Moving with a speed that put Devona to shame, Baron caught her hand by the wrist before she could get a grip on Osseal. She tried to pull away, but Baron held her tight, his face showing his futile internal struggle to resist Osseal's commands. Under Henry's control the celebrated Sixth Lord had become nothing more than an organic machine, performing whatever tasks he was told to.
Henry became calm again, and when he spoke his voice was filled with so much satisfaction, he nearly purred. "Nice try," he said.
I blew it, Devona thought to me.
Stay sharp, I thought back. We may get another chance. Since no other course of action presented itself, I decided to keep Henry talking.
"If you hate Baron so much, why keep him alive? It's not like you need him to run the city, once your takeover is complete. Unless the job is more than you can handle on your own."
Henry chuckled. "It appears you're not as intelligent as I gave you credit for. I don't care about taking over the Foundry or ruling Nekropolis. My plan has but a single, simple aim." He looked at Baron with loathing in his eyes. "To ruin everything he's worked for. That's why I'm using Osseal to control only Victor's creations. I want the blame for the rioting to fall squarely on his shoulders. And after the events of this night, the name of Victor Baron will be reviled by the citizens of Nekropolis. The Foundry will be shut down and Victor will be hauled off to Tenebrus. He'll go quietly and he'll make a full confession as well." Henry grinned as he reached up to tap the bone flute embedded in his chest. "I'll make sure of it."
"Speaking of Osseal, how did you learn about it in the first place?" I asked.
"The same why I learned about the mark on your hand and what it can be used for," Henry said. "Research. Since my resurrection I've spent every spare moment I've had searching for ways to increase my knowledge of the reanimatory arts, hoping to find any scrap of lore that I might be able to use against him. Victor's business relationship with Lord Edrigu helped a great deal. I've accompanied Victor to the Reliquary on several occasions, which familiarized me with the layout of Edrigu's stronghold. And whatever information Edrigu didn't readily supply, I discovered on my own through one means or another."
"And you had your plan all worked out," I said. "Except for one little detaiclass="underline" you didn't have someone who possessed Edrigu's mark."
"That's right. Edrigu's mark is only given to the dead, and the majority of them exist in semi-insubstantial states that made them unsuitable to my purpose. But then I saw your interview with Acantha, and I realized that after all these long years I'd finally found what I'd been looking for. Someone dead, who possessed the mark, but whose form was solid enough for me to use."
"So you dispatched two of your best Bonegetters to cut off my head and bring my body to you here at the Foundry. Seems like a lot of trouble to go through to get the mark. Why not just have them steal my hand?"
"That would've been more convenient, wouldn't it?" Henry said. "Unfortunately, the mark's magic is what's required, and that suffuses the entire body of the mark's bearer." He smiled. "A precaution of Edrigu's to prevent anyone from simply cutting off some dead being's hand and using it to gain entrance to the Reliquary. Fortunately, the magic remains functional so long as the majority of the body is intact. After all, the physical dead are known for losing bits and pieces of themselves, so it's rare to find one that's completely whole."
"What did you do once you had my body?" I asked. "Stick some kind of control unit on it and work it remotely like some kind of machine?"
"Nothing so crude," Henry said. He pointed to a fresh looking scar on his neck. "We work wonders here at the Foundry, you know. With Burke and Hare following my expert guidance – and while Victor was preoccupied elsewhere with his latest pet project – I removed my head and my assistants transferred it to your body. They drove me to the Reliquary where I used the mark on your hand to gain entrance. I stole Osseal from around Edrigu's neck, departed and Burke and Hare brought me back here. They returned my head to my own body and then took yours to the Sprawl for disposal. I supposed I could've had them destroy it here, but I didn't want to risk there being any evidence at the Foundry that a forensic sorcerer might be able to discover."
He smiled. "You can't imagine how amused I was when Ms. Kanti called and asked if we could reattach your head. The irony was simply too delicious to deny you, and as extra amusement I got to watch Victor put you back together, all the while being completely unaware that it was your body which served as the instrument of his ultimate downfall. And having you restored provided a useful distraction. Your arrest, incarceration and subsequent escape from Tenebrus kept the authorities occupied while I implanted Osseal in my body and learned how to use it."
All the pieces had fallen into place, but there was still one thing I didn't – couldn't – understand.
"How can you resent Baron so much?" I asked. "Isn't it the hope of every parent that their children one day surpass their achievements? I'd think you'd be proud of him."
Henry's face clouded with anger and he leaned his face close to mine as he shouted, "This misbegotten piece of stitched together filth is not my son!"
Henry had moved in close in order to yell in my face, giving me a chance to grab Osseal. I managed to wrap my fingers around the bone instrument, but I didn't have anything close to Devona's strength, and when I pulled, the flute didn't tear free.
Realizing what I was up to, Henry snarled and shoved me back. He gave no obvious command to Baron, but the man lashed out with his free hand and struck me a solid blow. The impact sent me flying and I heard numerous bones snap as I hit. I immediately got to my feet, though my broken body didn't want to obey me, and once I was on my legs, they wobbled as they struggled to support my weight. My jaw felt loose, too, but I was still able to speak well enough.
"From where I stand, Frankenstein, the only piece of filth in this room is you."
Henry's face turned purple with rage, but when he spoke, his words were measured and precise. "Your amusement value has run out, I'm afraid, Mr. Richter. I'm going to use Osseal to force you to stand still while Victor rips you to pieces." He smiled coldly. "But I'll allow you to retain control of your mind, just as I have with Victor, so you'll be aware the entire time. After all, I wouldn't want you to miss your own dismemberment."
Osseal's song seemed to swell louder then, almost as if it was coming from inside my ears. I could feel its power pressing against me, but try as it might, it couldn't overcome the spirit of the Loa inhabiting Papa Chatha's necklace, and my body remained mine to command.
Henry frowned. "Something's not right." He shrugged. "Well, no matter. It's not as if you have anywhere to run, is it?" He turned to Baron, and when he spoke next, his voice was cold as arctic ice. "Tear him apart."
I hope Baron would let go of Devona in order to fulfill Henry's order, but instead he picked her up and hurled her toward the flesh wall. She flew across the room and slammed into the wall, but before she could bounce off, the veins in that section of the wall wrapped around her like swollen, throbbing tentacles and held her fast. I understood what had happened. The fleshtech in the room had been created from reanimated tissue, and was therefore just as susceptible to Osseal's influence as any of Baron's other creations, and it was under Henry's control.
Baron turned and started walking toward me. There was no hesitation in his motion, but his gaze was sorrowful, and I knew that what Henry had said was true. Baron was fully aware of what he was being made to do, and though he fought against Osseal's power, he had no choice but to obey Henry's commands. I felt sorry for Baron, but not so sorry that I intended to let him reduce me to zombie nuggets. I drew my. 45, took aim at his head, and started firing.