Chapter 354 - 347 — The Sovereign’s Summons

The demon waiting outside Varekh’s chamber entered as soon as the kharos stepped out from the opened door.

"My lord. The audience array has awakened."

Varekh looked up from the reports spread across his desk.

"Whose seal?"

"The Sovereign’s."

The attendant lowered his head.

"You have been commanded to appear."

Varekh set down his pen. Beside his hand lay the accounts from the tollhouse, the dispatch concerning the Hellmaw guns and the latest measurements from the anchor chamber.

He took only the measurements.

"Who is tending the array?"

"Two adepts from the Obsidian Spire."

"Have everyone else leave the chamber."

The attendant bowed and hurried ahead.

Varekh followed him down the passage beneath the western command tower. Guards stepped aside as he approached the sealed doors at its lower end of the passage. Beyond the gate, a circular chamber had been cut into the dark stone, its floor engraved with rings of tightly interwoven runes.

Six pillars surrounded the central circle. Black crystals set into them glowed from within, and a narrow line of crimson light travelled repeatedly around the outermost inscription.

The summon was still active.

One of the adepts approached, keeping his eyes lowered.

"The receiving formation is prepared, my lord."

Varekh handed him the record from the anchor chamber.

"Place this within the viewing circle."

The adept laid the sheets on a low stone stand inside the runes. His companion adjusted the crystals in two of the pillars, drawing their light toward the center.

Varekh stepped onto the marked stone facing them.

"Begin."

The adepts pressed their palms against the pillars. Power entered the inscriptions, filling each carved line until the separate rings shone as a single formation.

Above the central circle, the air darkened.

The image of a distant chamber emerged slowly: a broad stair, pillars disappearing into shadow and a high-backed seat occupied by an armored figure. The projection steadied as the array connected with its counterpart.

Varekh lowered himself to one knee.

"My Sovereign."

The figure’s gaze settled on him.

"Report on the shield."

Varekh raised his head.

"We have drained roughly half its reserve."

For a moment, the only sound came from the crystals sustaining the connection.

"The latest reading?"

"Approximately fifty to fifty five percent remains. The attendants have repeated the measurement and compared it with the preceding records."

The Sovereign looked toward the sheets within the viewing circle.

At Varekh’s gesture, the adept turned the uppermost page.

Rows of measurements filled the parchment. Each had been recorded after the array’s pulse settled, when the attendants could distinguish a lasting loss from the shield’s immediate response.

The Sovereign studied them before speaking again.

"It continues to replenish itself."

"Yes. The shield still draws power. During quieter periods, its reserve can recover slightly, but it is losing more than it replaces over the full interval."

"And the barrier?"

"Intact."

"Any opening?"

"None that can be maintained."

Varekh paused, then continued.

"The remaining reserve is still sufficient to sustain the rejection field and close disturbances along its surface. We have reduced the power available to it, but we have not yet forced it into the recharge cycle."

The Sovereign rested one hand against the arm of his seat.

"Then the array is performing as intended."

"Yes."

"Has the drain been interrupted?"

"Not for a sustained period but the battlefield supply rises and falls. The anchor core gathers the incoming power, and the array continues working between the larger surges."

Varekh indicated the lower portion of the record.

"Here. The western bombardment ended before the fighting at the canal began. Intake fell, but the drain continued."

The Sovereign examined the marked interval.

Varekh remained on one knee. He had stood over commanders who could barely speak in his presence, and he had argued with Kharos without lowering his eyes. In this chamber, he waited until the figure above the circle returned its attention to him.

"Does the Alliance know?"

"They have made no attempt to reach the chamber."

"That was not what I asked."

Varekh chose his next words carefully.

"MyLord,I cannot confirm whether they have detected the loss elsewhere. On Avarra, their attacks remain directed toward the districts, roads and anchor fields they already contested. We have seen no movement suggesting they know where the draining array is housed."

"And your precautions?"

"The lower passages remain under guard. Access is restricted to the attendants and those carrying my seal. Work on the captured relay network is conducted beneath the existing structures."

The Sovereign glanced toward the adept standing beside the records.

"Who examines the concealment wards?"

"The Spire’s adepts," Varekh answered. "Their inspections are recorded separately."

"Bring those records into your next report."

"I will."

The adept bent his head farther.

A faint vibration travelled through the floor. Somewhere above, another siege engine had fired. The sound scarcely reached the underground chamber, but Varekh felt it through his knee.

The Sovereign noticed his brief glance toward the ceiling.

"Is the anchor position threatened?"

"Not directly. The Alliance still holds the eastern approaches, and the wider front remains contested."

"Can you maintain that?"

"Yes. Though there has been a development among their infantry."

The Sovereign waited.

"The Alliance has begun deploying new weapons. Ordinary soldiers are using them to strike our formations at range. Some produce sustained fire. Others launch explosive rounds capable of disabling a Warhound."

Varekh drew a measured breath.

"Our latest assault suffered heavier losses than expected. Kharos is reorganizing the surviving formations, and we have ordered an examination of—"

"Leave the weapons to Kharos."

