Aria, when Dorian killed Loreign, her mantle fell upon you. No pretender to the Throne could command its powers, access its systems and controls. In Dorian’s moment of near victory, he failed. The Throne remained a cold, lifeless chunk of metal as he sat down, not activating as it would for the true monarch.


    And though it breaks my heart, Aria, you understand why I must not search you out. When the time is right, you will return to Erod, and take up your rightful place. I will be here, waiting for you.


    “Korel!” Dorian screamed, his voice echoing through the empty hall. “Korel!”


    Pattering footsteps preceded a dark robed warlock, small and insignificant against the majesty of the hall. A few lesser warlocks filed in behind Korel, but they knelt as they entered, not daring to approach the throne.


    <hr>


    Elion and Keyla sat in the tower workshop. Keyla held a portable screen, and Saint Hendreston’s Complete Compendium of Ascendency Paths and Guide to Praxian Systems lay open on a workbench nearby.


    Gorman had gone back to the bridge, making his final preparations for the assault on the Shard.


    Keyla pulled up the KUD, or Kylios Universal Database on the screen, and navigated to the entry for ‘False Sentinel.’ A brief description, along with a list of several entities appeared.


    Skimming through the list, opening likely entries, Keyla searched for anything resembling the pale yellow crystal Elion had found in Gorman’s safe.


    Elion sat at the transmission station, muttering to himself as he asked Praxis what various knobs and switches did, trying to figure out how to get a message to Zev.


    “Here’s something,” Keyla said, pulling up the entry. “Festris. He was a Heranan Cultivator, who became obsessed with decay; molds, parasites, and funguses. He developed breeds of mushrooms that would bend the will of people around him.”


    “Like a real person?” Elion asked. “He really lived, or it’s just some kind of legend?”


    “All the Sentinels were real people,” Keyla said. “The True Sentinels created the Ascendency Paths that guide their followers.”


    “How did they become Sentinels?”


    “Dedication and excellence,” Keyla said. “They fought against the Tephalians, and gained access to Praxis. I think the Throne might have something to do with it as well.”


    “You said Festris used mushrooms to bend the will of people around them?”


    Keyla nodded.


    “Something seems to be controlling the infected,” Elion said. “I played a game once where a fungus infected people and turned them into zombies. But that doesn’t explain the Shard.”


    Keyla shrugged, turning back to the book and paraphrasing. “Festris was eventually killed for casting a spell over a whole town, forcing them all to do his bidding, slaving away to make a kind of yellowish crystal. It was known as a Festris Shard. Look.” She pulled up a picture.


    Elion looked and saw an image of the small yellow-green crystal he took from Gorman’s vault.


    “Is Gorman controlling the infected then?” Elion asked.


    “I don’t think so,” Keyla said. “He seems as upset about them as everyone else. If he could control them, then we could just lower the bridge, right?”


    "That makes sense,” Elion agreed. “Maybe something happened, and he’s using Festrin power to fight against it.”


    “Maybe,” Keyla said.


    They locked eyes.  She doesn’t believe that.


    “Does this mean that Gorman is definitely following the path of a false sentinel?” Elion asked, producing the crystal from his pocket.


    “He must be,” Keyla said. “You are only rewarded with Ascendency Stones through displays of excellence respected by the Sentinel. If Gorman has as many as you say he does, he must have developed significant skill in Festris’s power.”


    “Okay,” Elion said. “That confirms it. Let’s call Zev.”


    He sat down at the transmission station, and pulled on the headset and helmet.


    Again he stared at the controls, trying to remember what Gorman had done to use the transmitter. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. He needed Praxis to help him.


    ‘Help me please,” he muttered under his breath. When no help appeared, he tried again. “How do I use this?”


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Instructions appeared once more in his view, and Elion decided that this might be one of the more useful features of Praxis. Did this count as a translation?


    “You’ve never used this before?” he asked Keyla.


    “Nope,” she shook her head, walking over to stand behind him. “I’ve seen Gorman using it but I have no idea how it works.”


    Elion and Keyla spent the next few minutes trying to understand the labels Praxis gave to all the switches and buttons, then adjusted the settings to attempt contacting a single individual through the Aurelian Communication Network.


