Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(28)

Seth lowered his face into his hands. "Let's pretend everything you're saying is straight from the heart. How can we possibly trust that you're the right person to open the prison? Wouldn't it be safer to try to make sure it never gets opened?"


"Only in the short term," the Sphinx said. "Eventually, even if it is well beyond our lifetimes, the prison will be opened. It is inevitable. And if the prison does not open on my terms, it may well mean the end of the world."


"But you can't live forever," Seth said. "Even with a Font of Immortality. It breaks your rule that everything with a beginning has to end. If you release the demons, what happens when you die?"


The Sphinx grinned. "Good thinking. I will live as long as I can. But if a full week ever passes without a sip from the Font, I turn to dust. No matter what precautions I take, given infinite time, that will eventually happen. Which is why I must set up a system, a kingdom, a new order, that can persist long after I am gone. It is all part of my plan."


"Grandpa Sorenson doesn't trust that you're the guy to do this. And neither do I."


"Which is your right, and his," the Sphinx acknowledged. "I would not trust anyone besides myself to do it, so I can understand how others might not trust me. This is why I don't hate your grandfather, why I simply view us as being in a state of disagreement."


Seth balled his hands into fists. "You get that he's right, don't you? You get that you're overestimating yourself, that the demons will trick you or overpower you? If you succeed in opening Zzyzx, you're going to destroy the whole world!"


"I have confronted these doubts and overcome them," the Sphinx said calmly. "I have prepared. I am certain. I have been a slave, Seth. As master, I will release the prisoners and create a world without slaves."


Seth shifted on his cushion. There was something disconcerting about the Sphinx's expression, an overzealous-ness. "Here's what I don't get: if you open Zzyzx, when do you get to negotiate with the demons? Once they're out, where's your bargaining power?"


"A reasonable concern. There is a time before the prison fully opens when communication will be possible. If they will not agree to my terms, I will close the gate. I am fully prepared to walk away, and they will know this, and so they will compromise."


Seth studied the Sphinx suspiciously. "How much of this is Nagi Yoma's idea?"


"Nagi Luna. It was her aim from the start, from our first conversation, to eventually free herself and the other demons."


Seth sat up straight. "Then how do you know she didn't trick you into feeling so confident about it? How do you know she didn't brainwash you?"


"I have done all the research myself," the Sphinx said. "It has taken many lifetimes, but I am sure of my course."


Seth shook his head. "How much do you rely on her?"


"Very little, although more lately than in a long while. She is the key to my use of the Oculus."


"You have her look for you?"


"No. Your sister inspired my method. When Kendra gazed into the Oculus, she found a mentor who helped her awaken from the seeing trance. She claimed it was Ruth, but I believe she was fibbing. At any rate, Nagi Luna is extremely clairvoyant, although within her prison her sight is limited. When I need to awaken from gazing, I look to her, and she brings me back."


"You trust her that much?"


"Insofar as our goals remain aligned."


Seth filled his cheeks with air and blew out slowly. "So this is what the guy who will destroy the world looks like."


"After I succeed, Seth, I will be generous to those who doubted or opposed me. When I speak of a world without prisoners, that includes you and your family."


"Sounds like a good policy. Why not start right now?"


The Sphinx smiled enigmatically. "Some ends are worth enduring any means. For now, hostages, deceit, treachery, and even killing are tools to accomplishing the greatest good for the greatest number. For the moment, Seth, you are in the way. A devoted member of my opposition. Hopefully, after I establish my new order, we can work together. You can help me manage my empire, and I can help you achieve your potential."


"We can sit around and talk to zombies," Seth mumbled.


"Don't undervalue your gifts," the Sphinx chastised. "Mr. Lich is probably the most powerful viviblix in the world. He can create and control undead servants. But he cannot hear their thoughts, their voices."


"I guess I should count my blessings," Seth said dryly.


"You have not yet understood the advantage of that gift. The undead feel utterly alone. Their communication with each other is limited or nonexistent. They have no communication with the living. But with you and me, they can sense our minds, as we can sense theirs. We become a link to life, and they would do anything to preserve that link."


"I've had strange creatures offer to serve me," Seth admitted.


"Creatures who would serve no other man would serve us. Commanding them must be done with caution, because any of the undead can turn on you. But whereas, at his best, Mr. Lich can issue simple commands to zombies, we can employ wraiths, shades, phantoms. Demons and their kind will pause to hear our counsel. The undead can supply us with knowledge. And that is only one aspect of our powers."