Eden's Jester by Ty Beltramo Read Free Book Online Page B

Diomedes now has no assets. To top off the madness, Diomedes, perhaps the smartest Engineer in existence and one of the few who, I’m told, actually trusts you, manages to get himself captured and imprisoned by Aeson, who believes Diomedes is lying about his assets and claims to hold him outside my domain until he makes restitution.  
    “Thought, in my domain, with its leader and assets gone, is crippled. I can’t have that.” He stepped right up to me. Our noses almost touched. He frowned.  
    “Elson, I can’t prove you were behind all this. I can scarcely believe you are even capable of planning such a scheme, let alone executing it. So, Elson, what should I think?”  
    He was within arm’s reach of me, and Rolic and Apolik were suddenly at my elbows. I could feel the power building within him. He wasn’t going to attack. He was just making sure I didn’t try to make a run for it. Probably.  
    “I didn’t set up Diomedes. He’s my friend. I have many hobbies and vices that you don’t approve of, but I don’t screw with my friends.” I said. Even though I was on the hot seat with Melanthios, I was worried about Diomedes. How could he have been captured by a rat like Aeson?
    “Are you sure Aeson isn’t right, that Diomedes didn’t try to scuttle his plans?” I said.
    “I don’t believe in coincidences, and Diomedes’ assets being destroyed at the same time means there’s more to it than simply Diomedes opposing Aeson in a concrete way.”
    Aello spoke up. “Diomedes would never destroy Thought assets, nor would he willingly harm humans. He’s a decent person. Decent . Shall I spell that for you, Elson?” I was beginning to like her. “Besides, simply killing Aeson’s operatives is an imbecilic way to oppose him. Diomedes would never be so crass in his plans. When Diomedes acts to oppose someone, he is careful and subtle. He wouldn’t have done anything to implicate himself.”
    “Really?” I said. “So what were his motives for publicly opposing Aeson in the first place? If he was so sneaky, as you suggest, why not just withhold his blessing and work behind the scenes? It seems odd, don’t you think?”
    “Diomedes is honorable, Elson,” Melanthios said. “He tries to avoid intrigue as a waste of energy, if he can. He really cares about this world, Elson. He’s not like so many of us who have forgotten what it’s all about. He’d do anything to protect it. But hypocrisy isn’t in his makeup.”
    “Which is why it is so strange that he would befriend the likes of you,” Aello said.  
    I tried to look insulted.
    “So, right now, as we sit here together enjoying a nice cup of coffee, our friend and ally, Diomedes, is in the hands of a Chaos power, who is certainly attempting to persuade him, without gentleness, to contribute to Chaos Thought assets. Fortunately, Diomedes is very powerful and will be difficult to influence—at least for a time,” Melanthios said. This was going to end badly, I could see. “We cannot act overtly, even if we knew what to do, as things are escalating to an uncomfortable level. The last time things were this tense between Law and Chaos we had the Dark Ages.” He paused and looked at Aello. “If we act covertly, and agents of Law are discovered, things will escalate further.”
    Aello said, “We can’t leave Diomedes all alone. It would be wrong and dishonorable, not to mention strategically unwise. Diomedes is our friend. We have to help him.”  
    “True.” Melanthios put his hand on my shoulder. “Elson, I’m going to regret this. But I have to send you.” I felt a slight tingling in the core of my being. Melanthios was doing something to me. But before I could react, it was gone, done.  
    I looked down and saw that my clothes had changed. Gone were my jeans and tee shirt. In their place was a black suit similar to Rolic’s, white shirt and all. I noticed the pants were about two inches too short. Dang it!  
    I looked up. “You’re