Fortune smiled, his eyes glittering with rage and anticipation. "You burned me, Esther. An admirable show of strength. But foolish. Now, I will ensure that the Silver Bloom, once it shatters the Stone, takes your Keeper essence with it."
"You only want the city's power," Esther challenged, stepping forward, placing herself between Fortune and Samuel. "Destroying the Foundation Stone is your endgame, not capturing me."
"Destroying the Stone requires the destabilization caused by the Silver Bloom, which, in turn, requires the energy of the Keeper," Fortune explained patiently. "It is a beautifully destructive chain of events. And you, Esther, are the key link."
Samuel raised the sledgehammer. "Stay away from her, Fortune. Or I'll force the Change right here and tear you to pieces."
"A tempting offer, wolf," Fortune chuckled, eyes fixed on Samuel's amber-flecked gaze.
"But if you change, the ensuing chaos will not only bury your precious Keeper in a rockslide but also hasten the Stone's collapse. You are paralyzed by duty, Samuel. And I am free to act."
Fortune lunged past Esther, aiming for the crystal cluster. If he destroyed the stabilizing crystal, their mission would be impossible.
Samuel roared and threw the heavy sledgehammer. It struck Fortune on his good shoulder. The vampire grunted in pain but didn't fall. He was too close to the crystal.
Esther knew Samuel couldn't fight him, not in his weakened, human state, without triggering a catastrophic Change. She had to use her only weapon: the truth Fortune still didn't understand.
"Fortune! Stop!" Esther shouted, stepping directly into his path again. "The Silver Bloom has already opened! The overload is chaotic power, not the refined energy you need to control the city! If the Stone breaks under this chaos, the energy will revert to its primal, untamed state, and it will destroy you first!"
Fortune paused, his pale eyes narrowing, suspicion warring with greed.
Esther held up Madam Chinwe's diary, pointing at the equation:
"My grandmother figured it out. The Silver Bloom is a bomb. It was never meant to be a power source. It will burn everything! The only way to harness the city's power is to stabilize the Bloom with the Crystal Casket, turning it into the Golden Leaf—the power source you truly desire!"
"You lie!" Fortune hissed, though his voice wavered.
"Test me," Esther said, her voice steady. "Let Samuel mine the crystal. We create the Casket. If the Golden Leaf works, you get the stable power you crave, and the wolves are released from the pact's obligation forever. If it fails, the Stone explodes, and you win anyway."
Fortune slowly lowered his guard, his gaze darting between Esther's determined face and the enormous, shimmering crystal cluster. The risk of chaos versus the reward of stable, controlled power was a high-stakes decision.
"A bargain, then," Fortune finally agreed, his voice a low threat. "You make the Casket. But I watch every move. And the moment I sense deceit, the Silver Bloom will be the least of your concerns."