Contents
Chapter Seventeen
Overview
Lore, Bastian, Gabe, and the Presque Mort find the well emptied of Mortem. Bastian crowns Lore the cause, but Lore’s accidental touch proves Mortem now resides in her. In the library, mechanics fail and myths hint at larger truths as a living vine erupts and Gabe and Lore’s charged moment ignites a literal flame.
The chapter reframes the crisis: Mortem’s disappearance centralizes in Lore, other forces stir, and personal loyalties and desires sharpen, threatening political and religious stability.
Summary
Roused from bed, Lore follows Marie, Bastian, and Gabe to the Presque Mort garden well, where the cover lies open and Presque Mort Alexis and Malcolm report no Mortem presence—unprecedented on a lunar eclipse. Bastian swiftly credits Lore’s harbor feat, calling her irreplaceable and treating the empty well as liberation.
Lore’s unease proves warranted when a brush against stone roses turns them to brittle ash; the gray Mortem star on her palm spreads and cold pins her hand. A faint inner voice insists Mortem isn’t gone, only in her. Lore counters Bastian’s plan to end her confessional training, declaring she’ll keep working with Gabe, and leaves with him.
Hurrying through the Church, Gabe presses Lore to harden her mental barrier. In the library, Malcolm prepares technical texts, but Gabe pivots to myths. They read of the Fount on the Golden Mount and the Dissolution; Lore’s inner voice disputes parts of the canon. Reversal seems unlikely, and they agree to keep Lore’s condition quiet amid political fallout.
As they debate practical effects—poisons, longevity, channeling—Malcolm discovers the pothos vine has explosively grown. He can no longer feel or pull Mortem from dead matter, but senses something else, implying a shift toward different power. The lack of scripture for current events leaves them without guidance.
Escorting Lore back, Gabe corners her; they confront their unresolved feelings and Bastian’s claim. Their near-kiss triggers a sconce to flare violently, startling Gabe, who calls it a sign. The moment breaks; he leads Lore back toward the Citadel, the implications of new, unpredictable power hanging between them.
Who Appears
- LoreCentral figure; likely absorbed all Mortem, involuntarily channels death, hears a guiding voice, resists Bastian, trains with Gabe.
- Gabe (Priest Exalted)Guides Lore’s mental barriers, urges mythic context, nearly kisses her; a wall sconce flares near him, unsettling him.
- Bastian ArceneauxFrames Mortem’s absence as victory, exalts Lore as irreplaceable, tries to end her confessional training, shows strain.
- MalcolmPresque Mort scholar; organizes research, questions mechanics, witnesses vine’s sudden growth, senses power shift away from Mortem.
- AlexisPresque Mort at the well; confirms the unprecedented absence of Mortem during the eclipse.
- MarieLeads the group to the Presque Mort garden well at Lore’s insistence.