Are you sure you're ready? Kallinvar looks over the battlefield, at the dead men littering it. Mostly men, some Uraks. This is where they were told they’d find the last sigil bearer. Someone finds a man that’s still alive but near death. Kallinvar asks him three questions. 1. Is it the duty of the strong to protect the weak? 2. There is no black and white, the world exists in shades of gray. Does he agree? 3. Does he accept the sigil of Achyron and the duty to serve The Warrior for the rest of his life? To fail to uphold this vow would kill him in the most painful way possible. The man nods yes to each question and Kallinvar prepares him, bearing the sigil the first time will be painful. He places the sigil on the man’s armored chest, and the sigil burns right through the metal. The last Sigil Bearer found, the Knights restored, and all before the Blood Moon. Job well done. Calen Bryer has the day off from the forge so he can go hunting with his friends Dann Pimm and Rist Havel. But first, he needs to train for The Proving, which is coming up fast. As he trains, he’s interrupted by is four-year-old wolfpine Faenir, who will not be hunting with them this time (not since he came back the last time so excited that he ransacked Dann’s dad’s chicken coop). Calen stops at his house to tell his mom, Freis, that he will be home before nightfall to attend the Moon Market. It only happens once a month and he doesn’t want to miss it. He also agrees to bring some herbs home for his mom to use in her healing. On his way to meet his friends at the forest, he sees Erdhardt Hammersmith, the village elder and head of the village council, and hears a bard singing about Fane Mortem. None of the villagers are fans of the emperor, Fane, who charges them taxes they can’t afford to pay while also taking their goods without fair compensation. When Calen finally arrives, his friends are already waiting, and they all enter the forest together. After some light teasing about Calen’s bow (he’s a terrible shot, much better with a sword), they track a herd of deer that Dann has been watching for about a week. They get to the stream, but Calen hears something strange. Dann hears it next, then the sound becomes clear. A herd of deer comes charging out of the brush right towards them, running at top speed. Dann shoots the head stag and brings him down, but Calen yells at his friends to take cover. Dann shoots a second time before Calen tackles him to the ground - ruining his shot but saving his life. He would have been trampled. When the rest of the deer have passed, they take a look at the stag, which has a huge gash down the length of its ribcage. It’s too clean a cut to be made by any of the bears, wolfpine, or kats that reside in the forest. Dann suggests they not stick around for longer than necessary, in case whatever made that wound comes for them next. They load the stag onto Dann’s sled, equipped for moving deer without damaging the fur. It’s big enough to feed all three of their families, possibly with extra meat to sell. They speak to Ferrin Kolm, guardsman and friend of Calen’s brother Haem on their way back to town. Ferrin sees the gash on the deer, and he exchanges a look with the other guard Dalmen, but they don’t say anything. The boys take the stag to Dann’s house and string it up in the back before heading to the Gilded Dragon tavern, owned by Rist’s father. The bard Therin is scheduled to tell a story there tonight and his stories are the best. They meet Kurtis Swett and Fritz Netley as they leave the tavern, already drunk. Kurtis and Fritz are awful under regular circumstances but are worse drunk. They push Dann and Calen hits one of them in the cheek, but the situation is interrupted by Rist’s dad Lasch before it can get worse. Fritz and Kurtis leave as Calen and his friends get a mead and sit with Calen’s dad Vars, the blacksmith. Before Calen can tell his dad about the weird gash on the stag’s side, Therin starts his story. He is one of the few elves that travel to the world of men, and he begins his story - the true story of the fall of The Order and the beginning of the Lorian Empire. Therin details how Fane Mortem was born to a royal family and his Spark of magic was recognized early. He was sent to Ilnaen to train with the mages of The Order, legendary mages made up of men, giants, and elves. But Fane preferred solitary study and was considered one of the most powerful human mages in The Order by the time he was twenty. And the most ruthless. He began challenging others to duels, not happy with beating them but wanting to break them in the process. He began studying ancient magics and desired to prove that he was without equal, even within The Order. He began to grow a following. But one dared to challenge him: Alvira Serris. She was a strong mage and excellent with a sword as well. Fane became obsessed with the Doom at Haedr (a well-known disaster) and the power that would’ve needed to be wielded to cause it. He sought out a shaman that lived in the Mar Dorul mountains, which the Uraks revered for the shaman’s knowledge and use of blood magic. No one but the shaman and Fane knows what happened when Fane was in the mountains, but by the time he left, Fane was changed. He spent two years corrupting those in The Order that were weak and susceptible - giants, elves, and men alike. He even convinced the dragon riders called the Draleid that The Order was corrupt, including Eltoar Daethana - Alvira’s first sword and rider of the largest dragon, Helios. When Fane gave the orders, his followers