The poison had been meant for Kire. She would have experienced a less potent precursor of it months ago, and if it hadn’t been for her cousin Elva and the blasted Ring of hers, she wouldn’t have survived that. The Gemini were well-versed in poisons, but this one was especially nefarious. Gael saw the poison take effect on the man named Rulitus, whom the Gemini emissaries had told him about from when Kire had transported them back unwillingly in the middle of the disaster with the errant gate. Gael turned his attention to the Wyvern soldiers though, who were just about ready to charge, despite the danger to the hostages. He could see Narda was calculating it, too, just how much loss of life there would be if they did just that. 
“Try it,” he called out to the giantess. “And we’ll send your kin back to you in pieces.”

The moment their enemies reluctantly stepped back, he and other Gemini guards stepped forward to bind him, and Gael finally noticed what was hanging around the sorcerer’s neck, now that he had yanked off his armor. While he was no mage, himself, he had spent enough time with his kin to know this was something very important. “[i]Take this to the others inside.[/i] The sorcerer, despite the poison taking effect, was still struggling, and the Gemini guards landed blows on him. It didn’t take long to overpower him. Gael almost felt sorry for the man. But he had cast his lot with an Empress who would wipe out his people, even as he knew their side was thinking the exact same thing about him and the Gemini. The bad blood between them went too deep, too far back, for them to change anything. He had come to accept that after trying to fight the idea for most of his life. Now they were going to be annihilated, so might as well try for one more gambit. 

As soon as Ruli was restrained, the guards dragged him inside. They would make the Red Tower heel. It had resisted, this past year, despite the deep well of old, dormant magic, to yield to them. Or perhaps it was precisely because of that. And with each attempt, it seemed the Tower took more and more from the Gemini mages, to the point that they were almost convinced the place was [i]alive[/i], and seeking revenge. A temporary madness would take over the mages, or their old methods wouldn’t work until more of them bled. Dreams and nightmares plagued them in these final months, visions they couldn’t understand, even when it had been a while since their last real attempt at opening a gate. They had even begun putting protection wards around the Palace itself, afraid that they would trigger the Tower’s magic—protections that were now useless, after the sorcerer had put up his wards around the Palace.

Gael remained outside, to negotiate with the Wyverns for their hostages. But he was also just buying time. If the mages inside were successful in using Ruli’s blood, all this wouldn’t matter. They’d rip through the negation wards with a new gate, or rip through whatever force had been keeping magic in Amria dormant all this time. Or they would all be annihilated on this hill. Him, Kire, Wyvern and Gemini, it will all be over. 

--
Though Gavin worked as fast as he could, together with Ysaryn who allowed them to circle the wards stealthily, he felt like time was going as slow as molasses. But he couldn’t compromise the steps and mess up, which would be fatal for all of them. They left Kire where she was, to lie low until Gavin and Ysaryn returned so he could use her blood for the final touches. A good idea, considering Gavin would have been distracted by Kire’s own impatience. The rest of the Wyvern army was pulling through, overwhelming the dolls, what was left of the Gemini army, and securing the rest of the Capital, circling the Palace hill to cut off any other means of escape. 

Kire received updates from the Wenches as their reinforcements arrived. How Narda had been close to charging ahead already when she realized they were taking Ruli captive to use him for something diabolical. Ed and the other lords who had arrived had quickly realized who else were inside. Now they were negotiating. [i]How many people?[/i] After a few tense back-and-forth jabs between Narda and Gael, and from the noblemen who were able to confirm the identity of some of the people inside, there were perhaps twenty hostages from nobility, and perhaps another twenty or thirty people from the Capital. [i]Fifty. Give or take.[/i] Not that she trusted Gael’s word on it.

Gavin and Ysaryn appeared beside her. “It’s all set. All we need now is your blood,” he said. Kire nodded. Ysaryn took them to the final location, the one closest to the Red Tower. Immediately, Kire felt something was—off. Strange. She couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Something about the Tower sent the hair on her nape standing on end. The only other time she felt this way was when she had first met the Seer there, when she had received the Ring. [i]What were they doing here?[/i] “Kire,” Gavin whispered gently. Kire nodded, and Gavin made a small cut on her wrist where Ruli had done earlier, letting it fall on the earth and on the small pebble with the rune etched onto it. Immediately she felt the ward’s aura change—and the Tower seemed to respond to it, too, as if recognizing she was nearby, welcoming her back. [i]Why is it doing that? Is it stronger than Ruli’s wards?[/i] Somehow she didn’t know yet if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “Kire, your Ring…” Gavin whispered, eyes wide. It shone faintly for a few moments until it faded. 
“Let’s get the others.” 

“They took Ruli inside,” Myka said, when Kire reappeared. “Ed and Narda are in charge, but if they don’t release another set of hostages soon, looks like we’re charging in. I don’t like it, something’s happening in there we don’t understand.”
“Does Gael know I’m nearby?” Kire asked.
“He suspects. But I think whether or not you are, doesn’t seem to matter. Which scares me.” 
Kire cursed under her breath. “When you see the first group of hostages back here, you attack. Now, where are the eight fighters I asked for?” To Gavin, she said, “You’re staying with the army. Alright? With Narda and Ed.” Once they had been gathered, Kire instructed them to hold hands. “Brace yourselves.” [i]I’m coming, Ruli.[/i] She took a deep breath, and pulled them into the portal. 


They emerged facing the passage that would lead outside to the front doors. From there, they could see the stairs leading to the balconies. Though the other [i]Wenches[/i] were winded, they shook off the dizziness and readied their weapons. The Gemini guards hadn’t registered their presence yet, occupied with their hostages upstairs on the balconies. [i]Fifteen captives by the balconies[/i]. The [i]Wenches[/i] charged, tossing flash bombs Gavin had given them, and with another flash of her Ring, portals engulfed the hostages she could see. She grunted under her breath, a dull pressure behind her eyes and a slight burning from the Ring, but otherwise it wasn’t as bad as her previous attempts. 

Behind them, she could feel Ruli’s signature, weak but still alive, in the Great Hall. The doors were closed, but a faint blue light shone through it. The other hostages must be in there. More guards swarmed in, with the Wenches holding them at bay. “Ysaryn, [i]cover me![/i]” Kire said, as she fought her way to the Hall. The Wenches would be joined by the army soon, but Kire needed to get to the Great Hall first. 

--

Inside the Great Hall, the walls were covered with runes, and a large rune circle was laid out on the floor. The moment Gavin had tied Kire to the wards outside, the Gemini runes glowed blue as well. Ruli lay in the middle, where the guards had dragged him, and the surviving Gemini mages had taken the pouch, which they confirmed had Wyvern blood in it—[i]Kire’s[/i] blood—and mixed it with Ruli’s. If the Tower behaved the way it did with them before, it would need to feed on fuel. The rest of the hostages were crowded inside, with the guards poised to both defend the Hall and end the hostages’ lives here at the Gemini’s commands. Deep magic was working now, with every element in place: a Wyvern, a Gemini, and an Off-Worlder’s blood, with the sacrifice of lives outside from a great battle, all the elements that would call to the Tower to open the gate.