“Electric current to soften some harmonium,” Wax said, pointing at the equipment he’dset up: a system to deliver a powerful current through a tiny nugget of harmonium held at the center, coated in oil to prevent it from corroding. “That’s the closest we ever came to dividing it.”
“It cannot be divided,” VenDell said. “Not so long as Harmony remains Harmony. I’ve explained this.”
Steris trailed over with her clipboard, and they shared a look. It was true; harmonium wasn’t actually an alloy. Yet Harmony held both Ruin and Preservation—so somehow this metal was both atium and lerasium, blended in a way that defied ordinary scientific explanation.
It seemed reasonable there would be a way to split it. Yet, acids for selective dissolution had failed. Different heating methods to get the components to self-separate while fluid had failed. Electrolysis had failed.
A dozen other ideas had failed as well. There was a reason he’dlost momentum on the project. But of all they’dtried, electric currents seemed to have come the closest. He activated the machine, and didn’t bother closing the front of the safe box. He’drun this experiment often enough that he was comfortable doing it in the open.
The tiny bit of harmonium heated up. Marasi and Allik walked over,watching it glow with a powerful internal light. Then Wax activated the other component of the machine—which pulled the nugget apart.
Harmonium was pliable, more so when heated. When softened like this, it seemed to react differently to the air—no longer as volatile. As if… as if it were becoming something else.
This specialized machine continued to deliver electric current through the grips at the sides—but now those moved apart andstretchedthe metal. If he continued, he could divide it cleanly, making two pieces of harmonium. That itself wasn’t remarkable. But the machine was set to pull only a few sixteenths of an inch, then stop. The result was two globs of harmonium at the sides, with a narrower stringy bit between.
“What is this supposed to do?” VenDell asked.
“Watch,” Wax said. With his tinted goggles, it was probably easier to see—but after a few moments the metals started torearrange.The glob of harmonium on the left side began to glow a blue-white. The one on the right adopted a stranger air, growing silvery and reflective. Italmostseemed liquid, like mercury—the surface incredibly smooth.
“Is that…?” Marasi asked.
“No,” Wax said. “If you cut it in half right now, when the metals cool you’ll just have two bits of harmonium. Yet in this state, the metalsalmostseparate. You can see the left bit taking on aspects of lerasium. The bead on the right… that’s how atium was described.”
“It always looks like itwantsto divide,” Steris said. “That it’s arranging itself to do so.”
“Ruin and Preservation,” Marasi whispered. “Atium and lerasium.”
“I think that’s the reason harmonium is so unstable,” Wax explained. “Harmony has trouble acting, right? He’s mentioned it before: his two aspects work against one another, leaving him indecisive, impotent.”
“He’s merely in equilibrium,” VenDell said. “Equal parts the need to protect and the need to let things decay.”
“Well,” Wax said, “I’m increasingly certain we face a god whoisn’thindered by that kind of equilibrium. I was skeptical at first, but Marasi convinced me.”
“Trell is dangerous, VenDell,” Marasi said, squinting against the bright light. “We have to do something. We can’t wait for Harmony.”
“Almost I am persuaded,” VenDell said. “What did you think of the note?”
“It’s confusing,” Marasi said. “And vague.”
Wax shot her a glance.
“I’ll explain,” she promised. “But first… are we going further with this?” She nodded toward the safe box they were all crowded around.
“Well,” Wax said, taking the trellium spike back from VenDell, “we noticed that this metal repels all forms of Investiture—and it repels harmonium even harder. I thought… what if I stretched a nugget apart like this, then used trellium to try to split it? Might that repel the two sides harder, and actually separate out some atium and lerasium?”
He looked to the others in turn.
“What… are the chances that blows things up?” Allik asked.
“Considering harmonium is involved?” Steris said. “I’dsay it’sincrediblylikely. But worth a try.”
“That’s why we have the safe box, right?” Wax said. “Plus, that’s a very small bit of harmonium. How much energy could one piece of metal contain?”
The words hung in the air.
“So…” Allik said. “I think we should all go next door and be very far away when he does this, yah?”
“Yah,” Marasi agreed.