quietly murdered everyone in their way and opened the gates of Ilnaen, allowing the Uraks inside. The Order was decimated, as were any of The Draleid and their dragons who did not join Fane. Eltoar killed Alvira. And Fane stood on what is now known as the Dead Tower and watched it all happen. He unleashed fire and wind made by dark magic into Ilnaen, spreading larger than even the Doom. The flames lasted for days, killing everyone still inside the city, including the Uraks that he had opened the city doors for. They used Helios to kill King Eric and Fane took the throne in Al’Nasla. They killed anyone still loyal to The Order, laid waste to the giant city of Olmur, and hoarded any dragon eggs that were not destroyed in the mayhem. No dragons have hatched since. Fane then destroyed elven and giant cities along the coast until the elves took refuge with the forest of Lynalion, which Fane did not dare enter. They nearly eliminated the giants and the dwarves retreated to their mountain kingdoms. That is how Fane came to the throne, where he still sits. After Therin is finished, Calen’s sister Ella comes to buy him a drink. Their father is excited to see her. He’s always had a tenderness towards his children, but especially since their brother Haem died. But Ella and Calen do not share the drink. Instead, Ella passes him both drinks and pushes him toward his crush, Anya Gritten. But he and Anya are interrupted by Dann, who will need to be escorted home since he can barely stand on his own. Calen leaves Anya and sets off with Dann, but they are accosted by Kurtis and Fritz - still real mad from earlier. Kurtis and Fritz beat the crap out of the boys until Faenir arrives and saves Calen and Dann. Calen recognizes that Faenir is there just before he passes out. Ella meets Rhett at the agreed upon tent and the two of them walk together and go over their plans. They are going to wait until after The Proving then run away together to Bedona, where Rhett’s parents originally came from. Rhett doesn’t want to sneak away together (although they will leave notes and get in touch with them once they’re in Bedona) but they have no other choice. Ella’s father would never allow them to be together otherwise. As they walk, they hear yells and Rhett goes to investigate. He finds Calen and Dann although he does not see who beat them. He tells Ella that Calen and Dann will be okay, but he needs help getting them home and sends her for Ferrin at the Gilded Tavern. Ferrin comes right away, and they send Ella home. Calen continues to practice for The Proving. He’s practicing his terrible bow skills, when he’s interrupted by his dad. They practice with swords together for a bit. Vars is the best swordsmen in any of the villages. He even became a captain in the Illyanara army during the Varsund War, when the High Lord in Varsund decided to take the lands of Illyanara for himself. But today, Calen is not fighting as well as he normally would and both he and his father are getting frustrated, his dad even brings up that Haem would not have made some of Calen’s mistakes - then immediately regrets it. Calen admits that he’s nervous and feels like he’s not ready for the Proving, but Vars assures him that the feeling is normal. Haem felt that way too, Vars found him vomiting the night before The Proving. Later, Dann’s dad Tharn comes up to them. Dann is decent with a bow but not great with a sword, Tharn asks Calen to keep an eye on him during The Proving. Dann’s also impetuous, so don’t let him do anything stupid. Calen and Vars head back home, passing Rhett on the way. Calen gives him a nod but Vars glares at him. Rhett and Haem had been best friends since they were children. Rhett went out with Haem when Haem led some men to push back Uraks who had gotten through the Wolfpine Ridge. Rhett was the only man who made it back, as broken and bloody as he was. Vars had yelled that Rhett should have either brought Haem back or died with him. Calen believes Vars regrets saying it but does not know how to fix it and so doubles down on hating Rhett. There’s a big celebration the night before The Proving. Dann gets drunk but Rist and Calen agree not to partake so they’ll be clear headed in the morning. Erdhardt lays out the rules for The Proving. All boys in the local villages who are in their eighteenth summer take part. They go into the Oln Forest in groups, two to four in a group. They must stay out there, taking only a bow and a knife, and survive together for three nights. They must also bring down a predator. Whoever brings the most impressive pelt on the fourth day are the victors and will receive a monetary prize. Any who survive and bring a pelt back, proving that they can face their fears, are considered men from that day forward. Calen does not sleep that night. The next morning, he goes to the town square with his family and meet up with Rist and his mother Ilia (his dad is preparing for the celebration at the end of The Proving), while Vars collects a hungover Dann and his dad (his mom Ylinda is gathering herbs). Before they leave, Dann’s dad gifts Rist and Calen with a very nice leather belt. The boys go into the forest and find a stream first, collecting water. Then they make their way to a cave that they had chosen previously in preparation for The Proving and bring down two rabbits for dinner that night. They all fall asleep quickly after eating. Calen wakes in the middle of the night to someone going through their bags. Or something, rather. A bear. He yells for the others to wake up, and Dann quickly starts