Emerali ran through the streets of Sanctum as fast as her feet would carry her, cloak and skirts flying wide behind her. The people were but a blur as she hastened for the prison.

"I've got to see the Asmodian prisoner," Emerali wheezed to the warden when she had burst through the doors.

"Lady Emerali!" the warden exclaimed, taken aback. "Are you all right?"

"None of us will be if I don't get in to see that prisoner," she responded.

"Forgive me, my lady, but I've already breached protocol once. I don't think I can see my way clear to do it again," the warden protested.

Emerali shook her head intolerantly. She seized the warden roughly and with the force of her angry desperation, she tore the key ring off of his belt and rushed to the cells.

"Guards! Guards! Stop that Daeva!" she heard him crying out behind her. "The governor himself will hear of this."

"See that he does, Warden. Tell him I must speak with him," Emerali called back as she ran on.

Emerali burst into the cell wing where Leiva, the Asmodian, was being held. Leiva turned to see what the rushing of footsteps was. Her eyes opened wide with surprise as Emerali fit the key in the lock, charged into the cell and pounced on her.

There was a brief struggle between Emerali and Leiva, but it ended quickly as Emerali's rage gave her the strength to subdue Leiva with ease. She tore the hairpin Leiva wore from her head and cast it aside.

Emerali shook Leiva soundly. Leiva continued to stare at her in surprise. "Yes, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Leiva, in spite of your clever scheme to destroy me, I'm still here. Now, I know you've got plans to blow this prison up and cause widespread panic here in Sanctum, and I know your people are preparing to invade Elysea and massacre the Elyos. You will tell me everything I want to know about this plot or you will wonder at the extremes a servant of the Light will go to in order to protect her people!"

At that moment the warden and several guards rushed into the wing, swords in hand. "Arrest her!" was the warden's order.

Emerali turned flaming eyes at the men. "Inform Governor Fasimedes that there is a grave situation at hand and that his presence at the prison is of the utmost importance." She tossed the cell keys and the hairpin out to the guards and shut the cell door, locking herself within. "I consent to remain in custody until he comes. Guard that hairpin with your life; it's the centerpiece of a second cataclysm in the works."

Confused, the warden picked up the keys and the hairpin and signaled to the guards to follow him out. Emerali could hear him giving orders to them as they left the wing.

She turned to Leiva, smiling sardonically. "Well, Leiva, looks like you've got yourself a new cellmate."

Emerali advanced on Leiva threateningly. The prisoner looked up at her insolently, chin sticking out. "Defiance won't help ya here," Emerali warned.

A hubbub of familiar voices alerted Emerali that her friends were approaching. They entered and were standing before the cell in an instant.

"Why are you locked up with her?!" exclaimed Thori.

"What's going on, Emerali?" demanded Devaen.

"Our Asmodian guest here has a story to tell us. You're just in time to hear it all. Now, Leiva, don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. Talk!"

Leiva glanced at the three faces glowering at her in turn. For several minutes she remained silent, but at last she sighed resignedly. "What difference does it make? I've failed the general; nothing matters now."

"Start from the beginning and don't leave anything out," Emerali commanded.

"The plan began with the grand-scale invasion of Heiron. The idea was to keep as many of you Elyos occupied as possible while others of us completed our mission. Scouts were deployed and ordered to keep out of sight and avoid confrontation with the enemy while they planted special bombs all over Elysea. Reaching Sanctum was a challenge; the only way to attack it was from the inside. That's where I came in.

"I built the bombs, Aethertech that I am, and I took the responsibility into my own hands to see to it that the last one meant for Sanctum was planted and detonated. You went after me, Songweaver, thinking that I sought battle, but what I really wanted was to be captured and arrested. I knew I'd be taken to Sanctum, and there I was in the prime position to detonate the bomb. In any prison all weapons are stripped from prisoners, but you never suspected that my hairpin was a weapon of mass destruction. In it was the bomb, and I was merely waiting for the right time to detonate it.

"Each bomb was infused with both Aetheric energy and a new weapon we invented: a vaporized version of the Vile Death. Once the bombs exploded, the poison would become airborne, and every living creature would become infected. Daevas would be returned to their pre-ascension state of humanity with no memory. Your world as you know it would be over. But this was only the first half of the plan. If you think this is terrifying, the best bit is yet to come.

"Once every living Daevic Elyos was regressed to their former humanity, the second part of the plan was to be put into action. A large alliance of the strongest, ablest legions would tear through Reshanta into Elysea. No longer having to contend with Elyos Daevas anymore, we'd wipe out the face of Elysea. Thus the Elyos race would be eliminated, and Asmodae would have only to deal the Balaur."

Leiva closed her narrative with a rather prim air. "It was the ultimate design. I sent you, Songweaver Emerali, to visit the Morheim snowfields--our research and testing site in hopes of ridding us of you and any foolish comrades you would take with you. Alas, the plan was a failure, and now the whole thing has been foiled."

The three friends exchange somber glances.

"Who was the mastermind behind all of this?" asked Thori.

"It was the brainchild of Bakren. Maybe you remember him?" Leiva grinned wickedly. "You, Emerali, were his very first test subject. The story of how he first used the Vile Death against you is quite popular in Asmodae. He believed the threat of your existence had been abated. How unfortunate he was mistaken."

"That foul traitor!" Devaen muttered in horrified disbelief. "He's actually planning a genocidal war!"

Emerali was filled with fresh rage at hearing this revelation. She seized Leiva and threw her up against the cell bars. Devaen caught Leiva's arms from behind her roughly and held them with a vise-like grip through the bars.

"So, when was all this set to happen?" demanded Emerali.

Devaen twisted Leiva's wrists until she cried out. "Enough!" she exclaimed. "The hairpin; it has three gems on it. When the last gem goes dark, it means the troops are in position; it's my signal to detonate the attached bomb. Once it's set off, a device in Bakren's possession will give signal of each explosion. It works just like the hairpin--when all gems go off, the last of the bombs has gone off: it's time for the assault at the Abyss."

"I assume Bakren is going to be at the vanguard of the assault. Where are he and his people gathering?" asked Devaen.

"The upper layer--somewhere on the western end. I wasn't informed beyond that since I didn't need to know."

"Is that everything?" asked Thori.

Leiva nodded.

"Okay, then. Now you'll tell us where those bombs are, and your job here will be finished," Thori said, airily.

"Find them yourself," snapped Leiva.

Devaen inflicted an intense pressure on Leiva's wrists that threatened to snap them. She shrieked in pain, cursing everyone in the room. "Okay, I'll tell you! Damn you!" Leiva howled.

At that moment Governor Fasimedes entered the wing followed by the warden and several guards. "What is the meaning of all this?" he demanded. "Let Emerali out of that cage, I say!"

The warden scrambled to do as he was commanded.

Emerali emerged and bowed to Fasimedes. "Things got a little out of hand, I'm afraid, sir," she told him. "But there is a terrible design in the works against Elysea, and if I hadn't taken the actions I did, our world would have ended entirely."

"Our guest here has been very informative. We were just about to get the final piece," Thori added.

"Of course it took a little persuasion," Devaen said, shaking Leiva hard. "And if she needs a little more, I'm able. Again, where are the bombs located?"

"Bombs?!" Governor Fasimedes' eyebrows went up with consternation.