Chapter Thirty-Seven

Lore refuses to raise or control the corpses for Anton, Bellegarde, Malcolm, or August. Anton tells Lore it is already too late: because the bodies in the catacombs are bound together, Lore's earlier channeling has raised them all, just as Horse and the child's body once stayed raised. Lore wants to undo it, but Anton says hundreds of bodies would require more Mortem than even Lore can safely channel.

Bastian realizes Gabe returned and helped lead Lore into the catacombs so Lore would raise the dead and be unable to reverse it. Anton insists this does not mean the group serves August, because August does not yet control the army. Bellegarde clarifies that the conspiracy's concern is not Auverraine's suffering but preventing August from going to war with Kirythea and disrupting the religious destiny Anton has foreseen.

Anton confirms Bastian is the one he believes Apollius has chosen, despite Bastian's insistence that Bastian has no magic. Anton explains that August wants Bastian dead because August hopes to replace Bastian as the chosen vessel. Malcolm calls this transubstantiation, and Anton says that with Spiritum August could take Lore's Mortem and wield both life and death.

Anton reveals Mortem and Spiritum can be held together under certain circumstances, especially during an eclipse. Lore pieces together that Anton has been manipulating events from the start: watching Lore after Lore emerged from the catacombs, staging the raid to expose Lore, planting clues, and allowing August's plans to develop so Anton's vision would come true. Anton says Gabe only learned the full plan after reporting Lore's catacomb plan, leaving Lore wounded by Gabe's betrayal but also aware Gabe had not known everything.

Anton explains that Lore's twenty-fourth birthday, called Lore's Consecration, coincides with the eclipse, when Lore's Mortem will peak. August plans to kill Lore and Bastian at the eclipse ball during totality and take their powers while life and death can be wielded together. Gabe argues Lore should be hidden, but Anton says they must keep acting ignorant so August remains unsuspecting.

Anton orders Lore confined to Lore's rooms under Gabe's guard and keeps Bastian imprisoned in the room, calling Bastian a guest and promising protection. Lore, exhausted and unable to resist, lets Gabe unchain Lore and lead Lore away. As Lore looks back, sunrise casts Bastian in gold, making Bastian appear haloed like the sun.