Page 815 -- XCIII.

Dimas expected to see Melchor kill Yangéra as well, but the man did no such thing, instead choosing to hold her out in front of him as a shield. Dimas and Joana both had to stop attacking.

“It is over,” said Melchor. “Diego was your only hope of escaping this room, and now that I have Yangéra, you cannot even attack me freely. Please cease this pointless struggling and surrender.”

Dimas couldn’t see Joana’s face in the darkness, so he looked to her reaper and then to Shenado. Indeed, this battle was undoubtedly lost now. Close-quarters combat didn’t suit him, and without Iziol present, Dimas had an observational disadvantage. There was nothing for it.

‘We’ve lost,’ thought Dimas. ‘Self-destructing now.’

‘Understood,’ came Iziol’s voice. By now, he must have been a quarter of the way to Rheinhal.

And as Dimas prepared both hands with gravitic orbs, he took a deep breath so that he could raise his voice for all to hear. “...I will return for you all very soon.”

By now, Melchor had no doubt realized what he was doing, and Dimas could see the soul-empowered mercury rushing to stop him.

Dimas placed his head in his hands and let the force smash his skull to pieces.


Chapter Ninety-Three: ‘The code of the shield...’
Click to display entire chapter at once -- (mobile link)

Hector sat quietly in the unlit guest chamber. Lynn and Prince Meriwether were both asleep. Hector had volunteered to stay up and keep watch since he didn’t require sleep as much as Lynn did. She agreed, as long as he woke her up early so that he could get some rest in the morning.

It had been an eventful evening. He’d watched the entirety of Lord Asad’s discussion with the other Sandlords. Garovel had been kind enough to translate what they were saying into Mohssian for him. By the end, it was quite clear that Lord Asad had been unable to convince them of anything.

After that, Axiolis introduced them to Asad and Qorvass, who were both much more courteous than Asad’s brother, but once the pleasantries concluded, the conversation still proved itself considerably more troubling than the one with Haqq.

“We are going to Rheinhal,” Asad had said quite fluently in Mohssian. “Abbas and the others have chosen not to help, but I cannot remain idle.”

‘You are welcome to come with us,’ said Qorvass. ‘Any friend of the Elroys is a friend of ours.’