Глава 14

The man in a hat looks down at his counterpart.

The man on the ground lies motionless, buried to his chest in crystal-filled dirt. But the little box that he clutches in his left hand remains spotless.

The Trilby Asher pulls the rim of his fallen comrade's hat down, covering the face that no one knew to begin with.

It took a little more effort to retrieve the communicator, but war has made him a rather proficient undertaker.

Intel retrieved.

Communications are still being jammed by severe interference.

A little progress is better than nothing, I suppose.

'The Duke of Fife and the Sixth Infantry Battalion were ambushed. The landing attempt on the Crumley plate has failed.'

'Unable to reach the Duke of Gododdin's scout fleet. Chetleigh has been lost.'

'Large-scale unanticipated geological changes across the Silverrock Bluffs front. Active Originium concentration above threshold.'

No good news.

Are those... troops?

The ID code is—

My, my... what a miracle. I am a lucky man indeed.

Hm?

Three hours later...

No sign of the Sarkaz troops.

The Lifebone is a big target, and we would have left an even bigger trail behind us as we fell. I'm afraid that they'll catch up to us sooner or later.

Closure, can you confirm our position?

I can only really get an approximate orientation with these maps I've got on hand...

Dammit, still no response.

Ever since the skeleton crashed, all our comms went down with it. My drones can't fly too far either, I've never seen this much interference before.

Wait, I think a drone just found something...

Over there!

What's this? A voice recorder?

Makes sense, I guess. On a battlefield like this, this is the next best way to relay intel, short of just shouting.

That's the Duke of Caster's crest.

Lemme have a look—

'Bzzzz—'

'I'm short on time, so I'll make it brief.'

'—The Stone of the Sword.'

'...has arrived at Silverrock Bluffs.'

'But the Sarkaz and their tricks are worse than we thought here at the frontline.'

'My advice is head to the battle from the southwest, bring the sword—'

'Bzz—I have honored my vow, so the rest is up to Your Highness—'

'—Bzzzz—'

No change, no improvement.

Can tell your new pal that if it doesn't get back on its ass soon, I'm going to break whatever bones it's got left, one by one?

It's long dead. Not like it can feel pain. Why not pick something more meaningful to vent about?

The skeleton's voice was already ebbing. After the crash, it had stopped responding altogether.

The nerve bundles are withering. We've tried everything we can think of. Lubricant, supplements, even some crazy witchcraft I've never heard of before. My verdict is...

Right now, it's nothing more than a colossal and breakable skeleton.

It can't be <i>dead</i> dead, can it? I mean, it's already a dead Feranmut, you're telling me it can die again?

Hey Ines, pass me the mine over there, the one wedged between the bones.

...Glad you asked, nearly stepped on it.

And also, what kind of psychotic idea do you have this time?

Oh, just following your suggestion. I'm gonna go find a proper target to blow up.

Isn't that old friend of yours supposed to be the skeleton whisperer or something? I'm sure she's still got an unbroken rib or two, so she should be able to talk. Maybe. Well, she will if she knows what's good for her.

Ulšulah. She does know plenty of the Feranmut's secrets, and it's clear she hasn't told us everything.

But I have the feeling that she won't be able to help with this particular problem.

Right.

The source of our troubles is what's hidden in those dark red clouds above our heads.

That's exactly it.

Ah, the all-knowing Kal'tsit. Let me guess, you've got even more bad news for us?

Regular Catastrophes have no effect on Feranmuts, even if it happens to be one that has been dead for several centuries. The tunnels that it travels in can even drill through time, so how is it that a storm can seal them off?

What's happening here is beyond the scope of a mere Catastrophe.

As we were falling, I had a vague feeling.

That the enormous, ancient sentience remaining in these bones... had gone. Gone somewhere I could not touch.

It died its true death?;It's free now?

Our connection with it has been severed.

It might only be temporary, but if we take too long, we might lose control over it for good.

Your deduction is correct. Upon his inspection, Logos confirmed that the Sarkaz witchcraft cast upon this skeleton is being disrupted by a massive source of energy.

It seems the Vampire's ritual was completed. The Confessarius... Qui'sartuštaj is aiding Theresis, and has achieved what the Sarkaz could not for millennia.

(Ancient Sarkaz language) 'Amnannam'. An ancient wound that refuses to heal, the Cunabula of Suffering.

Mind skipping to the part we can actually understand? I don't have all day.

It was the first curse, just as it was the first Originium.

Isn't that just a legend? You know, the made-up kind in the storybooks that Hoederer loves to read.

Legends are a shadow of reality, despite all the untruths and half-lies painted over them. To say nothing of the fact that this is a Sarkaz legend. A Teekaz legend.

Sounds to me like Theresis is cooking up some real serious beastshit to hang over Victoria.

I fear that this, too, is the reason he chose Londinium as his base of operations. The Shard's ability to influence Catastrophes and Originium is already sufficient for it to become Amnannam's beacon.

Across all of Terra, as it is now, this is the one place that it can descend.

Well, out with it then, how do we wreck the thing?

At Terra's current level of technology, there is nothing we can do.

The only good news is that it has not yet fully descended.

Have you figured something out, Logos?

The drop of blood that the Vampire possesses, the one he calls the Blood of Teekaz... It is still fulfilling its duty.

The reason why Amnannam is able to leap across millennia and descend once more is because of his prayer.

The blood's master has fallen, but the connecting veins hold steady.

If we are to prevent the reemergence of Amnannam on this land, we must break the Vampire's curse, quelling the hatred that resides in this drop of blood.

I think... I can give it a try.

I was blighted in battle with the Vampire, and its influence on me has not yet waned. By virtue of this, I am able to sense where the Blood of Teekaz is.

It is at the rear of the Nachzehrer army.

It will likely be protected in a Confessarius altar and heavily guarded. The amount of time required to break through the entire Nachzehrer defensive line would be too much.

We could cross the Redmane Mountains, bypassing most of the warzone.

Taking that route carries a similar risk to storming the battlefield.

Our observational reports indicate that the Redmane Mountains have been completely transformed by Amnannam's influence. They are now blanketed in active Originium. I need not remind you of its extreme danger.

But... it might be possible.

Shining has gone ahead to seek out Qui'sartuštaj, and if things go well for her, she will be able to come to our aid.

I support the Doctor's decision. It's the plan that saves us the most time.

If we keep delaying until the Amnannam Dr. Kal'tsit speaks of completes its descent, and is used by Theresis as a weapon...

Then we will have lost any chance we might have had to turn the tide.

Even if there are risks, we must forge ahead.

I'll need your help, W.

You need some hands to guard this pile of bones, right, bunny?

Right.

This skeleton is crucial to our next operation. Besides, Hoederer needs it too.

There's no doubt that the Military Commission has been watching us ever since we crashed.

The way I see it, it makes no sense to hand back something we fought so hard to steal in the first place.

Give me a time frame. The time now is... 18: 00.

Three days.