"The fourth eye is a living god!" Lyra cried out, her voice echoing through the silent subterranean cavern.The brass mechanical captain remained standing on the stone railing of the lead ghost ship, its glowing blue crystal eyes fixed on her. The construct let out another series of sharp, rhythmic clicks and metallic hums before bowing its head, waiting for her response."What else is it saying, Lyra?!" Silas demanded, leaning over the wooden bulwark as his knuckles turned white on the hilt of his broadsword. "Who built that thing in the heart of the continent?""It was not built by human hands," Lyra rasped, her hands shaking as she held her guardian staff tight against her chest. "The captain says neither the Crimson Cult nor the Dictator ever held true power here. They were just blind thralls serving a far older entity from the Wilds.""Give us a name, girl!" Silas barked, scanning the dark stone ruins rising from the calm, subterranean sea. "What are we fighting down here?""The

"Get your sword into its joint before it crushes the wheelhouse!" Marcus shouted, his voice cutting through the sound of splintering wood.The giant spire construct shifted its massive weight on the tilted deck of the Shadow Crest. Its eight crystalline legs, thick as iron pillars, groaned against the splintered timber. Two of those massive legs were pinned across the shattered bridge, trapping Marcus beneath a heavy beam. He flexed his left shoulder, driving a localized gravity surge into his pale hand to hurl the shattered timber off his legs."I am on it, lad!" Silas bellowed, scrambling up the wet, sloping deck planks with his broadsword raised in both hands.Silas slammed his heavy steel blade clean into the joint of the monster's lowest leg, sending a shower of purple sparks across the main deck. The giant construct let out a high-pitched, metallic screech that shook the rock cavern walls. It raised its high central head, six blinding purple eyes locking onto Marcus as he scramb

"Strap yourselves to the stone bulkheads because these iron gates are not opening easy!" Silas roared, his voice echoing off the wet cavern walls.The white stone guardian flagship drifted forward into the massive dry dock of the canal lock, its sleek hull sliding between two towering walls of ancient dark stone. Ahead of them, a pair of hundred-foot iron-reinforced gates blocked the water passage. The mechanical captain raised both arms, signaling the automated systems to initiate the vertical lift sequence.GRIND-CLANK.The massive bronze gears set into the stone walls began to turn, but the motion instantly seized up with a loud, metallic shriek. Thick smoke puffed out of the gear housings as the iron teeth ground to a violent halt."The main lift gears are jammed!" Clara shouted from the forward deck, pointing up at the high stone alcoves. "Something is blocking the teeth!"Lyra stepped up beside the mechanical captain, her eyes scanning the dark machinery above. Thick, dark woode

"Put down that glass orb before you blow this whole harbor to absolute kingdom come, Julian!" Marcus barked, his boot slamming hard onto the wet stone pier.The white stone guardian flagship rested five yards out in the shallow swamp water, its brass cannons silent. Marcus stood on the mossy pier alone, his heavy right arm, solid black ironwood encased in pale blue ice, hanging low at his side. His solid black left eye burned with fierce intensity as he glared at his uncle. Lord Julian Vance stood under the high marble archway, smiling serenely as he lifted the heavy glass sphere high into the daylight."You speak of destruction, my dear nephew," Julian replied, his tone smooth and unnervingly soft. "This is not a weapon of war. It is the vessel of true unity.""He is trying to trigger the volatile energy inside the harbor roots!" Lyra shouted from the ship's forward railing, her hands clutching her guardian staff tightly. "Marcus, grab that orb before the internal fluid reaches its b

"Cut the root before it drags him into the deep mud!" Silas screamed, his voice booming over the splash of cold water.Marcus hit the dark harbor water with a heavy splash, the thorny ironwood root wrapped tight around his neck like an iron collar. The dark water choked his mouth and eyes, but inside his mind, the final thread of the psychic web was still stretched thin. He pressed his pale left hand against the rough bark choking his throat, channeling every remaining drop of his frost magic directly into the root while sending one final, violent psychic surge back through the network.BOOM-THUMMM.A massive, golden shockwave of pure human consciousness exploded outward from Marcus's mind, tearing through the invisible web connecting the citizens. High above the water, the air shattered with a sound like thunder as the psychic link snapped.In an instant, every thrall in the harbor area gasped at the same time. The blank, glassy look in thousands of eyes vanished, replaced by sudden,