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“I guess he’s the one promising you an immortal life if you can’t create a successful god elixir in time.”
Edmonds allowed himself a small smile. “It’s in my contract.”
So Edmonds used Magnarella and his legally binding agreements to his advantage. Nicely done.
“How do you intend to wipe people’s minds without the baku?” I’d killed the rare creature myself, so I knew it was no longer an option for the lab.
“We’re developing an alternative method, one that doesn’t require a supernatural creature.”
“Brain transplant?”
“Something far less intrusive.”
He was playing coy. That was fine. I didn’t need to know the particulars because I had no intention of letting his experiment progress that far.
“You must have a team in place. Where are they now?”
“Working remotely today. Mr. Magnarella thought it best to keep our meeting private.” He spread his arms wide. “What would you like to know first? I have a wonderful array of potions that I purchased from a shaman in Nevada.”
Right now, I was more interested in the boy than his toys. I wanted to understand his relationship to the supernatural world in the hopes of figuring out how to appeal to his better nature, assuming one existed.
“When did you first discover the existence of gods and otherworldly creatures?”
Edmonds seemed taken aback by the question. “Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. I feel like most people in the know have a story about where they were and what they were doing when their worlds got rocked.”
Edmonds gazed at the blank wall. “It was my great-grandfather who introduced my family to the hidden world. He was a deminer during World War I.”
I wasn’t sure where this story was going, but he had my attention.
“He was considered expendable and was sent to clear areas of explosives.”
“That sounds terrifying.”
“I’m sure it was, but that wasn’t the focus of his story. He was far more interested in what he discovered.”
“Obviously not explosives or he wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale.”
“Oh, but he did, you see, which is how he came to learn of the existence of elves. He was left to die alone on that Belgian hill. It was a moss maiden that saved him and nursed him back to health. He should’ve died, but the elves altered the course of his life. He returned home completely healed. It’s the reason my grandmother became interested in science at a young age, and then my father—to see whether humans could replicate some of the elven qualities.”
“Sounds like you were destined to study science.”
“Oh, yes. Science and bioengineering form the backbone of my family.”
“Must have been a fascinating home to grow up in.”
The edges of his mouth tightened. “If you were an experiment, yes. If you were one of their children, there were certain expectations.”
“You’re the youngest?”
“Worse. The middle.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“I watched my older and younger siblings outperform me in school and then university. My parents offered the carrot and not the stick, but even so, their love and validation were tied to performance.”
“Which meant less parental attention for you.”
