Dearest Mother of Mine (Overworld Chronicles) by John Corwin Page A

eyebrow. "You think it'll work?"
    He shrugged. "It's worth a try. That way we can set a timer and be far away before it blows."
    "But if it causes another backlash," Bella said, eyes horrified. "What will happen to the babies? What if it husks them again?"
    Shelton opened his mouth, probably to offer some heartless comment, but shut it again. "We'll figure something out," he said after a pause. "Maybe our reptilian pals here will see clear to let us evacuate them."
    Bella gave Shelton a stern eye. "No blowing things up until the babies are safe."
    He put up his hands in surrender. "Hey, I ain't no baby killer, woman. Sheesh."
    "I don't think this place ever had an Obsidian Arch," Elyssa told me, returning from a walkabout. "I looked for rubble, or even the broken remains of a column, but the slab is smooth."
    "So the creators relied on the smaller arches," I said. I sighed. "I'd really like to know who made this place. What if they're worse than the angels?"
    "Then they're worse," Elyssa said. "For now, we have to worry about the clear and present danger."
    "And learn how to speak leywormese," I added.
    She smiled. "That too."
    We herded everyone back to the control room, with Elyssa batting away any stray cherubs wandering across our path.
    Shelton glanced back at the yellow glow in the center. "I wonder how long it takes to process a cherub. The one that thing ate earlier still hasn't come out."
    "I find the entire process extremely disturbing," Meghan said. "Eating those disgusting husks and regurgitating a baby seems incredibly unnatural."
    Nobody disagreed.
    Once back inside the control room, we studied every inch of the place, but came no closer to finding out how to turn on the lights in the main cavern, or how to make the Alabaster Arch do what we wanted.
    "Maybe we should recruit an operator," Adam said. "At the very least, they could tell us how to turn on the lights."
    "Sounds like a plan to me," Shelton said. "Jeremiah Conroy was using the operators at Queens Gate and the Grotto to figure out how to use the smaller arches." He looked at me. "Maybe our Darkwater creds will still hold water with them."
    I raised an eyebrow. Jeremiah was using an Arcane company named Darkwater to explore dangerous relics like Thunder Rock. Shelton and I had masqueraded as employees to glean information from arch operators. "I dunno. Sounds risky."
    He shrugged. "Hey, what's the worst that can happen?"
    "An awful lot," I said.
    Adam chuckled. "Are we going to kidnap one? Or go through the process of vetting someone so we can trust them." He motioned around us. "True, they may know about these control rooms, but the babies out there are complete game changers."
    "Of course we'll vet them," Shelton said, blowing out a breath. "It's about time we brought in an expert, for crying out loud. I don't know jack about traversion theory."
    Adam raised an eyebrow. "How do you suggest we go about it?"
    "I dunno yet." Shelton pursed his lips. "Let me think about it."
    I looked at the still-open portal back to the mansion. "I wonder if the omniarches here work, just in case we lose the connection back home."
    "I'll put that on a list of things to test," Adam said, pulling out an arctablet and tapping on it.
    Cinder, who'd been inspecting the Alabaster Arch, approached as we discussed plans. "Justin, I think I will remain here and survey the cavern. Perhaps I should also attempt to establish communications with the leyworms."
    "Be careful," I told him. "I don't want them to mistake you for a hostile gray man."
    "I believe the smaller leyworm now recognizes me," he said. "Hopefully this will prevent an attack."
    "Okay. I'll close the portal behind us. If you need us to open it, call, okay?" Arcphones used ley lines for a wireless signal, so contacting us shouldn't be an issue.
    "I will, Justin."
    The rest of us stepped back through the portal to the mansion.
    After disconnecting the arch, I walked upstairs after the others. My mind still reeled from