen?"

"South—" answered Aufschlag, before slamming his teeth closed and clenching his eyes shut.

"Tell me where."

Aufschlag shook his head.

Konig watched the scientist's inner battle. Torturing Aufschlag would be an admission of weakness, admitting he could not force the truth from the betrayer. Yet somehow Aufschlag had found some means of protecting himself from the wiles of the Gefahrgeist. How could Aufschlag do this after all I gave the greasy b.a.s.t.a.r.d? Rank and t.i.tle. The chance to be part of something truly great. How could Aufschlag turn his back me? It was inexplicable! What could be more important than creating a G.o.d and ensuring Konig's place in both history and the as-yet-unwritten future?

If using Aufschlag had been a mistake, what other mistakes had he made?

Konig took a deep breath and let it slowly escape. "Doppels, hold him."

The three Doppels grabbed Aufschlag in an instant, pinioning his arms brutally behind his back. Konig was reminded of commanding Trepidation and Abandonment to beat Acceptance. Only this hurt far more.

Konig held his hand out to Meineigener, who stood quietly, watching and waiting. "Your knife."

Meineigener stepped forward, drew the long knife in a practiced flourish, pa.s.sed it hilt first to the Theocrat, and returned to his place by the door. The weapon was surprisingly light. Konig admired its brutal simplicity.

"Your Doppels manipulate you," plead Aufschlag.

"I know," said Konig. "We use each other. Every one of us. You used me. I used you. Manipulation is everything."

Konig stepped close enough to Aufschlag to smell the man's sweat and fear. He'd never killed a man with his own hands. Someone, some tool, had always done his bidding. The expectation, the taste of knowing the moment, hovered just a breath away, thrilled in a way unlike more subtle manipulations.

Konig breathed into Aufschlag's ear. "You thought you could lie to me. You thought you were done with me. But"—he chuckled softly—"it never ends."

Konig slowly pushed the razor-sharp knife into his Chief Scientist's chest while the three Doppels held the struggling Aufschlag motionless. An unnatural gasp escaped the man's chest as Konig opened a lung and was sprayed with blood. He watched the light of reason fade from Aufschlag's wide eyes.

"Perhaps you will better serve me in the Afterdeath," Konig whispered into the dying man's ear.

The Doppels let Aufschlag's fat and empty corpse collapse to the floor. It fell in an awkward heap and lay bleeding out into the thick carpet.

HOW HAD THIS happened?

The Schatten Mörder, the Tiergeist, Meineigener, and his Doppels all stood watching, waiting. He stared at the motionless Aufschlag. The man had been with him from the beginning. Sometimes Konig wasn't even sure if he himself had really birthed the idea. Memory and self-doubt told niggling lies and he thought Aufschlag may have suggested the project.

It doesn't matter. New truths can be forged.

"Morgen's Ascension will be my success," Konig said aloud, though he talked only to himself. He swept the room, making eye contact with all present. "I give and I give," he snarled, "and what do I get?" He bared his teeth. "Nothing. I get nothing in return." His words made it true.

The a.s.sembled a.s.sa.s.sins hung their heads. Even his Doppels looked ashamed.

"I am selfless in my love and giving." Konig's words defined new truths. "Doubt is betrayal. I expect better."

Acceptance, unmoved, watched Konig's performance. The Theocrat's beliefs and delusions meant less and less to the Doppel. He saw through Konig's empty words to the truth: the Theocrat sought to disguise his sadness at having slain his only friend. Konig was lost and, with Aufschlag dead, alone on this path.

Acceptance had been waiting for this moment.

For days he'd communicated as best he could, secretly and without words, with Konig's reflections. They too saw Aufschlag's death as the first step toward freedom. Acceptance didn't delude himself that they worked strictly toward his ends. No doubt the reflections had plans of their own. This would be a temporary alliance at best. He would shatter the mirror the instant they ceased being useful.

Acceptance studied Konig, feeding off the man's doubts like a leech feeds off blood. Next he must remove Morgen from the playing field. The G.o.d-child was the Theocrat's escape plan from the ravages of unchecked delusion. Delusions that must escalate in power, stoked by doubt and the subtle prodding of Doppels and reflections. The Theocrat would become truly powerful and dangerously unstable. His delusions would tear apart his mind. I will shred everything he is, bathe in his despair, drink deep of his faltering thoughts. Acceptance imagined sipping from Konig's hollowed skull and quashed the urge to grin.

Morgen had to die, and somewhere far beyond Konig's reach.

"We cannot risk further contamination," Acceptance said softly. "Morgen must be slain before Aufschlag's agents turn him against us." He placed a hand gently on Konig's shoulder, pleased when Konig didn't shrug it away. The man needed, and need was weakness. "The scientist sought to taint the boy toward his own ends." Let Konig's imagination do the rest.

Konig sagged under Acceptance's hand. "You will slay Morgen," he said to his a.s.sa.s.sins. "Bring about his Ascension." Acceptance felt faint tremors through Konig's shoulder. Would he cry? Please, G.o.ds, please. Just a small taste of despair. "Asena, take your Tiergeist to Neidrig."

Acceptance saw Asena's discomfort at the order and she noticed his attention. She glanced at the hand resting on Konig's shoulder and her eyes narrowed.

