Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(27)

"Kind of like the area at Fablehaven where Graulas lives," Seth said. "Or where Kurisock lived."


"Much like that," the Sphinx agreed. "But considerably stronger. I made Funi put the assistant jailer into the Quiet Box while I watched from outside the ring. It took some effort, because he was old and frail, but Funi managed to place the unconscious body inside and close the door. The box turned slowly. The instant the Quiet Box opened, Funi turned and attacked me."


"Mind control?" Seth asked.


"Very good. Yes, before stepping out of the box, Nagi Luna took instant control, and Funi came at me like a man possessed. Although I was ready for such an eventuality, having retained the assistant jailer's truncheon, the vehemence of the assault nearly overwhelmed me. Funi was smaller, thinner, and older, but he fought with inhuman strength and ferocity, heedless of injuries. By the time I had quelled the attack, he was unrecognizable."


"Gross. Then Nagi Luna came out? What did the demon look like?"



"Harmless. A tiny, toothless, hairless, hunched old woman, no taller than my waist. Her purple skin drooped in moist creases. A white chain led from a manacle on her ankle to a stone tablet inscribed with arcane characters, which she dragged along behind her. As her lips mumbled nonsense, she spoke to me with her mind, trying to lure me inside her ring of constraint. When I refused, she spoke in her actual voice, commending me for resisting her invitations. I explained my situation. She explained her hatred of her confinement. We decided to help one another."


"What did she do?" Seth wondered.


"First she asked to see the key to her cell. After I held it up, she crouched, scraped together dirt from the floor, and transformed it into an exact replica of the metal key. She set the key at the edge of the ring of constraint, and I removed it with the truncheon. Then she produced a needle, spat on it, and gave it to me in similar fashion. She explained that whoever I pricked with the needle would die the following morning. We had a long conversation. In the end, I climbed out of the cell, hauled the remains of Funi up, and returned to the jailer."


"You left the assistant in the Quiet Box?"


"Correct."


"How did you explain that?"


"With a fabrication. I said the assistant jailer had joined us in the catacombs, that Funi had shoved him against a cell door, and that the wraith inside had devoured him, body and soul. I explained that I had killed Funi as punishment. I had the needle ready, but there was no need to use it that day. The chief jailer wanted to cover up his injudicious sharing of the key, so we made some alterations to my version. We decided that Funi had attacked and killed the assistant, hurling him into a deep shaft, so I killed Funi, and that became our story. But I digress into obscure details."


"I don't mind," Seth said. "It's interesting."


"I used my counterfeit key to visit Nagi Luna from time to time. She taught me what I needed to know to overthrow the preserve. And she made me into a shadow charmer."


"You're a shadow charmer?" Seth exclaimed, rising to his feet.


"There are not many of us, Seth. In fact, you and I may be the only ones who remain. My abilities as a shadow charmer, and the alliances Nagi Luna helped me forge, proved essential to my taking over Living Mirage and eventually uncovering the Font of Immortality."


"I'm evil," Seth said numbly, plopping back down on his cushion.


"We're not evil," the Sphinx said.


"Demons are evil."


"Yes."


"Where is Nagi Luna now?"


"Still down in her cell, hemmed in by her ring of constraint. I can't release her yet."


"Why not? Aren't you the guy who wants to release all the demons in Zzyzx?"


The Sphinx sat down beside Seth, his wrists resting on his knees. "Here is what I have learned, Seth. Here is what life has taught me. The best way to avoid being the slave is to be the master."


"Okay ... that kind of makes sense."


"You believe that I hate you. That I hate your grandfather."


"Seems that way."


The Sphinx furrowed his brow. "You must understand: I do not view Stan Sorenson as my enemy. He is merely my opponent. I like your grandfather. He is a good man. And he is an obstacle. I have to best him. We do not see eye to eye on the opening of Zzyzx."


"You keep getting people killed," Seth said, sick of his enemy's pretenses.


The Sphinx sighed. "I go out of my way to avoid killing those I respect, including you and your sister. But yes, this is a bloody business, and sometimes people have to perish. To be honest, in the end, if killing Stan is what it takes to open the demon prison, I will kill him. He would do no less in order to stop me. This is not because I hate Stan, but because he stands in opposition to my cause, and I believe in my cause."


"Releasing demons? You admitted they were evil!"


"Zzyzx cannot stand forever," the Sphinx explained. "That which has a beginning must have an end. When wizards try to make anything permanent, it becomes brittle, fallible. Invincibility is impossible. Attempts to attain it always fail. So instead of creating an impregnable prison, they created a nearly impregnable prison. That made the prison as strong as possible, but it also means that eventually somebody will open it. I have spent my long life preparing myself to be the right person to release the demons on strict conditions, and rule over them. Heed my words: With or without me, eventually that prison will be opened. Where others would fail and unleash ruin upon the world, I will succeed. In time, I will use the power of my position to reinstate balance in the world so magical creatures won't have to cower in preserves and prisons. By virtue of my position, I will use evil to bring about good."