"You lack authority," he says at last. "There is a piece missing. Hades is obedient. It is punctilious. This prohibition, then, hinges upon the same rules as does the domination of the Alkahest. The code is graven in the creation. You must have the authorities, or you cannot pass the gate. Cerberus has tasted you and is content. Your blood enlivens the soil and binds me. You have spoken your name and given of your memory. Four proofs are accepted, one remains: the sacrifice is not complete."