Keys to the Demon Prison (Fablehaven #5)(58)

"You're going to open it in the past?" Kendra exclaimed, horror seeping into her voice.


"That would be convenient," the Sphinx said. "Unfortunately, the masterminds who engineered Zzyzx did not design it with convenience in mind. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Chronometer will not transport objects into the past, and the other keys are required to open the prison, so opening the gateway in the past is impossible."


Working at the problem, Kendra scrunched her brow. "So you'll go back in time to the day the chamber was open, enter it, then return to the present and use the Translocator."


The Sphinx beamed. "Very good, Kendra. That was quick. Since the Translocator can take me anyplace I have been, it should provide easy access. My expectation is that I will then be able to open the stone chamber from the inside."


"Doesn't sound too hard," Kendra lamented.


"It is only the beginning," the Sphinx said. "A virulent plague resides inside the chamber. After we enter it, we will have to get back to the present quickly to be healed by the Sands of Sanctity. Then, in the present, I will use the Translocator to transport some seeds inside. The plants that sprout will scrub the air and eradicate the plague."


"Wait a minute," Kendra said. "Before any of this, won't you have to get to Shoreless Isle? You'll have to go back in time from there, right?"


The Sphinx grinned. "One of the benefits of a long life. Mr. Lich and I are perhaps the only living men who have visited Shoreless Isle. The Translocator will take me directly there, along with the Chronometer and the Sands of Sanctity."


Kendra sipped some pear juice. "The five artifacts are also actual keys?"


The Sphinx nodded. "They are actual keys to the great door of Zzyzx. But they all serve dual purposes. Access to the great gateway would be impossible without them."


"I get the purpose behind the Chronometer, and the Translocator, and the Sands of Sanctity," Kendra said. "What else does the immortality artifact do?"


The Sphinx held up a finger. "I believe it is an item of practicality. The Font of Immortality enables a mortal to live long enough to solve this gigantic puzzle."


A realization struck Kendra. "And it lets you live long enough to go back in time far enough to get inside the chamber."


"Or to live long enough to wait for it to open again," the Sphinx added. "Kendra, if this were a job interview, I would hire you immediately."


"I'd have to turn you down," Kendra said. "What about the Oculus?"


"In many ways the Oculus is the most important item," the Sphinx said. "It helps locate the other items. And it will help me track down the Eternals."


Kendra had been hoping he might not know about them. She decided to play dumb. "Eternals?"


"Five mortals who must be killed before Zzyzx can be opened," the Sphinx explained. "I have already found and eliminated two of them."


"You have!"


"I found one before I had the Oculus. I eliminated another recently. Without the Oculus, finding them all would be nearly impossible."


"So once the Eternals are dead ..."


"Once the title eternal no longer applies to them, and once I have access to the chamber and have scrubbed the air of disease, I must only wait for the morning after a full moon to insert the keys and set the gateway ajar. Then I will negotiate with Gorgrog the Demon King. If he will not heed my terms, I will not fully open the door. He wants out. He will eventually agree. And a new age will dawn."


"And the name of that age will be The End of the World."


Smiling sadly, the Sphinx shook his head. "No, but it will be the end of prisons, and the end of inequality."


"Honestly, I hope you're right. Because I don't see how anyone will stop you. I'd take just about anything over the end of everything."


"Relax, Kendra. I have the minutia figured out. All you need do now is wait. Have you any other questions?"


Kendra plucked a grape and popped it in her mouth. "My brain is fried. I can't think of anything."


"Have you eaten your fill?"


"Yeah, I guess."


"Then the hour has arrived for you to become acquainted with your new accommodations. I will try to put you someplace where you may cross paths with your brother. I'm afraid the comforts are few, but unless I am mistaken, your stay will be brief." The Sphinx clapped his hands, and four armed guards came out onto the balcony.


"Don't do this," Kendra sobbed, surprised at the sudden surge of emotion. "You can still stop all of this. You should be protecting these artifacts, not using them."


"Be still," the Sphinx said. "I cannot be swayed. Do not waste your energy. I am fortified by the power of certainty."


A guard helped Kendra to her feet. "I hope somebody stops you," she said.


The Sphinx poured himself some pear juice. He took a sip, swallowed, and then spoke gently but firmly. "Hope for something else."


Chapter 13 A Promise Kept