Page 188 - DivineSparkRising II-TheMirrorofSilenceFinal

Divine Spark Rising
The tower’s light flexed, and a seam in the
platform dilated like an eye after dusk. Air from
below hit them — cold, mineral, old. The gate had
no handle. It simply refused to be closed.
Sera lifted the journals box. “We bring the
archive,” she said. “Serpa comes with us.”
Carolina pocketed the J-0 reader with a
reverence that looked like rebellion. “And the five
seconds.”
Henry gripped the rail one last time and felt the
platform grip back. He traced the little pulse-
alphabet gesture Sera had taught him on the metal:
press-pause-press-long-press, rest. He thought of
the boy on Zhara’s stairs. He thought of Aleph’s
hands. He thought of Sofia before doctrine, when
an idea could still be a friend.
“Ready,” he said.
Sera nodded. “Hold.”
Carolina looked at the open dark and, for once,
didn’t try to name it. She stepped forward.
They went through.
6. Below the Plaza
The stair that followed had been poured when
the city still believed in modest miracles. It curled
like a conch. Every seventh step bore a groove
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