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"Harmless A tiny, toothless, hairless, hunched old woman, no taller than my waist Her purple skin drooped in moist creases A white chain led from a manacle on her ankle to a stone tablet inscribed with arcane characters, which she dragged along behind her As her lipsto lureof constraint When I refused, she spoke in her actual voice, co her invitations I explained my situation She explained her hatred of her confinement We decided to help one another"

"What did she do?" Seth wondered

"First she asked to see the key to her cell After I held it up, she crouched, scraped together dirt from the floor, and transformed it into an exact replica of theof constraint, and I removed it with the truncheon Then she produced a needle, spat on it, and gave it to me in similar fashion She explained that whoever I pricked with the needle would die the followingconversation In the end, I climbed out of the cell, hauled the remains of Funi up, and returned to the jailer"

"You left the assistant in the Quiet Box?"

"Correct"

"How did you explain that?"

"With a fabrication I said the assistant jailer had joined us in the catacoainst a cell door, and that the wraith inside had devoured him, body and soul I explained that I had killed Funi as punishment I had the needle ready, but there was no need to use it that day The chief jailer wanted to cover up his injudicious sharing of the key, so we made some alterations to my version We decided that Funi had attacked and killed the assistant, hurling him into a deep shaft, so I killed Funi, and that becaress into obscure details"

"I don’t "

"I used i Luna froht me what I needed to know to overthrow the preserve And she made me into a shadow charmer"

"You’re a shadow char to his feet

"There are not many of us, Seth In fact, you and I may be the only ones who rei Luna helped e and eventually uncovering the Font of I back down on his cushion

"We’re not evil," the Sphinx said

"Dei Luna now?"

"Still down in her cell, he of constraint I can’t release her yet"

"Why not? Aren’t you the guy ants to release all the demons in Zzyzx?"

The Sphinx sat down beside Seth, his wrists resting on his knees "Here is what I have learned, Seth Here is what life has taughtthe slave is to be the master"

"Okaythat kind of makes sense"

"You believe that I hate you That I hate your grandfather"

"Seems that way"

The Sphinx furrowed his brow "You must understand: I do not view Stan Sorenson as randfather He is a good man And he is an obstacle I have to best hi of Zzyzx"

"You keep getting people killed," Seth said, sick of his eneo out ofyou and your sister But yes, this is a bloody business, and sometimes people have to perish To be honest, in the end, if killing Stan is what it takes to open the demon prison, I will kill him He would do no less in order to stop me This is not because I hate Stan, but because he stands in opposition todemons? You admitted they were evil!"

"Zzyzx cannot stand forever," the Sphinx explained "That which has a beginningpermanent, it becomes brittle, fallible Invincibility is impossible Atte an inable prison Thatas possible, but it also means that eventually so ht person to release the demons on strict conditions, and rule over them Heed my words: With or without me, eventually that prison will be opened Where others would fail and unleash ruin upon the world, I will succeed In time, I will use the power of ical creatures won’t have to cower in preserves and prisons By virtue of ood"

Seth lowered his face into his hands "Let’s pretend everything you’re saying is straight froht person to open the prison? Wouldn’t it be safer to try to ets opened?"

"Only in the short term," the Sphinx said "Eventually, even if it is well beyond our lifetimes, the prison will be opened It is inevitable And if the prison does not open on my terms, it may well mean the end of the world"

"But you can’t live forever," Seth said "Even with a Font of Iinning has to end If you release the derinned "Good thinking I will live as long as I can But if a full week ever passes without a sip from the Font, I turn to dust No iven infinite time, that will eventually happen Which is why I doone It is all part of my plan"

"Grandpa Sorenson doesn’t trust that you’re the guy to do this And neither do I"

"Which is your right, and his," the Sphinx acknowledged "I would not trust anyone besides ht not trust randfather, why I sireeet that he’s right, don’t you? You get that you’re overesti yourself, that the demons will trick you or overpower you? If you succeed in opening Zzyzx, you’re going to destroy the whole world!"

"I have confronted these doubts and overcome them," the Sphinx said calmly "I have prepared I am certain I have been a slave, Seth As master, I will release the prisoners and create a world without slaves"

Seth shifted on his cushion There was so about the Sphinx’s expression, an overzealous-ness "Here’s what I don’t get: if you open Zzyzx, when do you get to negotiate with the de power?"

"A reasonable concern There is a time before the prison fully opens when coree to ate I am fully prepared to walk away, and they will know this, and so they will compromise"