The Strength of the Few

Emissa explains her reasons for attacking him during the Iudicium. She was working with Veridius, who warned her that people can be infected and controlled, becoming iunctii. She thought he was already dead. It was only after the Iudicium was over that they realized he had beaten the Labyrinth.

By way of proof, she offers to help him speak with a prisoner caught during the Iudicium. She also warns Vis about a blood test required before he takes the rank placement exam. Veridius believes that Vis will fail the test because of his time in the Labyrinth, but he can fool it by temporarily ceding his Will to her. He refuses the offer and leaves.

Vis visits Eidhin instead and tells him about the Labyrinth. He asks Eidhin to hold his Will. Eidhin will need to give it back to him as soon as the blood test is over or Vis will not be able to pass the Placement exam.

In Luceum, Vis, now going by Deaglan, works on Grainne’s farm. Grainne teaches him about the regional king, Ronan, and the High King who rules over the regional kings. The High King is old, and Grainne hopes Ronan will be his successor.

One night, Deaglan feels a strange presence. He goes outside, taking Cian’s staff for protection, and finds three men on horseback. One is a druid. They accuse him of stealing the staff, and attack.

Grainne explains that Deaglan saved her family when Fiachra’s men attacked her village. Fiachra’s men also killed Cian, who gave Deaglan his staff willingly. The druid, Lir, demands that Deaglan go with them to Ronan in Caer Aras for judgement. Deaglan bids farewell to the family, promising to return.

In Obiteum, Vis learns to control the iunctus across large distances. He also memorizes the layout of Duat, including secret tunnels that Caeror learned about from ancient maps. To infiltrate Duat, Vis will need a Gleaner to take him through the barrier wall. Vis considers swimming through the river that cuts through Duat, but Caeror warns that the water is corrosive and barriers would trap him. Though the Vitaeria might keep him alive, he would be stuck in agony.

Vis also needs to learn to withstand the mutalis, but he is terrified of it. Caeror feels guilty, but he cannot take Vis’s place. Only the Synchronous can survive mutalis. Though Caeror went through the Gate, his counterparts both died within weeks, preventing him from becoming synchronous.

Deciding that Caeror has earned his trust, Vis approaches the mutalis door, but before he touches it, Nofret stops him. She says that opening the door will “unleash the end of all things” (154). Unsettled, Vis leaves.

In Res, Vis has ceded his Will to Eidhin and now goes by his title, Catenicus. He passes his blood test and receives his pyramid—lower-ranked Governance members who cede part of their Will as his subordinates. One of these is Ericius’s daughter, Livia. He now needs to take the placement exam. However, he needs to take his Will back from Eidhin, which requires physical contact. Unfortunately, the building has been locked down for security reasons.

Catenicus (formerly Vis) wanders away and is approached by the Anguis man that Relucia told him to expect. He knows that Catenicus can now feel Will around him and informs him that he can also use Adoption to absorb or “adopt” will from objects and other people. The man says that in five months, they will meet during the Festival of Pletuna. Catenicus must be seen at the festival. He must also have a way to conceal his identity and learn how to use Adoption by then. The man promises him a list of senators who conspired with the Anguis in exchange for his cooperation.

The man leaves. Livia tells Catenicus that the placement exam will now occur at a secondary location. They ride a carriage out, and Catenicus hangs an arm out of the window. He hears Eidhin’s voice, feels a slap on his arm, and instantly feels his Will return.

As they ride, Livia expresses her dislike for Catenicus. She blames him for Callidus’s death, saying, “What is the point of heroes if they don’t save the ones you love?” (174).

In Obiteum, Gleaners find Qabr. Vis and Caeror hide while Gleaners kill the Qabrans. Vis realizes this may be his best opportunity to get into Duat. They lure a Gleaner into a secluded tomb. Vis touches the Gleaner to co-opt the Will imbued in it and control it. Vis wants to help Caeror escape, but Caeror refuses, not wanting to risk Vis’s mission, and they split up.

Vis orders the Gleaner to stab him like the others. The Vitaeria blade and his scarabs will keep him alive if the Gleaner does not pierce his heart. However, Vis will have to pretend to be dead. The Gleaners carry the bodies by impaling them on their blades and fly out of Qabr, toward Duat.

In Res, Catenicus and Livia reach the exam location. Others are already in the middle of the exam, with a scattered audience in the stands. He sees Aequa, Indol, Iro and other classmates. In a rare show of unity, Governance and Religion members are testing together.

Catenicus begins the exam. He goes through a series of increasingly difficult Will exercises, many of which should be challenging because of his missing arm.

Realizing that he must make a good show, Catenicus use Adoption to boost his skills. He must make the audience believe that his missing arm is not a liability. He is careful not to surpass the upper limits of what is possible but performs well. During a pause, Aequa congratulates him on his skill. They agree that this combined exam is meant to send a message to Military as tensions rise between the three factions.

Aequa explains that the Anguis chased her during the Iudicium. She ran for an hour before she lost them and lost Callidus’s tracker in the process. He assures her that Callidus’s death is not her fault and returns to his exam.

