“It will take maybe an hour to make enough to cover the ceiling above the harmonizer. Or rather, where the harmonizer was. Then it will spread rapidly. You should probably warn the city. It won't hurt anyone, but it will be startling.”
“I'll have the announcements made immediately.” He turned to leave the room but paused in the doorway. “Sevi.”
I smiled at his use of my private name. “Yes?”
“Thank you for your tireless work.”
I lost my grin, eyes blinking back an unexpected moisture. “You're welcome, Fen.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
A crowd gathered beside the collapsed bridge. The announcements had been made, and the citizens of Eberein were there to witness the end of the rot that had nearly consumed their city. Although they must have been eager, they only looked wary. I didn't blame them. A pile of their belongings stood to one side, touching the fallen bridge's foundation. I was hoping the purge would spread through them, saving me from administering another dose.
Also there, in thick chains, were the surviving Imago sorcerers who had started the rot and the human magic-user, Theodore. I think Falken wanted the people to place the blame properly this time. If the purge went badly, we could throw the sorcerers at the people and run.
Ignoring the somber crowd, I went down into the old facility with King Falken and his Dragon knights. All but the one knight who stayed to guard the prisoners, that is. There was also a unit of Talons and one of Horns in attendance, but they stayed above ground. Falken didn’t trust anyone but his knights and me to handle this.
Down to the lowest level we went, boots crunching on silver. It was lucky that the lights had survived. Resonant enchantment loops did not power them, and they hung from the ceiling on chains that kept them out of the path of the rot. Ithelped that they hadn't been used in years and therefore gave off no resonance. Now, however, their light shone off silver, making it feel brighter than day.
The harmonizer was gone, no trace remaining. It would have to be replaced once the purge had done its job. But at least Sconheit wouldn't lose all its advancements, nor would we have to purge the entire kingdom. Only Eberein had been infected.
“Right here, please.” I pointed at the spot the harmonizer had been in—the only clean piece of floor. I needed to ensure the correct placement to properly apply the reagent.
The knights had carried my supplies down for me. They set everything where I asked and withdrew to stand by the King. I crouched to unwrap the bottles and pour their contents into a large wooden vat. The liquid wasn't the purge reagent but a catalyst to turn the reagent into a gas. It would be easier than trying to paint the ceiling with the purge. Once the vat was half full of the catalyst, I opened the trunk that held the bottles of purging reagent.
Looking over my shoulder, I said, “Remain still. It should eat the rot beneath your feet, but it won't touch you. However, if you run and fall, you may get the rot on your skin, and when the purge eats it, it will not be a pleasant sensation.”
The men nodded and ground their boots into the mounds of silver to get as close to the floor as possible.
I uncapped the bottles first and then quickly poured them into the vat. It started bubbling immediately, but I had enough time to get up and back away to stand by Falken. Moments later, the bubbling became columns of gas that violently burst from the vat to coat the ceiling. It soaked into the Silver Rot andturned it black. The blackness spread across the ceiling rapidly. Then the black flaked away to fall like dirty snow and revealed steel panels.
I held up a hand to form a shelf over my eyes, protecting them from falling flakes as I watched the purge shoot across the room and down the walls. But even as they fell, the black snow disintegrated into nothing. I lowered my hand as I turned to watch the rot crumble down the walls and then dash across the floor. The knights went still, watching the mounds of silver vanish beneath them.
I motioned to the knights even as I stepped carefully to the left. “As soon as the purge clears the floor near you, step onto the cleared spot.”
They all stepped to the side, black dust rising with their boots. Then the King strode across the clean floor to watch the purge climb the stairs. Once the stairwell was clean, we went up a floor. In seconds, the purge cleared that room. It was gaining speed.
Cries came from above. The King jogged to the next stairwell, the rest of us on his heels. We came into the top room and found it clean, so we raced out the door. Once outside, I pulled up short, a sigh escaping me. I hadn't expected to see much, but the rot had many narrow pathways throughout the city—a web of transport. That web went dark as it died, lines showing up starkly against pale stone before vanishing.
The pile of infected belongings was already clean—undoubtedly the source of the crowd's awe. It was working. The citizens of Eberein went silent as the purge spread through their city, and when the purge moved out of view, every gaze went to the sky. The King had stationed watchers at four points aroundthe borders of Eberein. They were to launch enchanted arrows, each one to explode with a different color. Even the sorcerers were silent as they waited to see if the purge would work.
A shower of red exploded in the sky to the west.
No one moved.
An explosion of blue appeared in the east.
The tension rose.
Then a yellow cloud burst in the southern sky.
One more to go. The Dragon King took my hand, and we turned to face the north. I glanced at him, and he nodded with a small smile. He had faith in me. That made me lift my chin as I stared at the expanse of blue above us.
Green burst in a joyous cloud, and the crowd erupted with it. The sound of their joyous cries and applause blasted my ears. As I cringed, the King pulled me into his arms and kissed me. In front of everyone. I should have pulled away. I certainly shouldn't have enjoyed a public claiming. But I didn't pull away, and I did enjoy it. My heart was light, and Falken's kiss felt perfect. It wasn't a claiming. It was a celebration. I felt his joy pour through me, and when he eased away, he took my hand and drew me before the crowd.
“We are free!” The King shouted, lifting my arm with his.
The people cheered.