shooting his bow. Rist is knocked away by the bear, who then charges at Dann and Calen. Calen is not quick enough to get out of the way and is hit by the bear’s head but manages to put a dagger in the side of its neck in the process. Between that and the two arrows that Dann landed, the bear collapses and Dann kills it quickly, so the bear doesn’t suffer. It seems they chose the cave unwisely. They skin the bear and hang the pelt to dry. It should win them the prize money and then Dann’s dad will be able to use it in his shop. But Dann is struggling. He’s never killed anything that he wasn’t going to eat, plus this bear was magnificent and hadn’t done anything but find them in its home. After a while, they see another creature, a kat. Rist is going to shoot at it, but Dann stops him, throwing the kat two of the fish they caught earlier. The kat eats the first one and then does something unexpected, it brings the second one back to Dann. Dann doesn’t understand what’s happening (something incredible) but before he can take the fish, an arrow comes from the trees and scares the kat away. Then another arrow, but this one lands in Rist’s leg. It’s Fritz, Kurtis, and the third member of their group, Dennet Hildom. Fritz demands their pelt or else they’ll get worse than just an arrow in the leg and then banishes Calen and his friends from the cave as well. They need to help Rist, so they have no choice but to leave. After walking for most of the night, they stop to take a look at Rist’s leg. The arrow went all the way through and struck nothing vital, so Dann is able to remove it. Then Calen uses the herbs he collected when he was getting wood and the knowledge that he’s gained from his mother to make a salve for Rist’s leg. It should prevent infection. Before they can decide what to do next, a small wolfpine jumps out of the trees and Dann starts wondering how the three of them can’t manage to get a break. But that’s not the worst of it. Two Uraks follow and kill the wolfpine. One Urak has a huge axe and the other a sword, both with a gemstone set in the handle. When they notice the three stunned boys, the smaller Urak attacks them. It knocks Rist to the side when he attacks it with his handmade spear, but Dann manages to shoot it with two arrows and send the Urak into a frenzy. It falls on top of Calen - and Calen’s spear. The spear goes right through the Urak’s neck, killing it. Then the bigger one comes at them. Dann shoots it with arrow after arrow, but it isn’t stopping. It kicks Dann in the chest and heads for Calen. Calen’s life flashes before his eyes when the Urak suddenly stops moving, its flesh burning. Rist doesn’t understand what just happened. He cause the Urak to burn but he doesn’t know how - and his own hands show no injury. After establishing that he and Calen are okay and the Urak is dead, they check on Dann. It takes a moment, but Dann finally wakes up. Calen tells his friends that he saw a flash of light and then the Urak was burning, he didn’t see anything else. Rist lies and tells them he woke up after the initial flash, when Calen had yelled his name. They decide to take the Uraks back to the village as their predator. Or maybe just one. Or maybe just the head of one – they’re heavy. Dann sets about liberating the head of the smaller Urak from its body as Rist checks on Calen - who thinks of how his brother died fighting Uraks. They walk through the night and the entire next day, arriving back at the village in the evening. They’re met by five frantic riders who thought the worst when they did not show up in the morning like they were supposed to: their fathers, Erdhardt, and Jorvill Ehrnin. Calen tells them what happened, including how Rist was shot, but glazes over how the larger Urak died. He’s noticed how strange Rist has been acting since then and doesn’t want attention drawn to the weird death. They show Erdhardt the Urak’s head. Erdhardt calls the council (all the villages join together for The Proving, so the councilmembers of all the villages are there) and asks Ferrin to bring Fritz, Kurtis, Dennet, and their fathers before the council. Vars fetches Freis to see Rist’s leg (Ella comes too) and Rist’s and Dann’s mothers are also called in. Once everyone is assembled, Calen tells the story again. But some of the council doesn’t believe they saw Uraks until the head is brought forth. Kara Thain, from Erith, reveals that they’ve heard rumors of Uraks but no concrete proof until now. She decides to put the village guard on alert and erect a palisade wall. Milltown, Talin, and Erdhardt (representing The Glade) all agree with this course of action and will do the same as they are the villages nearest Wolfpine Ridge. Olm, Salme, and Pirn all pledge support and aid if the others need help. Then they discuss how Fritz shot Rist. Erdhardt believes everyone needs to hear it since it happened during The Proving. They agree that the boys needed to learn a lesson: being honorable is not always the easiest way, and that the lesson has already been learned. The council is adjourned. However, though the issue of The Proving has been resolved, the issue of the shooting itself is a Glade village issue, which they will revisit the next day. Fritz and his friends will not get off without consequences. But judgement will be delayed, tonight everyone will celebrate The Proving. Calen, Rist, and Dann clean up and eat with their families. Calen is happy they’re all together: his family, Dann’s, and Rist’s, his extended family if not by blood. Calen even gets a dance with Anya! They’re