Page 2951 -- CCVII.

"If you will not believe a word I say, then is there any point in me answering you?" said Germal.

"Good question," said Damian.

Another bout of tense silence arrived.

This time, it was Feromas who broke it. 'Overra. She has truly been captured by Morgunov?'

"Yes," said Germal. "Even if you think I am lying, that fact will be simple enough to check on your own."

'Hmph. And are we also to believe that you have some sort of plan to rescue her?'

"Indeed."

'How? If Morgunov has her, the only way she'll make it out alive is if he decides to let her go. Don't tell me that's your plan. To convince that lunatic to release her?'

"That would make things easier, to be sure, but no. Any plan that involves that man's cooperation is a last resort, at best."

'Then I ask again: how?'

"Can I count on your assistance, then?"

'If this sounds at all feasible, perhaps. If not, then you might as well turn around and walk away, right now.'

Germal took a long, slow breath. "...What do you know of Project Blacksong?"


Chapter Two Hundred Fifty-Seven: 'O, kindling desire...'
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Hector watched with quiet marvel, hardly able to believe his eyes. He'd seen a lot of crazy shit recently, but the Forge sputtering on and off ranked pretty high up there.

Abbas Saqqaf was just standing there, eyes closed with both hands pressed against the spherical glass.

And a whiff of light kept appearing and disappearing within the giant orb.

Functionally speaking, it wasn't all that different from a simple light bulb, Hector supposed--a thought which might have dulled the spectacle a bit--but he couldn't help being amazed, all the same. The light was just... suspended there within the glass, like a blinking star that had been plucked straight out of the sky.

The light was too fleeting to get a truly good look at, and yet he was beginning to see what Abbas had meant when he had described the fire of this Forge as being 'gentle.'

That light had a warmth to it that Hector could feel with his very soul, somehow. Or maybe with his aura. He wasn't too sure about that, actually, because Garovel didn't seem to be able to sense it.