Tinkermage (Book 2) by Kenny Soward Page B

who enjoys his daily death and destruction. No one has gotten close enough to him to dare ask his true agenda.” Seether cleared his throat. “I believe there could be another possibility.”
    “What?” Dale and Niksabella asked simultaneously.
    “I believe he wants to enter the Crux, the mysterious center of our universe. I believe he wants to become… a god. ”
    Nikselpik glanced at his sister and then gave her a second look. She was slumped in her chair, her expression drawn, worried. He could practically hear the thoughts whizzing around inside her head.
    “In any case, my world was one of the first.” Seether paused, his smile gone wistful, his pale eyes far away. He sighed that wheezing sigh of his, and then continued: “I escaped, and, to shorten a very long tale, ended up on the stonekin world of Rockholm, where I lived among them as far as my decrepit body would allow. Such a rugged, unforgiving place, Rockholm. I thought I’d be safe there, but the Baron followed me, bent on catching me and putting my gate-weaving abilities to use. I was able to avoid capture with the help of the stonekin. The rock folk even held off the Baron’s forces for some time, retaining their independence for a decade or two. But the Baron’s scryers pecked at the stonekin people, buggering their dreams and turning them dark. The Baron didn’t use force against the stonekin as much he poisoned their minds until one of their own betrayed them and stole their sacred Stone of Life, turning it over to the Baron, selling them all into enslavement.
    “And then the Baron made the stonekin fight his bloody wars.
    “For my part, I remained hidden, shielding myself from his scrying eyes, for I knew how to protect myself. Having a rebellious disposition by this time, I created portals for the stonekin to travel to other ultraworlds to help them find a way to shake free of the baron’s yoke.”
    “But you said they were under the Baron’s control.” Dale had walked around the table to stand, arms crossed, behind Flay and Terrence.
    Seether chuckled, a tortured sound. “The Baron does not know all the secrets of the Stone of Life. Stonekin figured out how to get away, albeit for short periods of time, in order to undermine the Baron’s plans. Still, many have perished. And stonekin do not easily reproduce. It may take a hundred years to fully form a newborn.”
    The weight of the story was not lost on Nikselpik. Even as Seether told the tale, he found himself thinking of Jontuk. How the rock giant had first come to him in the Magi Den one evening, a huge figure amongst the den’s tortured souls. How he’d made his offer to trade Nikselpik anything within reason for information he could retrieve about his sister’s device. Of course, Nikselpik had named one thing he didn’t think Jontuk could get. Bugs. And lots of them. Yet the giant had returned with a container of them, frozen, fresh and ready to use. He’d readily agreed to provide Jontuk information about his sister’s invention. What was the harm?
    From then on, he’d worn the container of frozen bugs on his belt, not realizing just how much he was accelerating his addiction, betraying his sister’s trust, and failing to really help Jontuk and his people. It’s a wonder he didn’t smash you into the ground. But where is our stony friend now?
    Etty tapped his mug on the table, pinning Seether with his doubtful eyes. “None of this explains why you’re here.”
    “Indeed. It does not. Well, not readily. Allow me to officially declare I have come to your world with a powerful stonekin named Jontuk to seek help from you. We were sent by a gnomestress, one of your very kind.”
    “Very nice,” said Brit, licking his fingers. “An official declaration makes it official.”
    Etty shushed Uncle Brit and glared at Seether. “A gnomestress, you say? Pray tell how? We gnomes do not travel to ultraworlds. At least not Hightower gnomes. It is a violation of our