interrupted by Dann again, who has the worst timing, but comes to gather Calen because the victors are about to be announced. By unanimous vote, it is Calen, Dann, and Rist. The next day, the punishment is decided for Fritz and his friends. They each have to spend a month working for either Calen’s, Rist’s, or Dann’s father, which honestly feels a little light for shooting someone in the leg with an arrow. But with their winner’s purse, Calen and his friends agree to a shipment to Milltown for Vars, where they will visit the markets and spend the night. Before they leave, Vars gives Calen a gift, his sword. It’s elven-made and better than anything Vars could make himself - and it suits Calen. He wants Calen to have it. Calen brings it to Milltown with him. The boys take Vars’ shipment to the trader who will ferry it north before finding lodgings and heading into town to shop separately. Calen sees imperial soldiers at port. That’s odd, they don’t normally come this far south unless one of the southern high lords needs to be taken down a peg or two by the empire. Calen finds himself staring at the soldiers, and he sees that one of the soldiers has noticed him too, so Calen makes himself scarce. He goes back to the inn, but he doesn’t go there directly, just in case he was followed. Once there, he laughs it off. Of course the soldier wasn’t following him. He didn’t do anything wrong, and soldiers generally have more to do than follow random village men. Meanwhile, the soldier, Farda, did notice Calen - and he doesn’t like anyone getting too nosy. But he flips the coin, and the gods decide for him, he will leave Calen alone. But Farda’s crew is here to search for someone, and those men aren’t so lucky. The gods decide that he will join the search. Calen finds his friends already inside the hall of the inn. Risk is reading a book about magii, while Dann has made friends with a bunch of men from Drifaien and they are playing an axe throwing game. After ordering some mead and chatting with Rist, Calen joins Dann and his new friends. He tries his hand at axe throwing - but is only marginally better than with the bow. As in, he hits the wood that the target is painted on, but not the actual target. One of the Drifaienin men not much older than Calen, Allston, gives him a few pointers and soon Calen is wiping the floor with the rest of them. After several rounds of mead and axe throwing, a man approaches Calen. He and his two friends have been sitting quietly in the corner the whole evening, a bit out of place in this crowd. He introduces himself as Erik Virandr and he wants to try his hand at the axe game. The first thing that Calen notices is that Erik is built and that he’s carrying two swords on his back. The second is that they’re about the same age. Calen throws first and notices that one of Erik’s companions is watching him closely while tapping his cup with his knife. Calen gets eleven points. Not great, not terrible. Erik goes next and on his first throw, hits the bullseye. The axe imbeds itself so deep that Dann almost can’t pull it out. His second throw hits the center again. Calen notices the tapping noise again, and so does Erik. He throws the axe and this time, it doesn’t even land, just bounces off the wood panel giving Erik only ten points total. He pays Calen what he owes for losing the game and says that he wishes he could have stayed longer but he needs to get going. Erik leaves through the back door but forgets his mantle over the chair where he laid it when he first threw the axe. Calen picks it up and notices how good the quality is. He follows Erik out, wanting to return the mantle to him. Outside he finds Erik and his two friends surrounded by imperial soldiers, including the one who stared at him from the ship, Farda. They want to search Erik’s cart and instead of allowing it, one of Erik’s companions reveals himself to be Aeson Virandr, who Farda apparently does not like, and the two start sword fighting. Erik and the third man in the group start to fight the other soldiers. Erik’s group fights so well it’s more like dancing and they are winning, until a second group of imperial soldiers arrives. Erik trips and is about to be run through with a sword when Calen, not even realizing what he’s doing, blocks the soldier’s sword with his own. Now he has to fight the soldier, and Calen ends up killing him. A second soldier hits him in the chest and is about to kill Calen when the soldier is sliced across the throat by Dann – now holding a sword. He and Rist came looking for Calen when he took too long. Erik’s companions are overwhelmed, and he yells that they need to get out of there. The third man, Dahlen, gets to their cart and starts to shoot arrows as cover as Erik rushes Calen and his friends into the cart as well. Then Aeson turns to join them, Farda momentarily distracted by an arrow to the shoulder. Aeson is not going to make it, he’s blocked by too many soldiers, when some sort of energy forces the soldiers out of his way and his path is clear. He jumps on the cart and they ride away. Both Calen and Dann have now killed a man, Dann in particular is taking it poorly. Meanwhile, Ella decides to leave with Rhett that night while Calen is gone. They both leave notes for their parents explaining what they’ve done. They do not mention where they are going. They both hope they’ll be able to come back one day. Calen rides the cart in silence until Aeson tells them that they’ll need to switch to horses. They agree that Calen and his friends will stay with Erik and his group