Xin grabbed Lian by the collar. Pulled her up.
"What did Longwei seal?"
Lian coughed blood. "Let me go."
"Talk."
"Under each city. A gate. Same as the mountain gate. But older. The mass was practice. This is real."
Dao Chen stepped closer. His face was white. "The journals never mentioned city gates."
"Longwei burned those pages." Lian smiled. "I found copies. In the deep network. He sealed six gates. One under each capital city."
"Why?"
"To keep out what was already here."
---
The ground shook again.
Not from the mass. Something else. Something deeper.
Ren grabbed Xin's arm. "We need to get the delegates out of here."
"Do it."
Ren ran to the courtyard. Started moving delegates toward the palace gate.
Lian watched them go. "Useless. The gates are already opening."
"They are
