Chapter 232: Source Shackles

"More limits," Nyra said a second time and the floor jumped as the third anchor room erupted and red and black flames traveled up the source chains and above them the tags from the camp lit up one more time and the reflected seed marks on the walls attempted to form back together.

Maelor stood over the middle lever with the flame of the crown spinning over his head. "Now you know. A source with no one controlling it will erupt and a road without a crown is a herd of animals running from it. Hand it over or take it yourself. Fire will only accept those options."

Austin Veyron could feel the source of the Ash Spine under them it was huge and had once allowed roads to be opened with no tribute being paid and was now shackled to help Maelor invade. DEVOUR wanted it he wanted more than the flame of the crown he wanted the source of the road if he could devour it he could stop the source from erupting and control all of the old roads in the area. But he could become what Maelor was telling him to become.

Veyra stood in front of Austin Veyron and the circle of the room. "Name it."

"The source."

"What would that create?"

"The crown with more of a reason to exist."

"Then smaller," Sable said pointing her shard at the cracks in the floor. "Take the limit that it has to be owned."

Nyra followed the three shackles with the heart shard. "There is one on the command that is currently attached to Maelor’s flame of the crown, one on fear from the remaining tag residue above and one on decision that has a damaged copy of the seed. We need to sever them and give the source something to lead to."

Routes that are public, people that witness and exits.

The source of the Ash Spine spoke through the stone. "I have known roads before the crown. People would ask for a road to be opened and take what they needed from it. When the kings of tribute came they said I was giving them a road that only they could open."

"If you were free from your shackles would you open roads without tribute being paid?" Tessa asked.

The source thought for a moment. "I will try."

Maelor laughed. "A source will never make a choice. It will follow whoever holds the most power over it."

He forced the flame of the crown into the command shackle and flames of black and red rushed towards the cracks in the floor. Veyra met them with her sword and Tamsin used her spear to deflect the force away from her injured left side. Sable kept the shard on the spinning copy of the seed so it couldn’t form and Nyra and Lessa spread the ledger of the broken tags across the stone.

Domas spoke through the communication from above them. "The ravine to the north is clear and the cut to the south is clear. The dry bed to the west has 19 people moving and tag residue on two hooks of supplies and one chain. The camp is open."

Calder spoke the numbers to the source and Tessa gave the exits and Kethra and Rovan spoke the names of the guards that put down their weapons and left the crown line. As they spoke the white limits formed on the tag chains and the source moved under the room and the old road marks began to glow different colors. The color of the stone for the ravine to the north, blue and grey for the trade cut and white for the dry bed. They weren’t commands they were roads people could travel.

"19 is now 12 and they’re ok" Rin said through the communication out of breath she must of been carrying someone. "Hurry up I’m getting bored of being up here with no one to argue with."

Maelor swung at Veyra again. "You are making the source weaker it will open roads to cowards and those who run and steal food."

"It will open roads to people." Kethra said.

The flame of the crown shot a blade at the ledger of tags and Austin Veyron stopped it with the chain of roots. DEVOUR was ready to devour the flame of the crown because it had the power to command the rest of the Tithe soldiers to kneel. He wanted that knowledge.

Veyra spoke through the fire to Austin Veyron. "Name it."

"The flame."

"What would that create?"

"Who controls the roads."

"Then smaller," Sable said pointing to the words within the flame.

THE SOURCE IS CONTROLLED BY THE CROWN.

The crown didn’t need to control all of the roads it only needed to control what opened them.

"Devour" Austin Veyron said. "The source is controlled by the crown limit, not the source or roads or people using them."

"Witness" Veyra said.

"Witness" Sable said.

Austin Veyron placed the white chain of roots into the flame of the crown.

DEVOUR opened and the limit tasted like a mountain pass being controlled by one person.

THE SOURCE IS CONTROLLED BY THE CROWN.

He devoured the seal.

The flame of the crown let out a cry as it broke free from the source of the Ash Spine and the source began to rise but Nyra created a limit that stopped it from erupting. Above them the camp shook but as the route markers broke through the ground they led people to exits instead of invasion roads.

The remaining tag residue began to fade from the ledger as Domas continued to read off the numbers and Lessa connected the old tag chains to people and roads and abandoned hooks of supplies. They began to go dark one by one and when the copy of the seed tried to form Sable pushed the shard of the broken crown through it and the reflected mark on the wrist shattered into white sparks that the limits they created caught one by one.

The three shackles were severed.

The source of the Ash Spine rose from the room, it was made of stone and ash and the color of the route markers. It wasn’t a person but it wasn’t bending to anyone either. It looked at the many people connected to them through the communications above them. "I can open roads," it said. "I will not tell you who deserves them."

"Show us the roads." Tessa said. "Let people decide."

The source sent the color of the route markers through the old demon roads and the invasion roads began to fade as the ravine to the north, trade cut to the south and the dry bed to the west could be seen on the route slates. The camp now had ways to escape that didn’t rely on Maelor’s flame of the crown.

Maelor took a step back his portable flame was now a small ball of black and red. "You haven’t defeated the crown, this is just a piece of it."

He stabbed the wall of the room with his flame and a small tunnel of black flames opened up behind him. "Under Cinderhold the capital of the east there is the real reservoir of the Burned Crown. When I get to it all of the roads you freed will burn under one crown."

Kethra was about to follow him when the source of the Ash Spine shook the room. "Do not follow him through that tunnel it is a scar from the crown and it will trap you when you enter it until the roads are cooled."

Maelor disappeared into the tunnel of flames and it sealed behind him. But the source of the Ash Spine left the route markers on the floor of the room and the third anchor did not light.

The sun rose over the Ash Spine, and the Black Tithe camp above them was no longer one march. Some fled after Maelor to the east others put down their weapons and the families and workers took the open roads. The invasion road was stopped before it could become a road of invasion.

When they climbed out of the hatch Rin was waiting for them she was covered in ash from her elbows up and had a grin on her face. She pulled Veyra up by her shirt and kissed her before her feet hit the ground then she grabbed Austin Veyron by his coat. "Both of you came back" she said. "Good I still owe you money."

Sable came up last and stood next to him her arm against his. When the communication on his collar clicked he heard Elena’s voice soft with happiness. "I saw all the numbers turn white. Come home all of you the sun is just hitting the window and it wants to see you."

Austin Veyron touched the slip he had over his heart but the words of the source stayed with him as the sun lit up the camp.

"Cinderhold has the true reservoir of the Burned Crown. What you faced was only a splinter."

The war with the crown was far from over and they now knew where it was hiding.