“We blow the mines,” Emre said calmly. He was on the verge of exhaustion, as he teetered too close to the edge, but he couldn’t pull back. Not now, not when they were so close.
“Blow the mines?” Cadrianna said, aghast. His wife toyed with the steel dagger the color of ebony. “You can’t be serious?”
Lojen shifted upon the bench. The aetheric rounds had gone clean through the meat of Lojen’s leg. He readjusted the bandage, wincing as he tied it anew. “I’m all for taking Lu Har down, Emre, but blowing the mines seems foolish at best, erratic at worst.”
He sounds just like you, Tevun. “Aethecite is the only reason the Fallen maintains his power in the Imperium. Without it, he is weakened. He touts his strength. That fountain of liquid aethecite is a mockery. All of Drenth is held ransom by it. No, all of the Mistlands. We must take the fight to him. If we do it correctly, once Lu Har is defeated, we can reopen the mines our way. Drenth can reclaim what is theirs by the Pentax.” He glanced at his wife, unsaid words passing between them. Steel it, Benld. “How is he doing it, Cad? The liquification of aether?”
The former scourge shook her head, her grip on the black blade tightening. “I knew nothing about this.”
“Pffft,” Finn murmured. There was still tension brewing between Finn and Cadrianna. Their unsaid battle over one man’s heart. “Even bedfellows speak of mundane things after… well, you know.”
Cadrianna grew rigid and the room edged closer to the precipice of violence. Emre reached over and placed a restraining hand upon his wife’s. She instantly cooled. If they survived what was to come, he best come up with a godsdamned good plan so he can navigate these treacherous rapids.
“It doesn’t matter,” Emre said. “Ultimately, this is a new wrinkle, nothing more.” He gave Finn a silencing glare. “The plan was always to bring Gargantua down, freeing Drenth from the Fallen’s vice. The tethers are no more; Gargantua is a wounded beast. You saw it listing badly. We’ve succeeded in getting Lu Har’s gaze on us. Val’s treachery will sting him, especially sting Solanine. They'll come straight for us. Now we must finish it.”
“Whatever you say, love,” Finn said. “Until the end.” The elfir chuckled softly, his silvery mane falling over his eyes. “Reminds me of the talk you gave Keph right before the meeting with Ness, eh?”
Emre scratched at his forearms. Don’t push it, Finn. “Well, not exactly. That is why we cannot let the Fallen leave the desert.”
As if on cue, an aerescreen on one of the walls flickered on, runic static silencing the group as Lu Har’s face appeared, the runes of Aere pulsing bloodred. Same as the Fallen’s normally perfect visage, as it was now bloodstained, and here was no mistaking the threat in those all-onyx eyes and the venomous smile. Solanine stood in the periphery with shadows of red eyes. Daemons.
“Emre Benld, I should have known this would come to end at the Temple of Mother Marrow. You’ve hidden the Godsblood long enough. You’ve taken the only leverage over a ruthless killer.” He was speaking about Cadrianna. “No amount of aetheurgy can stop the wave of death that is coming at my feet. You’d be wise now to give in before it washes you away.”
“You hold no power over me, Lu Har,” Emre said. “You are but scabs that will soon be ripped free. The Pentax has chosen Their next warrior, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.”
Solanine let out a chilling laugh from behind the Fallen, the shadowed daemons shifting. “Your pathetic Godsblood is weak. She will wilt under the Fallen’s mere gaze. And you think Zenith chose her, Zenith is a lie.”
“If that is certain, then why has she evaded everything you’ve thrown at her?” Emre said proudly. “You fear her, fear the power she wields. Aetheurgy of the Soul. You cannot hide from it.”
“There is only one path. And that is death.”
“I do not fear Death, Fallen. I eagerly await the end, for when it comes, I will go to my rest knowing that you are no more. That Drenth is free. And my daughter will be the architect of Eminence’s revival.”
“You will not live long enough to see Eminence reopened, Emre Benld. And your wife will reap the betrayal she has wrought.”
“You know where to find us, Lu Har.”
The aerescreen went black.
A sullen silence fell upon the room. Cadrianna stared at the blackened blade with a scowl. Lojen toyed with Tevun’s horns. Wick was chewing on an apple pilfered from the miner’s storeroom. The bikrome sat quietly upon the table, legs crossed under her layered dress, hands clasped together almost as if meditating. Finn was pacing back-and-forth.
“How are we supposed to blow the mines?” Lojen asked after a while.
“You’ve caused enough trouble today, Emre.” His wife placed the blackened blade upon the table. “We have probably only a matter of minutes before they get here. There’s no way we have enough time to plant more bombs.”
“No, you’re right, Cad. We don’t have that kind of time,” Emre admitted. “It’s a good thing we planned for that and have already planted the bombs.” He grinned. “We just need to arm them.”
“I told you to trust Emre, Lojen,” Wick said around the large chunk of apple he sawed off with his elongated front teeth. The drakken merely shook his head in amazement. Wick tossed the apple core over his shoulder before reaching into his tunic to pull out a map of the mines. “Here, Em.”
“Thanks.” Emre eyed his wife. “Cad, you feeling up to prowlin’ the dark?”
“But what about Gargantua?” The skeptical woman before him made him smile. Cad had always been a skeptic.
“Lojen’s sister made sure we still had some firepower left in the tank.” He gave the surprised drakken a wink for he knew Lojen was upset he had kept Ruane’s task hidden. Using everyone, that’s what he had to do to win. No matter what. “We just need him away from the city before we push that button.”
Cadrianna stood, sheathing the black blade, his answer apparently satisfying. “You keep Lu Har busy.”
“I’ll go with you,” Val said. “Finn and I will watch your back.”
“I’ll do no such thing,” Finn argued, pouting. “I go where Emre goes.”
“No, Finn,” the bikrome said before Emre could speak, “you will come with me. Emre has his own path to tread. We must still get to the Golden Throne. Should we fail here, we cannot let Lu Har raise more daemons. Men we can kill. Daemons will be much harder.” Finn appeared ready to say something else, but the bikromi seer shushed him. “This is the Pentax’s way, brother-friend. Trust in the Pentax. Trust in Emre.”
“Now, Lojen,” Emre said, satisfied that Finn wasn’t going to fight it, “I want you to come with me. We’re going to the Temple of Mother Marrow.”
The drakken’s snouted face drooped. “Why would we need to go there? I dropped the Seal back on Gargantua.”
Emre placed a hand upon his bicep, warm humir flesh upon cold draconem scales. “The Seal was never meant for you, Lojen. The Pentax has seen fit to ensure you dropped it in your flight. That means you weren’t meant to bring it here. Who are we to argue Their actions? Now, it’s time for you to accept the power of Tevun. And, ultimately, of Justice.”
Still, the drakken didn’t look too pleased, but he sighed. “Okay, Emre. I go where my ward demands.”
Emre glanced at the lapin. “Wick, get the truck started. Lojen, go with him.” The pair nodded and left the mess hall. To Val, “There might be something around here more comfortable than that dress.”
The bikrome gave a slight smile. “Wouldn’t want to ruin it any further, eh? You know how my brother-friend feels about fashion.” She lifted the many pleats and slid off the table. “Cadrianna, if you please, you seem to understand the concept of comfort.”
His wife had a perplexed look upon her face, then a grin split it. “I do, don’t I, Strix?” She didn’t seem to realize the name she spoke. It must be the name of the daemon. It saddened Emre to think how long she’d been bonded to a creature of the void like that.
Val, ever taciturn, grabbed Cadrianna’s hand, pulling her further into the building, but not before giving a slight nod to him.