"I only saw him briefly before I came to find you. The common people worship him, and he doesn't know how to take it. Even Bastian, a troublemaker, is behind him. The proclamation has been sent to all corners of the Empire. There's a new Emperor, and the nine-pointed star now flies from every building in Tingara and beyond. Killian's asked that the name be changed to the Empire of Merralya. I think Rogan approves. Between Rogan and Lady Alise, they'll help him become accustomed to rule. He still can't believe he has a mother, and a home, and a people."
"The Empire will need strong leadership," Miro said, "if we're to survive the coming storm. Altura stands directly in the enemy's path, but we can't stand alone. We'll need bladesingers and enchanters, but we'll also need the strength of all the houses combined. We'll need Veznan nightshades and Petryan elementalists, Tingaran avengers and Halrana constructs. We can't let what happened to the land across the sea happen to our homeland."
"I saw what they did to Shar," Ella said. "They destroyed that world, and it's now a place of nightmare. The Lord of the Night will do anything to aid his brothers' return. He'll stop at nothing."
"And we have to do everything we can to prevent him," said Miro.
"Ella," Amber said, "I want to give you this."
She held out a leather-bound volume. Splatters of blood spotted the spine and the cover.
"The man who gave it to me was one of the Guild's masters. He knew all their secrets. He said in this book's pages is the cure for my son's poisoning. The poison is something called arsenic. Do you think you can search this book and find the cure?"
"I'll do everything in my power to help you," Ella promised, taking the book. "I'll study it on the way back to Sarostar, every moment I get."
"Has Evrin Evenstar finished building the machines?" Miro asked.
"No, he hasn't. When I depart Altura, it will be to go to Mornhaven to see if I can help."
"I don't understand. Without a great amount of essence, how did you open the portal?"
"I used the power of three Lexicons."
"But how did you get them to the chamber inside the Sentinel?"
"Well…" Ella smiled. "I asked Bartolo, Jehral and Shani to request them from their respective loremasters. They met me with the Lexicons and we were able to open the portal. Only later did I discover…"
"What?" Amber asked.
"They didn't request them. They knew they would never get permission. All three of them stole them."
61
CHIMING music tinkled in the air, carried across from district to district upon the tumbling waters of the Sarsen. The nine bridges of Sarostar thronged with people, all dressed in their finery. Men and women held hands, while children skipped and played on the streets. There was a mood of celebration in the air.
This time they weren't gathered for a wedding, it was a coronation. This time nothing would go wrong.
The fountains outside the Crystal Palace shot up into the sky, splashing back to the stone before rising up again. Lords and dignitaries crowded the riverbank close to the palace, each holding a glass and smiling as they chatted quietly. The musicians ended a tune, to be met with applause, before moving onto the next uplifting score.
The rulers of all the nine houses — even Vezna — had journeyed to Sarostar from across the Empire. None would miss being present to see Miro Torresante become High Lord of Altura, as his father Serosa had been long ago.
This was a time of coronations, and with the new leaders came new hope. After Miro's inauguration they would travel together to Seranthia to witness the crowning of a new Emperor. The journey would give them an opportunity to talk, and to prepare. The Empire was whole, and they had much to discuss.
From the heights of the Crystal Palace two great banners fluttered in the late summer breeze. The first banner was green, and bore a sword and flower, the emblem of Altura. Above it, in pride of place, a second banner of black silk overlooked the people below. In its centre the black banner bore a nine-pointed star, with each point coloured a different shade.
Red for House Petrya: the colour of rust-coloured earth and fire.
Blue for House Loua Louna: the shade of the artificers.
Purple for House Tingara: always the Emperor's colour.
Yellow for House Hazara: the colour of the desert.
Brown for House Halaran: the hue of the tilled earth.
Pink for House Buchalantas: those people born on the sunlit sea.
Tan for House Torakon: the colour of sand and stone.
Orange for House Vezna: the shapers of nature.
Green for House Altura: the emerald shade of the enchanters.
Many were those who looked up at the black banner and felt the hope of a new day stir in their hearts. They waited expectantly for the man they had come here to see, Miro Torresante. Where was he? Many looked around, but neither his wife nor his sister could be seen either.
Everything was ready. Miro would emerge from the Crystal Palace in the high-collared robe of his new office, and his retinue of Alturan lords would fall into procession behind him. He would lead them through the streets of Sarostar, giving the people of Altura a chance to see their new ruler up close, before returning to the Crystal Palace to be acknowledged by the visiting dignitaries.
The Alturan lords shifted and stirred as they hovered to either side of the wide marble palace steps. The great timepiece on the face of the Green Tower began to peal, far off at the Academy of Enchanters. The moment was upon them.
Where was he?