until the morning and decide what to do then. They only have three horses waiting for them though, so they’ll be riding double. Calen is with Erik, Dann with Dahlen, and Rist with Aeson. Erik explains to Calen as they ride that he and Dahlen are brothers, Aeson is their father. Their mother died when they were children. They head into the Olm Forest. Rist is not happy with this since the last time he and his friends were in the Olm Forest they had a run in with Uraks - and this time is no luckier. After not very long at all, Uraks come after them. They ride as fast as possible with Dann shooting Dahlen’s bow, but one of the Uraks takes down Erik’s horse. Calen is stunned when he hits a tree, but a huge, blue skinned man holds out his hand to help Calen up. Before Calen can get up, the man conjures a battle axe out of red light and takes down two Uraks with it. He throws it through one Urak into a tree, where the axe disappears after impact. He then uses the vines in the forest to kill several more Uraks. Once this is done and the Uraks are gone, the giant introduces himself as Asius, son of Thalm. He, Erik, and Calen join the others, and they walk a little while more to find two others in Asius’ group, Senas, daughter of Iliria and Larion, son of Olin. After some food and as they sit around the fire, Rist starts to pepper the giants with questions. He’s found a kindred spirit in Asius, who is very happy to answer all of his questions. They are giants, they call themselves the Jotnar. It is true that the Jotnar been hunted to near extinction, so they stay only in small groups with little contact with the others. Yes, he has magic - they call it the spark. The axe that Calen saw is called a Soulblade. It is unique to whomever calls it, though few can do so, since it takes years of study and focus to achieve. Lorian and Aeson talk for a bit, Dahlen handing Lorian a satchel that they protected from the imperials. Whatever is inside is the reason he and his sons were being hunted. That night, Calen tries to eavesdrop to find out what is inside the bag but is unsuccessful. Then he has a strange dream in which he hears the words “Draleid n’aldryr”. He wakes up saying the words and piques Aeson’s curiosity, but Calen doesn’t repeat himself. Aeson tells him that they’ll have fresh horses waiting, courtesy of Asius, and they can continue to Camylin in the morning. It is not safe for Calen to return to The Glade since he fought the imperials. The imperials will track him down. Calen sees the wisdom in this and agrees to go back to sleep for a while (it’s still dark out) but once Aeson is sleeping Calen sneaks over to his friends and wakes them. Wise or not, they’ll be returning to The Glade. They take three of the waiting horses and leave while everyone else is sleeping. Aeson knows when they leave but he doesn’t stop them. When the bard Theron Eiltris (son of Alain Eiltris) comes to Aeson in the forest and asks him why he let the boys go, Asius seconds the question. Aeson tells them it is time to signal the others. He thinks they’ve finally found their Draleid. Calen, Rist, and Dann arrive back in The Glade. Calen tells his friends to go back to their families. He will let his parents know that he is safe, but he cannot stay here since the imperials will be looking for him. After letting his parents know he’s okay, he will head to Camylin to meet back up with Aeson and join him, if they’ll have him. His friends disagree. They’ll all be going together. They agree to meet again in no more than two hours. But they’re too late. Farda and the imperial inquisitor Rendall are already at The Glade, and they don’t believe Calen’s parents when they claim they don’t know where Calen is. Rendall backhands Vars and threatens to make Freis serve him (in a multitude of ways), which is too much for Calen. He steps forward. Rendall claims that he will be lenient if Calen tells him where Aeson’s group is. Calen replies that he left them in the forest, past that he doesn’t know where they are. Rendall doesn’t believe him (Calen suspects he just likes to cause pain). When Vars tries to protect Calen, Rendall pulls his sword and kills Vars without a second thought. Freis tries to protect Calen as Farda approaches him. Farda brushes her off with a hand and sends her flying into the wall of their house, lighting the house on fire with the same hand. But before he can get to Calen, Farda is shot in the shoulder and Dahlen pulls Calen to his feet. He urges Calen to run, and Calen sees Therin continuing to shoot Farda, but Farda just breaks the shafts off the arrows and continues to follow Calen. Calen begins to run as Dahlen explains that Farda is not natural. Dahlen tells Calen they must run faster - his family is dead, but they will be too if they don’t hurry. They make it to the horses and Calen finds Rist and Dann waiting with Erik and Aeson. They ride away as fast as they can. Once they stop, Calen demands an explanation. What are they carrying that is causing the imperials to hunt them like this? Aeson agrees that if they’re traveling with them, they deserve to know. They already know the real history of Fane from Therin. Aeson and Therin are two people in a network that fight against Fane and the empire but are constantly quelled. Now they have found something that can change the tide. Aeson pulls the item out of his bag. A white plated egg. A Valacian dragon egg. A dragon that has never been seen this far south before who have an unrivaled connection to the spark. They were believed to be only legend. And while