The nine hours passed without a major assault.
Soldiers rotated on the walls in longer, calmer shifts. Reports from the scouting parties all said the same thing. The Realm of Darkness had pulled back another short distance overnight. The black clouds still hung low on the eastern horizon, but they no longer pressed against the holy barrier with the same constant force.
Inside the underground chamber the golden light around Alicia remained steady and strong. The first major expansion of the ritual continued to hold. Clau and Yelda took turns resting in short stretches while the others kept watch. Niña finally managed a few hours of real sleep on a spare bedroll. Leafa cleaned and checked every weapon in the chamber twice. Fury sat near the edge of the magic circle and simply listened to the soft hum of the prayer.
Sekai used the relative calm the same way he always did. He slept in short, controlled bursts with the controller still in his hand. Every time he woke he checked the timer out of habit. Seven hours. Five. Three hours and forty minutes.
Near the end of the third hour a League messenger arrived with a sealed packet for Prince Will. The prince read the contents twice, then called the party together.
"There is news from the far west," he said. "A third pocket of darkness has appeared near the coastal city of Port Meridian. It is smaller than the ones we have already faced, but it is expanding along the trade routes that supply the capital with grain and salt. If Port Meridian is cut off, the city will begin to feel shortages within two weeks."
Leafa's expression hardened. "Three fronts at once. He is spreading us thin on purpose."
Fury nodded slowly. "The King of Darkness cannot break the barrier here while Alicia's prayer holds. So he opens new wounds in places we cannot easily reach."
Sekai checked the timer. Three hours and twelve minutes remained. Not enough time to reach Port Meridian before the current cycle ended, even with heavy use of the pause button.
Prince Will saw the calculation on his face. "The League is already sending what forces they can spare. They are not asking you to ride out immediately. They are asking you to be ready the moment your current window allows it."
Niña rubbed her eyes. "So we sit here and wait for the timer to reset again while another city starts to drown in black fog."
"We sit here and make certain this city does not fall while we wait," Leafa answered. "One crisis at a time."
Sekai stood and walked to the edge of the glowing circle. Alicia's face remained peaceful, completely removed from the conversations happening around her. The golden light made the edges of her hair shine. One hundred days of continuous prayer. She had already passed the first major threshold. Ninety-odd days still remained.
He rested his hand against the controller in his pocket.
Three hours.
The King of Darkness had shown he could open new fronts faster than any single party could close them. Highmere had been handled. The capital still held. Port Meridian was next, but only after the timer reset.
Sekai returned to his place against the wall and closed his eyes once more.
The quiet would not last. It never did.
But for the next three hours, at least, the capital remained safe, and time still moved in their favor.
When the timer reached zero again, they would be ready.