26. Apocalypse the First

At dawn on a full-moon Apocalypse, Kinch is roused from quarters shared with the ailing Hasp and summoned by Princess Renata. She orders Kinch into her litter, makes Drab walk for being “not merry,” and amuses herself by goading her old lapdog Merkin to lick cheese from Kinch’s face as true giants carry them through Erydon.

They arrive at the Halfmoon, the city’s religious and theatrical amphitheater, with much of Erydon in attendance and five cloud-ships hovering above. From the royal box, Kinch observes the stage’s stone slot aligned with distant Thumos’s Throne, the volcanic mountain looming over the city.

The Praxeter appears—towering, lean, bald, crowned by a smoking molten circlet—and delivers a powerful address Kinch cannot understand. At the ritual’s climax, smoke rises from the stage slot, and a stone tablet is winched up bearing fresh, smoldering characters: “However strong the walls / Those who build no windows lose wars / See your enemy and prevail.”

Ministers and nobles immediately debate the riddle’s meaning, while Princess Renata whispers that the rite is boring, underscoring her impatience with priestly authority. Kinch notes the court’s eagerness for the upcoming games at the Bone Palace, as the Apocalypse’s message—visibility over fortification—hangs over Erydon’s leaders.