one dragon is not much against the dozen Dragonguard of the empire, it is a symbol of hope. A call for the people to fight. Calen hears that word again: Draleid. He agrees to travel with Aeson if Aeson agrees to train him to use a sword. Dann and Rist decide to join the group as well, they can’t really to back to their families anyway. First, they’ll go to Camylin then to Belduar. Meanwhile, Ella and Rhett have been traveling for two days. They need to get to a port that will travel north. The closest one is way too expensive, so they’ll need to travel for a few months on foot before getting to the cheaper port and paying for passage. Even then, they’ll have to either go through the Burnt Lands or travel along the Lightning Coast and neither is appealing. Rhett is worried. But for now, he and Ella are together and headed for Camylin. Calen and Dann both train with Aeson, while Rist spends most of his time near Therin reading his book about the magii. When Calen and the others reach Camylin, Therin does not enter the city. Elves are not welcomed there. He will meet them the next day at an inn a few hours down the road. The others find an inn to stay at for the night, and the younger ones entertain themselves by drinking in the common room while Aeson meets with an associate. That night, they finally rest comfortably. But in the dark of the night, Calen is woken up suddenly believing that someone is outside their room. Suddenly the door slams open, and Erik is in the doorway, the body of a man at his feet. They have to leave… now! Therin is only about half an hour from the inn he plans to meet the others at, but he gets a bad feeling. He’s thinking about how Rist has the Spark, which is uncommon since most kids in the south that show any aptitude are taken by the empire and raised in Berona well before his age. He also suspects that Calen is the Draleid, and he knows that Vars gave Calen his sword, which was once Therin’s sword. Therin is stopped by a Fade, a mage who has chosen to accept the darkness and share their body with it for more power, and some archers. Therin kills the archers and fights the Fade, turning his horse around. He needs to get back to Camylin. Ella is in the Camylin streets, in their famous market, and she gives her food to a child who has none. By the time she decides to return to the inn, it is darker than she expected and the streets have changed. Two men approach her with nefarious intentions but luckily, she is saved by a man not much older than her wearing a white mantle. He offers to walk her to her inn, but she says it’s not necessary. She decides on her way, as she stops to cry for a moment about helpless she felt, that she will not tell Rhett what happened. Meanwhile, Rhett has received a letter at the inn from his uncle in Berona. He had told his uncle where he and Ella would been staying, and his uncle happened to know the innkeeper there. But his uncle does not like Rehtt’s plan to go to the further port of Falstide. He’s heard that the roads are particularly dangerous right now and the innkeeper, Master Blackwell, has heard the same. Bandits along the roads and other things coming down from the mountains. Plus, the Blood Moon is coming soon and that always makes people crazy. Rhett’s uncle wants them to go through the much more expensive port of Gisa and has already paid for their tickets in full. Gisa is closer, safer, and would save them a ton of money but Rhett will need to talk it over with Ella. As for the Blood Moon, he’s never heard of it. Calen, Rist, and Dann grab what they can and follow Erik. Their horses were all killed by the man Erik killed so they’ll be going on foot. Erik leads them to an underground tunnel, the entrance of which is in an apothecary shop. It leads out of the city and used to be used to smuggle supplies into the city. On their way, they are beset by imperial soldiers and Calen kills a few more men. They run to make it to the tunnel, but Rist is hit and falls. Dahlen turns to help Rist and the two of them are forced to fight their way down a different alley. Erik assures the others that there are other ways out of the city and Dahlen will get Rist to safety. They make it to the tunnel and out of the city. They will go to the inn to meet Therin, Dahlen will take Rist there too. But Therin is not at the other inn, he is at the end of the tunnel waiting for them and he looks absolutely terrible. Meanwhile, Rist has grabbed a sword from a fallen soldier and is doing better with it than Dahlen expected, but then Dahlen notices that Rist looks exhausted. Way more tired than he should be. Rist collapses, his body cannot hold him up any longer. Dahlen pulls Rist up and puts Rist’s arm around his shoulder to support him, but Rist is just dead weight at this point. Then the space around them gets darker and something comes toward them. The thing that comes out of the darkness wants Rist. Dahlen isn’t interested in a trade but now his body is failing too. He falls and the thing stands over Rist. Dahlen pulls his sword and uses the last of his strength to stand and stab the thing in the chest. The sword just goes through it. The thing is impressed with Dahlen. He likes Dahlen enough to let him live, but he throws him against the wall anyway and Dahlen is knocked out. Therin is exhausted and passes out almost as soon as he can. They leave Dahlen a sign, so he knows not to continue to the inn and where to meet them, and they wait. They try to rest. Finally, Dahlen appears but Rist is not with him. Calen is furious but even Dann tries