    “Gorman said something about it drawing a lot of power,” Elion said. “Is that going to be a problem?”


    “It might be,” Keyla said. “The Threnody Core has been weak recently. Acting up ever since…” A look of realization spread over her face. “It’s related,” she said. “Gorman has been using Festrin power to run the Threnody Core. Ever since that Shard appeared, the Core has been acting up. Modules have been malfunctioning. And it’s been getting worse.”


    “Is it going to be a problem?” Elion asked again.


    “If you strain the modules too much, you might blow them out. It can cascade; as modules blow out it puts more stress on the other ones.” She walked over to stand beside Elion. “This is the power relay.” Keyla reached up and grabbed a lever. “I can shut the whole thing off with it.”


    “Okay,” Elion said, tapping his fingers anxiously. He activated the transmitter and adjusted a few of the settings.


    As before, when Gorman had helped him to locate Zev, Elion tried to focus on his uncle. He hit the transmission button. His heart pounded in his chest.


    “Keep watch for Gorman,” he said to Keyla. She nodded, but stayed by the relay switch.


    The machine hummed, and the lights in the workshop dimmed as power usage spiked.


    Elion focused on Zev.


    A pleasant chime sounded.


    << Link Established >>


    “Zev?” Elion asked.


    “Who is this?” Zev’s voice, from the speakers of the headset. A wave of relief rushed over Elion.


    “It’s Elion,” he said. “Where are you? Why didn’t you come back?”


    “Elion?” Zev sounded frustrated. “How? Why? How are you using this network?”


    “I’m here, on Kylios,” Elion said. “I waited for you but you never came back. I was afraid you were captured—”


    “How did you get to Kylios?”


    “Dorian came for me,” Elion said. “I jumped in his portal.”


    “Idiot! How are you alive?” Zev demanded. “You can’t just jump through a warlock portal.”


    “I thought you might be dead!” Elion protested. “I had to do something! Why didn’t you come back? You said twenty-four hours. Are you safe? Is Liora okay?”


    “I’m fine,” Zev said. “My plan got derailed and I wasn’t able to get back to Earth. I haven’t made contact with Liora yet. Where are you?”


    A series of lights on the transmitter illuminated. << Warning: High Power Draw >>


    Keyla reached to shut the transmitter down. Elion grabbed her arm, mouthing the word ‘wait.’


    “I’m in a place called Aterfel, but I’m trapped,” he said. “There’s something called a Shard and it’s infecting things so nobody can leave this island. And the guy in charge here is using False Sentinel power or something.”


    “Zelian’s Halls,” Zev cursed. “You have to get out of there. I’m going to send someone to get you. How did you get access to this network?”


    “There’s an old radio here that can connect to it,” Elion said. “What should I do?”


    Elion heard rustling, and murmured whispers through the headset.


    “It’s compromised then,” Zev muttered. “We’ll have to stop using it. You are in serious danger; Dorian could come for you anytime he realizes where you are.”


    “What should I do?” Elion asked again.


    More warning lights. Keyla tried reaching for the relay again.


    “We have to shut it down,” she said. Elion wrestled her arm away from the switch.


    “Wait. Hide,” Zev said. “We’ll send a Skyskimmer. It can be there in under a day.”


    “But the Shard? The infection?”


    “Stay away from it. Get away from people. When you see the Skyskimmer get to it as fast as possible and they’ll get you out of there.”


    A loud pop echoed from somewhere in the tower. Keyla shook Elion off and lunged for the relay.


    “Be waiting, and we’ll pick you up. Watch for the skyskimmer. Don’t miss it! And especially watch out for—"


    Keyla threw the switch. The transmitter lights died, and Zev’s voice abruptly cut off.


    Three more loud pops sounded. Outside, pale yellow-green light flashed. A few tendrils of smoke curled down out of the ceiling, from the central column of the tower.


    Keyla clutched her head and cursed. The ground rumbled.


    “Crap,” Elion said. He sat and stared at the dead controls for a moment, acrid smoke filling his nostrils.