do anything you don’t want to do. The choices you make must be your own.”
George rolled his eyes. “Really? Stop being condescending, and get to the point already!”
“I apologize. How would you like to become as powerful as Amar?”
From within his home on Ancients Sovereign, Lasidious stood next to the green flames that burned inside his cube-shaped fireplace. The god stared at the vision of George that was presented by the blaze and listened as the human responded. “Well, duh, of course, I do.”
Satisfied with George’s reply, the Mischievous One responded by speaking into the flames. “A person’s soul doesn’t immediately leave their body when they pass. This presents you with an opportunity. Under the right circumstances, the power a soul possesses can be acquired before it leaves to find its home inside the Book of Immortality, and only the most ancient of elves on the world of Luvelles know this.”
“Alright ... so you’re saying I can hijack Amar’s soul. That’s kind of cool, but what do you mean by ‘under the right circumstances?’”
Lasidious chuckled. “You would need to kill Amar in order to take his power.”
“Sweet. I’m down with that.” A smile appeared on George’s sleeping face. “I have to admit ... I’m glad Amar’s ass is expendable. I didn’t want him in my circle anyway.”
“Your response pleases me,” Lasidious replied, “but there’s a process you must follow, and you cannot divert from it, or Amar’s soul will depart for the Book before you can harvest his ability.”
“So what do I got to do?”
“You must be an artist.” Lasidious waited for a response.
George rolled his sleeping eyes. “Drop the drama, man. I’ve asked you to get to the point twice already. Tell me what I need do, and I’ll go drop his ass.”
Lasidious was surprised at how cold George had become since his arrival. Now that the human had taken life, he seemed to love the rush. The god knew George was only loyal to those he truly cared for, and this made the human the perfect machine to do his dirty work. Without these loyalties, George would not have the support he needed to complete the tasks that Lasidious intended to assign. He was happy about his choice to bring the Earthling forward.
“I’ll tell you everything you need to know, George, but it might be more than you can handle.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. If this is what it takes to get my Abbie back, then I’m game.”
Lasidious smirked. “This is the only way to ensure you won’t be stopped by Amar’s magic. The addition of Shalee’s power would make him the ultimate force on all of Grayham.”
“How in the hell did Shalee get her power in the first place?”
“I don’t know, George, but does it matter?”
“I suppose it doesn’t.”
“Your love for your daughter is strong...”
As George listened to what Lasidious proposed, it did not take long before his facial expressions showed his disgust. “Are you kidding me? My hell, man!”
The conversation fell silent as George continued to digest everything Lasidious had said, and the Mischievous One allowed the Earthling the moments to think.
Eventually, George broke his silence. “You have one sick-ass mind, Lasidious. What you want me to do is repulsive. You can’t really expect me to do that. I mean ... so what if Amar’s power goes with him? He won’t be a threat any longer, and that solves the problem.”
Lasidious sighed. “George, you’re smarter than that. I told you Shalee is a dominant force. If you’re not able to command significant magic of your own, you’ll lose the battle with the Kingdom of Brandor. She’s one of many people who could destroy you without Amar’s magic. His power can make you nearly unstoppable on Southern Grayham. Once Amar understands he can dominate without you, you’ll be a waste of his moments. He won’t just go away ... he’ll get rid of you.”
“I see your point, but what you’re asking me to do is not my idea of a delicacy. Hell, I don’t even have a bottle of wine to chase it down. This is some kind of Silence of the Lambs garesh, Lasidious.”
“George, as always, your references to your movies of Earth are intriguing, but you need to be serious. You’ll need to keep Amar from speaking his words of power, and perform the task while he’s still alive.”
“What do I look like, Lasidious, some kind of Dr. Frankenstein? Even if I could do it, how will I keep him from dying from shock?