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The Sphinx pulled aside a tapestry, opened a hidden cupboard in the wall, and reht, pearly spiral of a unicorn horn, although this one was er than the horn he had recovered fro ste enamel A sturdy base was attached to the other end

"That’s the Font of Immortality?" Seth asked

"I can’t prove it in the short teroblet once a week, you will stop aging"

"Is that a unicorn horn?" Seth asked

"You’ve seen one before," the Sphinx recognized "You needed it to enter Wyrmroost What you handled was a first horn This is the third and final horn of a unicorn" The Sphinx replaced the artifact in the cupboard and inclined his head toward the desk "Unlike the Font, if you touch the Oculus, you will instantly experience its authenticity"

"I’ll take your word for it," Seth hedged

"Sit," the Sphinx invited "I did not mean to disturb your comfort" Seth complied The Sphinx remained on his feet "I can do no more to persuade you of my sincerity It will be up to you to believe or disbelieve, as you choose Understand, I have concealed myself for centuries The only way to really keep a secret is to tell no one But er a secret It is merely history You will never escape here with this inforer have a motive to lie"

"How did you find this preserve?" Seth asked

"I did not find Living Mirage Living Mirage found me"

"Is that supposed to be a riddle?"

"As a child, I was brought here as a slave"

Seth frowned "That’s horrible Where were you from?"

"Ethiopia"

"The caretaker had slaves?"

The Sphinx started pacing "This was long ago Not all caretakers were good h their labor, those who ran the preserve lived like kings No, like tyrants The preserve was deadly Slaves were eh-risk duties

When they died, it was not considered a loss of life, just a depletion of resources"

"I can see how that would ht child and a hard worker I realized that, given h diligent obedience to my masters The slaves who resisted were punished and ended up with dangerous assign

"I went out of my way to be the ideal servant Many of the other slaves despised nized, my work took me indoors My masters never loved rew older, I became an administrator Head slave, if you will

"What uess, was that I was the e Deep down, beneath the pleasant demeanor and quiet competence, in the invisible self that nobody kneas a rebel to the very center Furious Aeful But I was a patient rebel I watched I listened I learned I plotted I did not want to rebel in some symbolic way I had no interest in a futile act of defiance that would lead to my destruction I wanted to turn the tables on reat power in harboring a single goal With my words and actions, I excelled at hts I planned ht opportunities for e I required I learned that Living Mirage was a secret preserve, known only to a few outsiders That was iht have a chance to truly take ownership of the preserve, to hide my victory from possible external enerew What if I could destroy e, and then live forever? That would be vengeance indeed

"I was a young adult when I first learned of e, perhaps the i Luna The demon resided inside a Quiet Box in the lower extreurat"

"What’s a ziggurat?" Seth interrupted

"A huge old temple, a step pyramid"

"Step pyramid?"

"We’re in one now A terraced pyramid Picture a pyramid that recedes a little at each new level" The Sphinx pantoo on" Seth reconsidered the rooht, the walls were i Luna was kept in the bottoh a hatch in the ceiling Only the chief jailer and the head caretaker had a key that could open it Months after learning the location of Nagi Luna, I received the task of punishing an elderly slave, a man called Funi I clearly remembered Funi from my childhood, a crass character who ular duties included supervising the slaves assigned to labor in the vast dungeon below the great ziggurat In the course of those duties, I had forged a relationship with the chief jailer He was a hard, private ive Funi a scare by taking him down to the catacombs where the undead were housed The key to those catacouished

"The jailer should not have let that key out of his possession But nobody could iine me as a threat In addition, the jailer dislikeda scare as Funi He knew that it was possible I would have an accident that could cost ine the uppity slave getting huo anywhere near the undead prisoners As I had expected, he lent the key to his assistant and ordered hiht Funi, and, with the assistant at eon When we reached the door to the catacolehold until he passed out Then I eon, until we reached the lowest cell I opened the hatch, lowered the assistant jailer into the room with a rope, ordered Funi to climb down, then climbed down myself

"Who did you put into the Quiet Box?" Seth asked breathlessly

"The assistant," the Sphinx said, his voice becoreatest risk I have ever taken, even though a ring of constraint surrounded the Quiet Box"

"Ring of constraint?"

"Aas the Quiet Box It essentially i Luna was permitted to roam, a steel circle on the floor with a thirty-foot diameter"

"Kind of like the area at Fablehaven where Graulas lives," Seth said "Or where Kurisock lived"

"Much like that," the Sphinx agreed "But considerably stronger I made Funi put the assistant jailer into the Quiet Box while I watched fro It took soed to place the unconscious body inside and close the door The box turned slowly The instant the Quiet Box opened, Funi turned and attacked ood Yes, before stepping out of the box, Nagi Luna took instant control, and Funi cah I was ready for such an eventuality, having retained the assistant jailer’s truncheon, the vehemence of the assault nearly overwhelht with inhuth and ferocity, heedless of injuries By the tinizable"

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