It was time to do some serious housecleaning. Each person Konig turned to for support must be used and pushed away. Alienating Asena would be easier than killing her. Acceptance kept his face carefully blank. Anomie, lacking Asena's lithe body and unconditional love, was less of a threat and could be dealt with later. He waited, listening. The moment would come when he could drop a subtle word in Konig's ear and drive a wedge between Asena and the Theocrat.

"Anomie," continued Konig. "Take your Schatten Mörder south, toward Unbrauchbar in Gottlos."

Anomie bowed. "An unnatural storm brews there."

Konig turned on the corpse. "Why has no one mentioned this to me? It could be linked with the kidnappers." He noticed Acceptance's comforting hand and angrily brushed it aside.

"The storm has grown closer for days," said Anomie. "I a.s.sumed you knew."

"G.o.ds d.a.m.n everything," Konig snarled in frustration. "Go to the heart of the storm, discover its source."

Acceptance leaned forward to whisper in Konig's ear. "Morgen's kidnappers must have a powerful Gefahrgeist among their numbers. How else could they have slain Morgen's Mehrere bodyguard so easily? How else could they take Aufschlag's loyalty from you? You must ensure your a.s.sa.s.sins remain"—Acceptance eyed Asena over Konig's shoulder—"faithful once they are beyond your influence."

Acceptance knew exactly what Konig thought: of course he was up against another Gefahrgeist. It made too much sense. Another Gefahrgeist had somehow found out about the Geborene G.o.d project and thought to turn Konig's genius plan to their own ends.

Protecting against a Gefahrgeist was virtually impossible, but steps could be taken.

"The thought of harming you breaks my heart," Konig said to Asena.

Acceptance whispered, "Emotion is weakness, manipulation is everything," in Konig's ear.

Konig nodded unconscious agreement. "I need to protect you," he told the a.s.sa.s.sins, "from the possibility of Gefahrgeist influence."

Asena drew a sharp breath and bared teeth at Acceptance. "How?"

The Tiergeist gathered behind Asena moved closer, looming large and dangerous. Anomie, the living corpse, merely stood and watched. The Schatten Mörder waited motionless as if nothing of import or interest had yet occurred. Perhaps, to them, nothing had. What interested the d.a.m.ned?

"To truly protect you from their Gefahrgeist," said Konig, "I would have to blind and deafen you."

Acceptance stifled a triumphant smile, hiding his ruined mouth behind a hand. He watched Konig closely; the man wanted to apologize. Acceptance could read it in the way he stood, the way he twitched as if about to reach out to Asena.

Konig stilled his motion. "Obviously you would be useless to me blind. You will, however, be deafened." He looked from Asena to Anomie, meeting their eyes. "It is for your own protection." Acceptance knew Konig said this aloud only to convince himself. "I care deeply for and seek only to s.h.i.+eld you from danger. You are my champions. You must not fail me in this. You must not fail Morgen."

"How will you deafen us?" Asena asked. "We Therianthropes heal quickly. Particularly if we twist."

Anomie was not to be outdone. "The dead do not rely on ears to hear. How shall you deafen us?"

"I am Konig Furimmer. Theocrat of Selbstha.s.s. High Priest of the Geborene Damonen. My will gave birth to the first man-made G.o.d. Reality bends to my desires." He smiled sadly. "My a.s.sa.s.sins, I don't think you are deaf. I don't believe you are deaf. I know you are—"

Asena didn't even hear the last word. She stood blinking, struck dumb with surprise. Her love had stolen part of her world. She flared nostrils, breathing in Konig's odor and the smell of startled fear wafting from the other Tiergeist. Did the Theocrat not appreciate how important sound was to an animal?

Or does he not care?

Konig's mouth moved and he pointed south, but Anomie had already spun on her heels and, followed by the Schatten Mörder, marched from the room. If he saw Asena's pain, he didn't react. Without a word she turned and left.

Kill Morgen. The Theocrat's order should have left no room for question, but still she felt doubt. Could she kill the boy-G.o.d, even if it meant his Ascension?

Acceptance watched Konig stare after Asena as the door swung closed behind her. The man stood rigid. Once she'd left, a single tear leaked from his right eye. Acceptance watched the lone tear slide down the Theocrat's cheek and knew bright joy. Every person Konig pushed away meant Acceptance would be drawn closer.

"She will, in time, come to understand," said Konig without conviction. No one believed it.

Interesting. As evidenced by the ease with which he deafened a roomful of powerful Cotardist and Therianthrope Geisteskranken, the Theocrat's power was growing rapidly. His ability to shape reality with his delusions would soon be outstripped by his inability to control his many psychoses. Sanity would be peeled from his mind much like Aufschlag had peeled the flesh from his victims in his attempts to cause insanity. Konig would reach the pinnacle of his power, a master of reality, and yet powerless to master his delusions.

And yet he cannot convince himself of Asena's forgiveness.

Acceptance's time grew near. He hid away his smirk of triumph and followed Konig from the room. The other two Doppels trailed behind. Abandonment eyed him with distrust and Trepidation watched with his usual fear.

I'll deal with them soon enough.