"And don't call me that! My name is Evrin. Come on, load it up."
The six templars rolled the handcart towards the massive entry port of the harvesting plant, finally disappearing inside. When they came out, their hands were black from handling the lignite.
The energy of a million blades of grass was pent in each lump of black ore, waiting for the magical machines to unlock its potential.
"Now go and stand over there." Evrin said to the templars, pointing. "Further! If it explodes you'll be better off against the wall."
Ella looked at Evrin in alarm, but his twinkling eyes told her he was jesting.
"Why have you been waiting for me?" Ella repeated.
"Why, because I thought you might like to do this. You deserve it, Ella. Without your help we would still be a year away from completion. Now, tell me something, do you know that rune over there? The one with the triple whorl and the inverted bridge..."
Ella walked over to the harvesting plant. "I know it."
"What does it mean?"
"Loosely translated, it means 'awaken'."
"Fitting, don't you think? Say the rune, Ella. Speak it loud."
"Alitas," Ella said softly.
"No, loud! Say it so the world can hear. When you speak, all of the machines will become alive. Let the world know!"
"Alitas!" Ella shouted.
The symbol Evrin had pointed to flared up with emerald light. The colour travelled from rune to rune, sending prismatic colours scattering across the walls of the huge cave. A rumbling noise came from the harvesting plant, and the ground began to shake. Ella could hear nearby hisses and hoots from the extraction system, and a sizzling sound like lightning from the distant refinery.
"Thank you, Skylord," one of the templars said, "for allowing us to be present at this historic moment."
All of the templars bowed in Evrin's direction.
"I told you not to call me that!" Evrin said.
Ella watched, filled with awe, as the work of nearly three years bore fruition, barely noticing as another cart of lignite was brought into the chamber.
The lignite would enter here, at the harvesting plant. It wouldn't become a liquid until the substance was taken through the extraction system, and only at the refinery would essence come into being.
Essence would allow drudges to till the earth and haul goods from one land to another. Pathfinders would shine, heating stones would warm, and timepieces would count the seconds.
But there was more.
Nightshades would come from the forest, the tree warriors bearing the power of nature itself in their gnarled limbs.
Avengers would twist and slash, scattering their enemies with a flail in one arm and a black sword grafted to the other.
Colossi would make the earth tremble beneath their massive forms.
Elementalists would call forth walls of fire.
Bladesingers would fight to their very last breath.
The enemy was coming.
But essence had returned to the Empire.
Acknowledgements
Thanks go to my readers:
Mark, Jeremy and Sam.
It's hard asking friends for feedback, and I knew I could count on all of you.
This book wouldn't be the book it is without your help.
Once again I can't thank my friend Marc Forbes enough for such fantastic artwork.
Thanks to all of you who've reached out to support me and posted reviews of my books.
In pride of place, thanks go to my wife, Alicia.
We dream together.