to calm him down… and Dann is never the voice of reason. But Dann reminds Calen now is not the time to fight. Dahlen explains what happened in Camylin and how the thing, which Therin says is the Fade, called Rist “interesting”. Therin reveals to the others that Rist had the Spark and the potential to be powerful. If the Fade was working for the empire, he will take Rist to the High Tower in Bering and there is nothing they can do about it, at least not yet. That answer isn’t good enough. Calen tells Dann to pack his things; they’re going on a rescue mission. Everyone tries to convince Calen of what a bad idea this is and why, but Calen is not listening. He and Dann stay with the group that night, but Calen is intent on leaving the next morning. But that night Calen cannot sleep. He dreams of the dragon egg and hears the word “draleid” repeatedly. He wakes up and he still can hear the word. He makes his way over to the egg where Aeson sleeps next to it. Aeson asks Calen if he can hear it. He asks what it is that Calen hears and Calen tells him: draleid n’aldryr. Aeson explains that draleid means dragonbound. A soul bound to a dragon. Calen realizes that he has heard the word before. Alvira Serris was Draleid. N’adryr means “by fire”. The others wake up and Aeson tells Calen that Therin is a mage older than the magii in the tower. He and Therin believe that Calen is dragonbound. He encourages Calen to touch the egg and when Calen does, the voice gets louder than ever before. The egg and Calen’s hands become engulfed in flames, but only for a moment. Then all goes back to normal. Until the egg starts to crack. When it finally hatches, a small white baby dragon with purple eyes climbs onto Calen’s lap where it promptly curls up and goes to sleep. Farda Kyrana, Justicar of the Lorian Empire, waits in Rist’s father’s inn for Fritz. Fritz is the one who told the inquisitor where to find Calen’s family, and he thinks he can help more. When Fritz arrives, his insolence angers Farda enough that he sends Fritz a warning that can’t be ignored, he grows the fire in the grate to an astonishing size before shrinking it back down. That gets Fritz’s attention. Fritz thinks that the empire can lure Calen out if they can find his sister. Fritz knows she was seeing Rhett, and he believes they’re heading north now, probably to Berona. When Farda says there are only two ports north, Fritz says they wouldn’t be able to afford Gisa. So Farda gives Fritz a bag of coins and tells Fritz to leave in the morning with Farda’s captain for the other port, Falstide. He just got conscripted. Farda will send others to Gisa, just to cover their bases. If they catch Ella and put out word that she will die if Calen does not come forward, Calen will try to save her. Fritz leaves and the Fade comes to speak to Farda. They aren’t friends. The Fade says that the blockade is ready in Belduar, where Farda believes Aeson is heading, and the troops have arrived there. The Fade and Farda have a small argument in which the Fade reminds Farda that he does not work for the emperor. No, he and the emperor both serve the true god. Meanwhile, Rhett finds a caravan that will take him and Ella out of Camylin and to Midhaven for a small fee. Aeson’s group makes it to Midhaven, and they need to go in and get a feel for what’s happening between Midhaven and Belduar. But they can’t take an elf or a dragon with them, so it’s decided that Dahlen will reconnoiter around Midhaven while Aeson and Erik go into the city and speak to some people. Calen and Therin will set up camp nearby and Dann decides he’s not letting Calen out of his sight, so he will stay with them. As they ride their separate ways, Dann peppers Therin with questions, none of which get answered. Once they find a camp spot and Dann goes to hunt for their dinner, Calen asks how Therin knows so much about dragons. Therin explains that those who touch the Spark age differently. He has lived many lifetimes and was once the Elven Ambassador to The Order back before Fane destroyed it. Some of the Draleid were his closest friends. When Dann returns, they ask when they’ll go for Rist. Therin assures them that the emperor will not hurt Rist if he has potential to become a mage. He is safe for now; the empire will want to recruit and train him. Therin gives the boys his promise that they will search for Rist, but he cannot say when. Calen also asks why they are headed toward Belduar. The King of Belduar, Arthur Bryne, is a good man who tries to fight Fane any chance he gets. He’s the one that suggested that Aeson search for the egg in Valacia. He’s also a friend and one of the few people that Therin and Aeson can trust. In Belduar, they will be able to rest without constantly being on the lookout and have time to decide what to do next. Unfortunately, Aeson and Erik soon arrive at camp and tell them about the blockade, quickly confirmed by Dahlen when he arrives a short time later. He guesses it’s about ten or eleven thousand soldiers are in between them and Belduar. Ella and Rhett arrive in Midhaven and find lodgings. Rhett brings out his uncle’s letter and prepares to talk to Ella about their options. Aeson decides that they will ride toward the Darkwood Forest where there is an old mountain pass they should be able to use to get into Belduar without alerting the blockade. Therin does not like the plan. As they ride, Dann and Calen continue to practice sword work with Aeson, Calen notices that occasionally he will get a flash of intuition that helps him avoid Aeson’s hits. He chalks it up