Nox returned to the council chamber. The delegates were waiting, their expressions a mixture of skepticism and anxiety.
"The titan has agreed."
A murmur of disbelief went through the room. Borin Ironhand, the Dwarven representative, stood up.
"Agreed to what? You spoke to the Great Sleeper?"
"I made it an offer," Nox said. "It will allow the Geodes to settle on the Silent Spire, on one condition." He looked at the quartz monolith, the Geode leader. "I have to harmonize your people's resonant frequency with the titan's. If I succeed, you get your new home. If I fail, the titan wakes up and eats the mountain. Along with everyone on it."
The monolith vibrated, a complex pattern of inquiry. Vexia's device translated. "It asks what you require of them."
"I need them to trust me completely," Nox said. "I need your entire species to connect their consciousness to me. I will be the bridge between you and the titan."