In Luceum, the group arrives at Caer Aras, King Ronan’s city. They enter a hall where Ronan sits at a table with an older man wearing a white cloak on one side, and a large warrior with a silver torc—a rigid necklace found in real-world Celtic cultures—around his neck on the other side. Deaglan watches young men and women pledge their fealty to Ronan. Lir takes Deaglan forward.

The man in the white cloak, a druid named Donnan, listens to Lir’s explanation. Donnan, Lir’s superior, intends to execute Deaglan. Desperate, Deaglan kneels by Ronan and pledges his fealty. Ronan announces that he will send Deaglan to Loch Treanala. Lir is unsurprised, and Deaglan realizes he has been manipulated.

The large man by Ronan’s side—the King’s Champion, Gallchobhar—objects. He says Deaglan is not worthy and challenges him to a duel.

Lir instructs Deaglan to choose a spear from among a group hanging on the wall, which will be his from now on. He does so. The audience murmurs angrily. Lir says that the spear once belonged to a great warrior, and some view the choice as presumptuous. Deaglan prepares for the duel. Gallchobhar’s eyes turn black with Will-use.

In Obiteum, the Gleaners fly into caverns beneath Duat and dump their bodies on the floor. Vis instructs his Gleaner to take him to an isolated area where he can recover. Then he orders the Gleaner to lead him safely into the city. The Gleaner does not move, and he realizes that the order is impossible. The only safe way out is for the Gleaner to cause a distraction so that he can sneak past the others undetected.

Vis finds a iunctus who is in the process of being turned into a Gleaner. Vis frees the iunctus, Ahmose, and orders his own Gleaner to cause a distraction. In the chaos, Vis and Ahmose escape. They reach a blocked passage, its bars coated with mutalis. Vis touches the mutalis. It stings but does not kill him. He bends the bars so that he and Ahmose can squeeze through. They run into Duat.

In Res, the exam ends, and Catenicus waits for his results. Tertius Decimus, the father of Catenicus’s friend Iro, approaches with Iro and Indol behind him. Decimus demands that Catenicus relinquish his title as winner of the Iudicium. He claims that the Iudicium results were tainted and that his missing arm makes him weak. Indol, having pledged to Religion rather than Military against his father’s orders, is now Decimus’s subordinate. He looks embarrassed but does not speak. Catenicus refuses.

Ericius asks Decimus not to threaten the new Governance-Religion alliance over a personal squabble. But Decimus demands that Catenicus prove his worthiness in a chariot race. If he loses, he will relinquish his title. If he wins, Decimus will publicly recognize Catenicus not only here but before the Senate. Catenicus makes Aequa his partner in the race.

In Luceum, while fighting Gallchobhar, Deaglan feels a strange presence and speaks words he does not understand. Gallchobhar looks unsettled and then enraged. Their audience is shocked. Ronan orders the fight to end, but Gallchobhar presses forward, wounding Deaglan, who collapses.

Days later, he wakes in a boat. He recognizes the people as those who pledged to Ronan. They are headed for Loch Treanala, a training ground for warriors. They explain that Gallchobhar was exiled following the duel, during which the spirit of Ronan’s former Champion (original owner of his spear) spoke through Deaglan to accuse Gallchobhar of treason. Many had been suspicious before, and Deaglan’s accusation was proof.

Catenicus prepares for the chariot race. It will be difficult to win with one arm. Catenicus will be in one chariot and Aequa in another, each using their Will imbuement to push the other’s chariot, while simultaneously controlling the direction of their own. Their chariots will race against Iro and Indol’s. Each pair needs only one chariot to cross the line first in order to win.

Traditionally, chariot riders imbue Will into the partner’s chariot, and save the rest of their strength to imbue their own bodies against injury. However, Catenicus must use his remaining Will to anchor himself to the chariot because he does not have both hands. If an opponent rams him, he could be injured or killed. The race begins.

Iro takes the lead, with Catenicus behind him, then Indol and Aequa. On the final lap, Indol’s chariot catches up behind Catenicus to ram him, his speed controlled by Iro. Then Indol steers away at the last second. Iro comes alongside Catenicus and reaches out to imbue Catenicus’s wheels and take control. Catenicus uses Adoption to steal Iro’s Will. Unaware, Iro barrels into Catenicus, who realizes that if they crash they may both die. He leaps out of his chariot and Iro crashes, his chariot flipping. At the same time, Aequa crosses the finish line.

People rush to help Iro. Catenicus releases the Will he took, which will help Iro to heal. He tries to check on him, but Decimus stops to tersely congratulate him. Knowing reputation is everything, Catenicus makes sure that everyone hears. Decimus leaves, and Indol apologizes for not objecting to Decimus’s scheme.

Ericius announces that the Senators have promoted Aequa to the rank of Quintus, while Catenicus will be the lower rank of Sextus. Aequa objects, but Catenicus says that she deserves it, knowing he can trust her. Privately, Aequa promises to help him however she can.