Rath’s instant thought was a demonstration of magic.

He desired Wfythurgthyr and flew off the bench towards the shuttle platform, skimming just above the gray walking surface of the boulevard with his Talent Nfaelythyr, his magical armor, at the ready. He would have to trust that In Time of Need would come to him if there was a physical conflict.

The drain on his Spirit was immediate and considerable, and he grew more fatigued with each passing second. The muscles in his arms and legs began to ache.

“Administrator Jhaercgh!” he broadcast with his voice Talent. “Wait at the platform!”

He saw an instant reaction from the administrator and those with him. The Blades drew swords and ran to form a defensive line across the shuttle platform.

All of them were watching as Rath flew near.

The boulevard was three times as high as a normal lane or passage, with an arched, coffered ceiling of powder blue Composite, giving Rath plenty of room to rise, so he did, guessing that height would give him much-needed added presence.

He did not want an open battle here in the boulevard. In both directions, he saw people converging towards the shuttle platform, mostly civilians, and those mostly Custodian, but also a number of Blades of Aron’s Clan as well as a few Shields from Cantonment Fourteen. Rath recognized the awaited Aea with a quartet of other Amazons and caught sight of Fhaeyr out of the corner of his eye exiting the Festival Chamber along with a sizable group of rugged-looking men and women in sturdy clothing — his scout group. Following them came Rath’s erstwhile bodyguards, Sergeant Zhym, Sergeant Khyrm, Corporal Eyr, and Blade Dhal, all of whom were glowering and still bearing sheathed swords.

“Administrator Jhaercgh,” Rath broadcast, making up his script as he went along, “this Section is under the claim of Sept Fyyae of Clan Nhyr. Your visit was unannounced. During the emergency, Sept Fyyae is enforcing strict transport discipline.”

For Rath, Cantonment Fourteen had been a blazingly fast, in-his-face, real-world education in the concepts of authority and control.

One thing was frighteningly clear to him: authority could be taken, but it had to be exercised and it had to be defended.

Also, now he thought he understood the nature of Administrator Jhaercgh, the fundamental core that made him who he was.

Before Rath had been shipped off to the Monitor Nation to undergo the Ordeal and the Trek, Administrator Jhaercgh had attempted to prevent Rath from going and had not hesitated to use the magic Talents of Midnight Blades to enforce that objective. Only Grandmother’s superior magic, her Rage, had caused the administrator to relent, but not concede. Though Jhaercgh certainly had ambition, Rath thought that singular authority over the entire Custodian Nation had to be his actual goal.

Why Jhaercgh sought that power was something Rath could not know, but he did know fundamentally that the magic of his own Talents was a direct challenge to any authority or power that had previously existed within the Custodian Nation.

And that had to be why Administrator Jhaercgh had come to L24 Section Six.

Administrator Jhaercgh stepped forward to the center of the shuttle platform, stared straight ahead, and then, flashing a frown of distaste that he immediately covered with a stern expression, slowly tilted his head back so that he could look Rath directly in the eye. His Blades and administrator aides all held their places.

“Effective today,” the man declared in a loud voice with utter confidence, “the Paramount Council of Elders of the Custodian Nation has taken direct administrative and security control of all Sections of The Wall. Administrators from the Administration Council will begin managing all Sections in supercedure of local Administrations, including this one. Wrathghyur, son of Sept Fyyae of Clan Nhyr, you are accused of the repeated unauthorized public use of regulated and prohibited Talents and are therefore subject to arrest and trial. Submit yourself now or face the imposition of lawful force to compel your arrest.”

Along the boulevard behind Rath, Blades and civilians of Aron’s Clan and Monitor Nation refugees from Cantonment Fourteen were beginning now to gather in clumps that had the overall demeanor of a reactive force. None of the Blades had drawn their weapons, and at most the civilians showed only clenched fists, but there was a good deal of low-voiced and occasionally strident discussion. None, though, had yet made any sort of aggressive move.

Rath saw, but pretended that he had not, Sergeant Zhym and the other three steadily moving through the now dense crowd towards the shuttle platform. Other Blades and Shields in twos and threes started to move along in their wake and soon the big Blade sergeant was followed by a dozen or more.

Administrator Jhaercgh ignored the people in the boulevard, or at least showed no sign of being bothered as the crowd continued to grow. The squads of Blades — three by Rath’s quick count, so just eighteen men and women with the patches for L50 Section 10 — guarding the administrator, swords held at the ready, were watching the crowd rather than Rath, and he could only detect discipline and determination in their stances. The five administrators behind Jhaercgh, all likewise wearing the plain gray tunic, Administrator’s amethyst starburst, and the small pearl-inlaid pin of the Custodian Nation Administration Council, did betray slight reactions of uncertainty towards Rath and the still expanding crowd, but none of them spoke or made any move to interfere with Administrator Jhaercgh.

Rath did not have time for this.

But he also did not have time for a melee between Jhaercgh’s Blades and those from Section Six. Sergeant Zhym had collected a full score and had taken a position just steps from the shuttle platform entrance. Rath could hear enough of the whispered conversations of those in the crowd to know that their loyalty also lay with him; the civilians and refugees seemed ready to leap to his defense without question. Fhaeyr certainly would, and no doubt his scouts would follow him. That meant that blood would spill on the platform and on the boulevard and that calamity was something that even his Talents could not salvage. If the Custodian Nation fought with itself, then efforts needed to rescue those Outside and to discover a means to free The Wall from The Tower would be disrupted, jeopardizing their escape from dying Refuge. If any sort of struggle at all began, the situation would become a disaster compounding a disaster.

Between Jhaercgh and his screen of L50 Blades, the shuttle platform was clear for several meters.

Rath desired Ahbytdalld, focusing on a point on the floor of the platform two steps in front of Administrator Jhaercgh.

A wave of weakness washed over Rath as the Doorway formed, and then sharp pains began in his chest. He bobbled as Eagle’s Wings weakened, and he gritted his teeth as he concentrated to maintain Wfythurgthyr and steady his flight.

The two-meter-wide Doorway in the floor opened a passage into the dimly lit section of the maintenance space above L23. The difference in pressure caused an instant gust of upward wind that fluttered Administrator Jhaercgh’s clothing and caused him to take a step back. The gust reversed just as quickly, then equalized with only an occasional puff in one direction or the other.

Rath watched as Jhaercgh contemplated the Doorway. From his position, Rath could not see directly into the opening, but the drop must be several meters.

Rath could not be sure, but he believed that the implication that he could have opened the Doorway directly beneath Jhaercgh was obvious.

There were gasps and louder overall voices from the civilians in the crowd, but none of the Blades, either on the shuttle platform or in the crowd, said anything.

Administrator Jhaercgh looked up at Rath once more. His posture and expression showed no fear or anger, and Rath hoped that practicality and reason were the motivations for what the administrator said next.

“We shall withdraw for now. The authority of the Paramount Council of Elders is absolute in the Custodian Nation. All those that defy that authority risk expulsion and exile from The Wall. Wrathghyur, son of Sept Fyyae, since you refuse to appear before a court, you will be tried in absentia and found guilty. You will be expelled from the Custodian Nation and cast out from The Wall.”

With that, Administrator Jhaercgh turned on his heel and swept back into the shuttle, which, likely overridden, had not departed. His fellow Administrators fell in behind him and then the guarding Blades, moving backwards in a practiced withdrawal, boarded also.

In a moment, the doors closed and the shuttle departed.

Completely spent, Rath dropped abruptly as Wfythurgthyr failed, staggering when he landed.

And then he collapsed and his vision went dark.