The Blood of Vampire: Chapter 27 - The Dwarven Iron and the Third Clue
The Chalice of Silent Light stabilized Jatex, making him frighteningly analytical. He was still fueled by Aeliana's Silent Will, but now he processed everything with detached, absolute Truth.
"The final Ward—the Scepter of the Deep Forge—is the Law," Jatex stated, his voice now calm and utterly devoid of fear. "It is the spiritual discipline that allowed the Vaelanar Law to exist for millennia. It will be the hardest to take."
Ryn, whose loyalty was now absolute, consulted her geomantic knowledge. "The Scepter was not made by the Luminary. It was reforged by the first Dwarven Kings—the only human civilization strong enough to withstand the first chaotic echoes. It will be secured in the Deep Forge—a fortress of pure Dwarven Iron."
Ryn pulled out a thick, leather-bound Dwarven Almanac she had salvaged from the Iron Road. The Almanac held the Third Clue, hidden beneath layers of runic encryption.
Where the Deep Forge's Law meets the Shadow-Blood's chaos, the Scepter rests.
To find the Law, seek the place where the Iron Oath demands the ultimate, final sacrifice.
Ryn traced the path on her map. "The Deep Forge is beneath the neutral territory of the Great Pass. It's too well guarded for us. But there's a legend: the Dwarven Kings sealed the Scepter during the Last Great Vaelanar Purge—they feared the Elders would claim it."
Jatex, analyzing the Truth from the Echoes, understood the paradox. "The Dwarves secured the Scepter of Law by making an Iron Oath—a promise of absolute defense. The Vaelanar Elders cannot breach the Oath without a catastrophic war."
Jatex turned his gaze toward the south, toward the jagged peaks of the Dwarven realm. "The Law is defended by Iron. The Iron Oath demands a Sacrifice. We must present the Dwarves with a Sacrifice so absolute, they will be forced to violate their own Oath to save the greater Law."
Ryn, though still bound by the Geas, felt a chill. She knew Jatex was speaking not as a boy, but as the inevitable, cold force of the Luminary's Legacy.