As he went deeper, the sound of voices and activity floated up signaling low fae busy carving out a new section of the cavern. He needed more space to test out his latest theory.

He emerged to find the roof soaring overhead. Along the walls, piles of virulence waited, the black stone glittering in the low torchlight like a hoard of treasure. Only it was so much more valuable than mere jewels.

Every eye in the room swung his way at his entrance, and he regarded them with a stony expression. He wanted them to fear him. He wanted them to know if they ever revealed his secret, he would hunt them down and make them pay in ways they couldn’t even imagine.

“Your Majesty,” said the foreman, Surius, as he shuffled over with hunched shoulders and wringing hands. He was low fae of some variety, with skin like tree bark and long pointed ears sprouting with tufts of white hair. Rion couldn’t be bothered to learn all of their various types. “Everything is ready, as you asked.”

Rion said nothing, just tipped his head and then walked slowly around the room as everyone waited in rigid stillness, hoping to avoid his wrath. What he saw pleased him, which was a welcome, if unexpected, surprise. It was so hard to find good help.

“Excellent,” Rion said. “You’ve done well.”

Rion wasn’t above praise when deserved, but meeting his exacting standards was rare.

He walked over to one of the piles of virulence and picked up a nugget, tossing it in his hand and catching it again in his large palm. Pinching it between two fingers, he held it to the light, studying the sparkle. This had become his favorite sight.

While the virulence worked by channeling magic, Herric had also discovered that by focusing it in specific ways, one could elicit different and far more powerful outcomes. During his reign, he’d kept an eye on the other rulers and the arks and seemed almost amused at the audacity of the first king of Aphelion, Cyrus, who was the studious sort driven by the pursuit of knowledge. Cyrus hadn’t been content to believe everything Herric had told him about the ark and had conducted his own research and experimentation.

In that way, he’d created the warders, imparting their wings, and creating the oath that bound them to their king. Herric’s notes didn’t mention if Cyrus had discovered anything else about the stone, but Herric was confident the Aphelion king would never uncover the full extent of his secrets, residing all the way on the other side of the continent.

Rion had been particularly intrigued by the ability to reshape matter with the right mindset. Herric had suggested that, to a degree, virulence could almost read your mind, feel your emotions, sense your thoughts, and alter your magic in a way that could be very interesting and potentially useful.