Delphe saw the Knights fighting invaders on the Causeways edge, if fight was the right word; mostly, the doughty Knights fell beneath swords, fists, and the flashing magic of the mysterious attackers. The clarity of Cynosure's scrying was erratic, but she clearly identified at least three foes: a sword wielder, a martial artist, and a spellcaster. She also spied the shadow of a humanoid lurking about the periphery, throwing knives. The Knights seemed outmatched-where was the full company? And why did they fight with the Causeway wide open at their backs? Was Telarian even now readying to send forth another unit or two? Perhaps, but if the Knights she saw now fell in the next few moments, the invaders would penetrate Stardeep's open front gate.
She gasped, understanding the invaders must have timed their attack to coincide with the Traitor's escape attempt she'd just quelled.
'Cynosure, close the Causeway Gate!'
'Yes, Delphe,' responded the construct, in a voice as steady and calm as if she'd asked Cynosure to confirm the dining menu for tomorrow.
Mist swirled up from Chabala Mere, pulling the land-bridge into a nether realm of nonexistence. The scrying relayed by Cynosure onto a mirrored wall panel of the Throat jittered, scrambled, and vanished.
'Causeway Gate is closed, Delphe.'
The Keeper drew in a long breath, then darted an anxious glance into the Well, at the boundary layer. She no longer trusted its integrity. A terrifying thought.
The construct noted her glance and said, 'Delphe, please allow me to apologize for my earlier lapse. Because of the attack on Stardeep's gate, I committed the bulk of my attention there. I recognize that this behavior violates protocol, and I am frankly at a loss to explain myself.'
'Do you … do you suspect a breakdown of some sort?' Delphe swallowed, knowing the answer to the question was a definitive 'yes,' whether or not the sentient idol would admit it.
Cynosure responded, 'Delphe, I am forced to confess- something is indeed interfering with my decision- making. I am unable to determine what. I recommend you take me out of the command and control loop. Doing so will eradicate the possibility that my next lapse will imperil the Well. I can use the time to trace the source of the difficulty, and if possible, remedy it.'
The construct wasn't wrong, though she could hardly believe she would follow its recommendation. .
Delphe's voice quavered as she responded, 'I agree. I hereby command you to extricate yourself from Stardeep. Disengage all higher order functions, both in the Inner Bastion and the Outer. Please leave those functions available for Telarian and I to use manually.'
'Yes, Delphe. I am retreating into my original form. I wonder what it will feel like to be singular again. .'
Silence stretched. The Keeper looked up at the sculpted stone on the ceiling, knowing it was empty. Cynosure was disengaged. Had that ever happened before in Stardeep's history? Not that she could recall.
She poured her attention into the Well and anxiously studied the patterns of sigil and flame. Had the Traitor exhausted himself? A dimensional veil separated Stardeep from the invaders Cynosure had shown her. She was not planning on permitting the Causeway to be opened again anytime soon.
The most pressing question was whether the idol's leave of absence in monitoring the Well was more risky than allowing it to remain active. Cynosure had eventually perceived the escape attempt, and provided the impetus necessary to reenergize the boundary horizon. But if the construct were functioning properly, would the Traitor have been able to launch his probe in the first place? It chilled her to think the latter might be a possibility. The heart of Stardeep's defenses may have become corrupted.
Where was Telarian? Cynosure couldn't help-perhaps could only hinder her. She and the other Keeper had to confer immediately.
She mentally extended her senses, searching for the magical ley lines that threaded Stardeep. When asked, Cynosure quickly and easily manipulated those functions on her behalf. In some ways, those functions were one and the same as Cynosure. . better not to worry about that right now.
Delphe closed her eyes and began to search the stronghold.
Telarian grabbed the sweat-slicked guardroom lever and pulled. The mechanism yielded slowly, with a drawn-out screech resembling a banshee's scream. The gate tunnel's iron-reinforced floor ratcheted into place, sealing the Knights-their corpses, at least-in their final resting places.
The Keeper rushed into the tunnel to gaze across the Causeway. He estimated the Knights who remained outside were unlikely to succeed. It was time for him to directly intervene. His grip tightened on Nis's pommel. He stepped..
The landbridge faded into pale mists.
Several blinking Knights appeared in the gateway tunnel, turned around and nauseated from their sudden recall. What-
The Causeway had closed!
'Cynosure! Open the Causeway! Immediately!'
No answer. He sheathed Nis to wipe his brow. The instant he lost contact with the hilt of his darkling sword, Telarian's composure collapsed.
With a voice now breaking with sudden fear, he called again, 'Cynosure? Answer me! Cynosure, open the Gate!'
Telarian looked left, right, up, down as his mind whirled with confusion. His eyes finally settled on the two niches in the gate tunnel, one on either side. Each was filled with a hulking stone shape. Either or both could serve as a temporary nexus for Stardeep's construct sentience, even physically animating to defend the entrance. At the very least, speaking if spoken to.
The diviner ran to stand between the two shapes. Both stared vacantly down at him. Cynosure was resident in neither.
A crackle of light and the sudden scent of ozone pulled his gaze around. Striding from a rough discontinuity was Delphe.
'Telarian!' she yelled, her eyes wild, her face flushed as she approached him. Did she know what had just occurred? Were all his secrets laid bare to his fellow Keeper? A guilty conscience grabbed him roughly, draining blood from his face and putting a shake in his hands. To salvage his scheme, and thereby save future generations unborn, must he now cut down Delphe, too, in cold blood?
As he reached for Nis, Delphe said, 'Cynosure is corrupted, and the Traitor stirs! Thank the Twelve Stars I've found you-we must prepare our strategy!'
Telarian's wavering hand dropped away from his weapon's hilt.
'Tell me, Delphe, what has happened?' he asked, his voice hoarse. He gripped one hand with the other to hide a telltale quaver.
She began, 'An entity. .'
Her eyes looked past him down the tunnel. Telarian turned and saw the bloody streak smeared from the open guardroom door, as well as the gore splash from where Brathtar and Dharvanum had gasped out their last. He'd disposed of the bodies in the deeps, but there'd been no time to scrub away the incriminating blood. The recalled Knights yet milled at the far end, still pale and confused to Telarian's eyes.
'The invaders breached the Causeway?' she gasped. 'I closed the Causeway not a moment too soon!' She turned to look at him. 'Why didn't you close the Causeway Gate after you sent forth the Knights to defend Stardeep?'
Telarian replied without missing a beat. 'Of course I tried, but Cynosure failed to answer me. By the time I realized a manual seal was necessary, I and a reserve unit of Knights already fought to hold the tunnel. If you hadn't closed the Causeway Gate when you did, I'm not sure what would have happened.' Internally, he cursed her for an interfering fool. If she hadn't closed the Causeway, even now he'd have Angul and Nis, together.
'What kind of force-'
He interrupted, 'Hold!' The diviner knew where Delphe's questions led. A distraction was required lest she too closely examine the gate tunnel. If she queried the Knights now visible in the tunnel, she'd learn they hadn't been part of any tunnel defense-they'd been fighting a Keeper! If she began unraveling that knot, he'd have to spin his web of lies all the wider.
Telarian continued, 'You claim Cynosure is corrupt and the Traitor's dreams are uneasy? I would hear more
