"...the eastern seal is failing faster than projected," Rel was saying. "The Queen’s swarm has breached the outer chamber. If they reach the convergence point before the ritual completes, everything we have worked for will be lost."

"The Queen will not breach the inner sanctum." Orath’s voice, through Rex’s mouth. Flat. Confident. "The Conclave Arcanists below have been containing her for three centuries. They will contain her for three more hours. They are close, Commander. The harvest is nearly complete."

"Three centuries." Rel’s voice was bitter. "And now, when we are so close, the surface is lost. The demons are pouring out faster than we anticipated. The Conclave’s timeline did not account for the... intensity of the eruption."

"The Conclave’s timeline accounted for everything except the pyramid’s resistance." Orath paused, "But all of this has been accounted for, and we just need to keep the passage open for the Arcanist below to finish their work."

My head began to buzz... Were arcanists here? And the fact that it seemed the pyramid had not been opened today, but three centuries ago, today just turned out to be the day when everything was coming into place.

I suppressed the chill in my heart as I focused on the words that were coming from these two, but because of being distracted by my thoughts, I had missed some of it.

"—won’t survive a third opening." Commander Rel said, "I have watched it since the second layer. The tremors are worse. The left hand stopped answering this morning. You are running a chariot on a wheel that is already cracked."

"The wheel will hold." Rex’s voice replied, "It will hold because it must. There is no second vessel more suitable than this body at the moment, and the Conclave will not ship one across the ocean inside the window we have left. The bloodline is rare for a reason, Commander. Compatibility is not a thing one orders by the crate. These noble families are a disgrace, answering the Aldran name, yet so few hold his bloodline." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"Then we are gambling the... the Master’s ascension on a sixteen-year-old’s failing flesh."

"The Master?" Orath said, and then he laughed, "The master was alive when the Dragon God fell. Do you understand what that is? To stand at the top of the world for ten thousand years. For him, there is nothing new under the sun, and whatever happens on this day, whether we know it or not, all falls under his will, and we are just his servants. Do not doubt him again, or your harvest would not just be sweet, it would carry thorns as well."

I heard a long sigh, and I froze, trying to keep my heartbeat slow and steady, afraid that they would hear it, although they seemed to be focused on other things and were waiting.

"My job is to ensure that this part of the operation goes smoothly, so I must ask questions, even uncomfortable ones." Commander Rel said, and Orath laughed in the voice of Rex.

How could he have the heart to laugh in a time like this?

"There is a reason I selected you for this role, Commander. You can ask your questions until you are satisfied. If we succeed, then by this time tomorrow, you will be an Arcanist, and the journey to higher positions will be open to you."

There was a long pause, and then Commander Rel spoke, "The demons, their progress worries me."

"The demons are fuel. Nothing more, all biomass for the harvest. When the Arcanists below are done with the harvest, they will consume them, and what remains will be ash." Orath’s voice was almost reverent. "For now, they serve a much better purpose."

The foghorn sounded again, but inside the pyramid, the sound was more vibration than sound, and I had to stop myself from falling to the ground as my body felt as if it were being shaken to pieces. The old Elric would have collapsed here, but I was built with sterner stuff.

"Ah, they are working faster than expected. The third seal has been broken; four more are left until everything falls into place." The joyous voice of Orath reached me.

There was silence for a while, and I was beginning to think that they would no longer speak again when the voice of Commander Rel sounded, and even from here, I could hear the hint of worry inside them.

"The eastern reach is already gone," Rel said. "The defenses we have in place are being attacked from three fronts. The Aldenmere Academy has sent three of their Regiments over, with three Arcanists. It would not be long before the full scale of the eruption is discovered. Two hundred Adepts have perished in the last few minutes alone. They cannot mount a proper defense because the demons are attacking them from behind."

"I am aware of the casualties, Commander."

"I am not talking about casualties." A scrape of metal, her, leaning on something, or against it. "I am telling you the cost so that you tell me, once, plainly, that the Conclave has weighed it. My unit is on the eastern front, and they are being slaughtered."

"The Conclave," Orath said, and Rex’s voice did the small pleasant thing it always did when it was about to say something monstrous as if it were a remark about porridge, "weighed it before the expedition left the harbour. You misunderstand the arithmetic if you think the eruption is the price. The eruption is the second prize. The Master ascends, and in the same stroke, the only rival continent loses its Academy, its eastern bloodlines, and a generation of mages it has not finished training. We do not pay for this with Aldenmere. We are paid in Aldenmere. The demons are not the cost of the deal, Commander."

A long pause, "I should check the perimeter and see the progress the demons are making." Commander Rel said, and I straightened, expecting a fight to break out soon if she saw me, but Orath spoke out,

"No, don’t leave this place at this time. You will find nothing outside this place but death and madness. This vessel will hold the gate open until the harvest is completed. After that..." A pause. "He will not be needed, but it is important that this process is not interrupted."

"Oh, are you saying this just to keep me by your side, Orath? Do you fear being alone in this place?"

"Ah, I just realized that your husband, Rok, is the Commander of your unit. I mourn for your loss, Rel."

"Do not say his name, Orath, or I will pull out your tongue. You do not need it for the Ascension ritual."

"Then don’t leave my side."