Chapter 36

Atop the Mountain, Estelle Candiano meticulously paints Occidental sigils on her bare skin, steadying herself with controlled breathing to avoid a single errant stroke that could ruin the ritual. Tribuno Candiano, her father, lies nearby, weak and gasping, while the night over Tevanne remains deceptively calm.

Estelle summons Captain Riggo and verifies the city’s status. Riggo reports no activity on the campo or in the Commons, and that Candiano forces stand by awaiting her word. Satisfied that she alone holds the trigger, Estelle dismisses him and returns to the delicate work that will enable her elevation.

In a sudden chill of intuition, Estelle feels as if a third presence is in the room, watching. The sensation fades, leaving her unsettled. Her attention drifts to the cracked ancient lexicon-like box with a gold lock—stolen before Orso could claim it—and she contemplates the keyhole as an eye that watches her.

She rejects the notion as madness, yet the box lingers in her thoughts. Estelle resolves that after her elevation the old tools and secrets her family hoarded will finally yield to her, and she will open the box to uncover its contents.

Noticing the butterfly-headed, oddly toothed key taken from Orso’s man—already useful in supplying crucial sigils—Estelle wonders if she can unlock the box without breaking it. With the clock nearing 10:20, she continues inscribing herself, consolidating control over the Mountain, her forces, and the mysteries she intends to command.