Chapter 53

Zale strode with purpose, setting a brisk pace and, for once, leading the way to Shai's office. He knocked firmly on the door when he arrived, and Shai's voice came from the other side, agitated as it approached the door. "Akil, I informed you not to disturb me for the time being. It had better be something important for you to disobey my request," he barked.

Zale took the initiative and opened the door before Shai could. "Hey, Shai. It's just me. I was told you wanted to talk. You'll have to go easy on the old guy," he said, hands raised disarmingly.

Shai's scowl immediately wilted into an embarrassed smile. "Oh, Zale. My apologies. Your knock sounded just like Akil's. I didn't expect you so quickly," he said, motioning in a sweep of the arm for Zale to enter.

"I told Mert to let you know I was on the way," Zale said, casting a quizzical look at Mert.

Before she could reply, Shai answered. "I have cut off all communication for the time being. I needed a break while I waited for you," he admitted, giving Mert a single nod.

She bowed out and closed the door, leaving the two alone. Shai moved to sit, but Zale requested to talk on the balcony. "I've been cooped up inside for a while. I'd like some air if you don't mind."

Shai obliged, and Zale took a moment to assess his friend's condition while they walked the short distance outside. Shai's hair was tied up like a strangled crow. His usually pressed shirt was wrinkled and stained at the pits, untucked in the back. Much like Zale, he, too, was growing an unintentional beard. His long breath that whistled out between clenched teeth started their conversation. "I don't suppose you have any good news?" he started.

"I don't suppose you do, either," Zale countered, leaning backward on the rail beside Shai.

"I was too late."

Zale cast a sideways look. "For what?"

"Obelisk sent out their tier 10 hunters already. They had no intention of negotiating, I suppose, but they...fucked everyone," he spat, "and now they admit it."

His voice told more than his words, and Zale frowned. "What's the problem? You seem…shaken."

"The gate has turned malignant. Monsters are marching toward the city. Obelisk has suppressed the information to prevent panic for the time being. They've already organized their military might. All hunters of all tiers have been ordered to gather on the front line."

Zale paled. He'd read the history books and personal accounts of people who'd survived the attacks on the southern bastion. The reality was blood-chilling. They never cleared out the southern dungeon for fear of its strength. A tier 10 hunter was too valuable an asset to sacrifice.

"Those people are marching to their death. We have to evacuate," Zale exclaimed, standing straight.

Shai shook his head slowly, eyes cast down to the garden. "There's nowhere to go and no one to take us there. I...I don't know what to do," he admitted, his voice cracking.

Shai's fingers bit into the banister as he slowly sank to his knees. "There's no hunter to hire fast enough. There are no resources. I have nothing. I could give Obelisk all the relics in the treasury, but there are no hunters to use the strongest ones. Egypt, and all its long history, will end with my reign...it...I will lose...everything. Everyone."

His sobs were quiet, the sorrow of a man in isolation, familiar with crying only to himself. Zale rested a hand on his shoulder, patting him like he might a family member. They were quiet for a long time. The gravity of their situation weighed like the crushing depth of a bottomless ocean.

When Shai's tears subsided, and only sniffles remained, Zale stood him up and clapped both broad hands on his shoulders. He wore the face of a general rallying his troops. His voice was strong and carried. "Shai, hold your head high," he said, "At the very least if we go down here, let's not go out disgraced. We'll stand and fight and die trying."

Zale seemed to grow twice his size, swelling with the experience of a thousand fought battles. His jaw was set, his eyes unblinking. Suddenly, he sucked in a sharp breath, turning aside with a thoughtful hand to his mouth. "What? What are you thinking?"

"Well…what if WE were to use the relics. The strongest ones. I mean, we're dead anyway. Might as well try something, right? But will there be enough time…I don't know…"

Zale's mind began slipping into thought when Shai stopped it. "What do you mean? Have you a solution?" he demanded, eyes wild with hope as he grabbed at Zale's arm.

"I sent you a message before that I might have found the right solution to the forge. What if we skip the middleman and just dive in. Maybe we can figure something out with the relics if we are sorcerers. That is…if it works. Worst case scenario, we die."