“Now put it on.”
With trembling fingers, I undid the clasp and then fastened the chain around my neck. When I was done, he nodded, his shoulders loosening, and then tucked the necklace into my shirt.
Clearing my throat, I turned around. Orro's eyes crinkled above his mask. The idiot was grinning at me.
The King stepped up beside me and waved his knights forward. “Inspect the second stairwell.”
The Dragons already had light tubes in hand, and they marched across the crunchy floor without hesitation or any sign of instability. Hud and the horns pulled out of their way, eyes wide. The knights were indeed impressive—a line of ten Dragons wearing leather armor and swords on their belts, with massive, muscular physiques and enough difference in coloring to satisfy anyone's tastes. They didn't fear the rot. They probably feared nothing, which I thought unwise. Even a Dragon could be killed. I watched them enter the stairwell, their light lingering to shine on the silver walls of the passage.
Falken and I joined the others at the entrance to the stairwell. After a few minutes, a knight called up that it was safe to descend. The King went first, and I followed, trying to peer around and then under his broad shoulders. Light haloed him, coming from below. The air smelled metallic, and it got colder the deeper we went.
The King stepped out of the stairwell and kept going. I got a glimpse of a silver room, and then I stepped out of the stairwell to follow Falken. As I came abreast of him, I spun in a circle to take it all in. The rot was so thick there that silver hung from the ceiling like stalactites and mounds of it rose from the floor like strange statues. I wound around the formations as the others came into the room, making sounds of awe and fear. And then I heard a whirring.
I went toward the sound, stopping just behind the semi-circle of Dragon knights, and gaped at the thing taking up most of the end of the room.
“What the fuck is that?” Orro's voice came from behind me.
“The source,” I whispered.
Chapter Thirty-One
Before us, a gigantic machine loomed, making growling whirs as if trying to warn us off. Steel formed the whole machine, with pipes poking from its top like spiky hair and dials on its side displaying strange symbols. It was barrel-shaped and stood on a frame of steel posts. It was also untouched by the Silver Rot. And yet, the rot stemmed from it. I was certain.
As our team joined us, the machine growled louder, reaching a crescendo upon which steam burst from the pipes with a menacing hiss.
“Get back!” I shouted as I yanked the King away from the thing.
Everyone stumbled back and ducked. I watched the shimmering steam, afraid it would fall like rain and infect us. But it went straight to the ceiling, and the rot absorbed it. Nothing was wasted. Everything taken. Then a glow spread from the insertion point, out over the ceiling and down the walls. The floor glowed under our feet, the rot that we'd crumbled under our boots repairing itself. A glowing pulse radiated from the insertion point like ripples across a pond, the light continuing up the stairwell and out of the room.
Searching for victims.
“Holy fuck,” Orro whispered. Then he jerked. “Leera!”
“She's fine.” I held up a hand. “Don't worry. I believe it's moving through the stone. She's well beyond the bridge, safe with the workers. The living is not its target.” I turned back to the machine. “But go, Orro. I'm sure you'll want to make sure she's alright.”
Orro, calmer, nodded and headed for the stairs.
“What is this thing?” Falken asked.
“I don't know, but it's old.” I peered at the writing next to a panel with buttons. “Oh, dear Gods.”
“What is it?” Falken looked over my shoulder. “Harmonizer? What does that mean?”
“Magical fields emanate from every magical object. With all the advancements here, it created too many fields. They disrupted each other.”
“Disrupted?”
“Destabilized. The enchantments eventually failed. I recall reading about it in a history book. They made the harmonizer to stabilize the magic. It balances the fields.” I shook my head. “I was indeed wrong, but not entirely.”
“This is the source of the rot?” The King straightened.
“Yes. It affected the resonant enchantment loops first because they have the most powerful magical fields. But it won't stop there. Once it consumes those, it will spread to every magical item in the city.”
“Oh, fuck,” a knight whispered.
“What do we do to stop it?” Falken moved to inspect the machine. “Can we clean the harmonizer?”
“No, I'm afraid it's lost, Your Majesty. The only way to save the city is to shut it down. Then we'll have to destroy everything infected.”