Varekh stopped.

The Sovereign’s expression had not changed.

"Your concern is the shield."

"The weapons may affect our ability to sustain the fighting."

"Then give him the support needed to hold the front and add more canon fodder."

Varekh looked up fully.

"There is another consideration. If their infantry can repel attacks with less assistance from their casters, the amount of magical power released may fall."

"Has it fallen enough to interrupt the drain?"

"Not in the readings we have completed."

"Then report it when the measurements change."

The dismissal was plain.

The Sovereign leaned forward slightly, bringing his face closer to the light of the distant chamber.

"You have clan lords to command assaults, forge masters to examine weapons and Kharos to deal with the difficulties they cannot resolve. I placed you on Avarra to oversee this project."

"I understand."

"Your next report will tell me how much reserve remains, whether the shield is recovering faster, and what is interfering with the drain. I do not require an account of every weapon the Alliance carries to its walls."

Varekh bowed his head.

"As you command."

The Sovereign settled back.

"What does Kharos intend?"

"He is awaiting the arrival of new field guns before committing another major assault. In the meantime, pressure continues elsewhere along the front."

"Will his preparations halt the supply to the array?"

"No. The other engagements remain sufficient to sustain it."

"Then let him prepare."

Varekh considered the measurements on the stand. The order left him room to act, but little room to excuse a failure. If the weapons eventually reduced the intake, it would be his task to compensate before the drain weakened.

"The anchor core must remain in our possession," he said.

"Can you defend it?"

"Yes. I will retain the required forces around the approaches."

"Do so. Districts can change hands. The array must remain operational."

One of the crystals gave a low, strained note. The adept nearest it shifted his hands, correcting the flow until the Sovereign’s image steadied.

Neither of the figures within the audience acknowledged him.

Varekh lifted the final sheet from the stand.

"The attendants have also cautioned against treating the remaining reserve as a simple measure of time."

"Explain."

"The shield is still responding to the drain. Its recovery varies with the pressure applied. We have removed roughly half the reserve, but that does not establish that half the work is finished."

The Sovereign regarded him for several breaths.

"Do you believe I summoned you to hear a convenient estimate?"

"No, my Sovereign."

"Then continue measuring it. When its behavior changes, I expect to learn of the change from you."

"You will."

"Can the present drain be increased?"

"Not safely on the basis of today’s readings alone. The Spire’s attendants must examine what the anchor core and the array can sustain together. Forcing more power through the formation without that examination risks damage."

"Have them conduct it."

Varekh inclined his head.

"Maintain the current drain while they work," the Sovereign continued. "Any proposal to alter the principal array is to be submitted before it is attempted."

That, at least, was clear. The Sovereign wanted the shield weakened faster, but he would not permit an ambitious attendant to destroy the means of doing it.

"The examination will begin immediately."

The Sovereign glanced once more at the records.

"Half its reserve remains."

"Yes."

"Then you still have work to do."

The image dissolved before Varekh could answer.

Light withdrew from the central circle and returned to the pillars. The distant chamber vanished, leaving the low stone stand and the sheets of parchment beneath it.

Varekh rose.

Both adepts kept their heads lowered.

"Collect the records," he told them. "The concealment inspections are to be brought to me before the next watch ends."

"Yes, my lord."

"And summon the chief attendant to the anchor chamber."

Varekh left them to close the formation.

At the outer door, a waiting messenger straightened.

"Lord Kharos asks whether you wish to attend the inspection when the new guns arrive."

"Tell him to proceed with his officers. Send their findings to me afterward."

The messenger bowed.

"Anything else, my lord?"

"His preparations may continue as agreed. Any movement that affects the approaches to the anchor fields is to be reported before the troops are withdrawn."

Varekh descended farther into the captured relay network.

The passage opened above the great anchor chamber. Power moved through channels cut into the walls, gathering beneath the turning rings of the draining array. Attendants watched from protected platforms while others recorded the intervals between pulses.

At its center hung the pale image of the shield.

Its surface appeared whole.

The chief attendant met Varekh at the lower stair, still carrying the slate on which he had been writing.

"My lord?"

"The present operation continues. You will assemble the Spire’s senior adepts and determine whether the drain can be increased without endangering the formation."

The attendant looked toward the turning rings.

"We will need the original design records and the measurements from each collecting channel."

"You will have access to them."

"And permission to adjust the array?"

"You have permission to examine it. Bring me your findings before making changes."

The attendant bowed.

Varekh walked to the edge of the platform.

Above them, the armies continued their struggle over Avarra. Kharos would inspect his guns. The Alliance would repair its defenses. More troops would enter the contested streets, and more wards would rise over them.

Here, the attendants waited for the next settled reading.

A surge entered from the western channels. The anchor core brightened, feeding the rotating rings. A dark current passed from the array toward the pale projection, and the shield’s light briefly diminished.

The nearest attendant reached for his slate.

Varekh held out his hand.

"Bring that reading to me when it settles."

This time, he remained in the chamber to receive it.