to his dragon watching and sending him a warning. When they stop for the night, Calen sits with Therin and asks how he knew Vars. They met at the beginning of the Varsund War. As to why Vars never told Calen that he knew Therin, that was a choice that Vars made. Therin will tell Calen about it one day, but not tonight. While they are near a stream, Therin encourages Calen to reach out for the Spark, showing him how to freeze the water. He explains that many people will never know the power they could have. Take Rist for example, he had no idea (until recently) but he could be the strongest mage that Therin has seen in years. Calen should be able to use his bond with the dragon (as yet unnamed) to use the Spark. Therin instructs Calen to envision the Spark as raw energy and pull a strand of water, air, and fire out of the energy, three of the five elements (the others being earth and spirit). Calen does and the fire seems to call to him. He says the word that Therin gives him meaning ice, “valerys”. Therin has to call Calen back to himself as he gets carried away in the Spark. Therin warns Calen that it can be addictive, and you can be overcome, so you must be careful when using the Spark. Calen sees the frozen stream where he was touching the water. Therin tells him to get some sleep; he will be drained after this practice. Calen returns to camp to rest and names his dragon Valerys. They reach the Darkwood Forest. All of the terrible stories that Calen has heard didn’t prepare him for the eeriness of the forest. They ride as long as they can before stopping to rest. Dann and Calen practice with their swords until they are practically falling down exhausted. Then Aeson tells Dann to sit but orders Calen to spar with Dahlen. Calen pulls energy from somewhere and manages to stand up to Dahlen, even pushing him back at times, finding more strength every time he needs it. Valerys watches anxiously. When it looks like Dahlen will win, Calen creates some ice and causes Dahlen to slip. Dahlen is furious. So is Aeson. This was a test of the sword; you don’t get to use a new skill you don’t even understand to win. And Dahlen should be prepared for anything! The bout ends. That night, Dahlen, Erik, and Therin take the first watch and wake everyone when Uraks attack. There are several close calls: Dann saves Calen at least once, so does Valerys, then Dann gets speared in the shoulder. Valerys gets hit by a Urak and doesn’t get back up, though Calen can see that he is breathing. Calen can’t stop calling on the Spark, draining his energy more every time. He protects Valerys with his body as a Urak poises itself to kill them both, but an arrow shoots the Urak in the arm. Not Dann, who is still on the ground losing blood, not any of the others since they’re using their swords. A man in green riding a huge stag comes out of the forest with a bunch of men and they start shooting all the Uraks. But Calen passes out before any of them come over to him. Calen wakes up to Therin’s angry chastisement. If Therin had not been there, Calen would have died from pulling too much from the source. But thankfully, Calen, Valerys, and Dann are all okay. He is introduced to the people who saved them, the elves that saved them. Thalinil, High Captain of the Aravell Rangers. He is happy to meet the first Draleid in four centuries and invites them all to find safety in Aravell, but Aeson insists they go to Belduar for a variety of reasons. So, Thalinil offers an honor guard to go with them instead, the Uraks have been acting strangely. Probably because the Blood Moon is coming within the year. An elf named Faelen is asked to arrange the honor guard of five elves. Those elves take an oath to protect Calen and Valerys. They will be honored to travel with them and Rakina, which is what they call Aeson. After that, Thalinil takes the rest of the elves and leaves while Aeson’s group continues on to Belduar. The elves are introduced as Vaeril, who is young but good at healing and rich with the Spark (he healed Dann’s shoulder), the hardened but very handsome Ellisar, Alea and Lyrei - who look alike enough to be twins, and Gaeleron, who makes Calen uneasy. Calen asks Vaeril about the elves. He hadn’t known they lived until he Darkwood, which they call Aravell, but only in Lynalion. Vaeril explains that there are two ways of thinking among the elves. Those that went to Lynalion do not want to get involved in the problems of men while those in Aravell believed (and still do) that the world is the responsibility of everyone. They are in Aravell, which bisects the continent, to act as a barrier between the Empire of Loria and the rest of Epheria. They ride for as long as they can until they break again and Calen takes the opportunity (after sword work) to apologize to Therin for not being able to control himself. Therin also apologizes; he should have taught Calen better. They agree that Calen will have lessons with him after he practices with Aeson in the evenings. Calen also asks what “Rakina” means. It is not Therin’s tale to tell, but he’s going to tell it anyway since he’s not sure if Aeson ever will. After putting up a barrier to ensure they will not be overheard, he explains that Rakina means broken. Aeson was Draleid who fought against Fane. His dragon, Lyara, was hunted by Fane and the Dragonguard after The Order was destroyed. For a dragon and Draleid, their souls are merged. They are no longer two separate entities but two souls blending together into something new. When one dies, the other loses a part of itself… or more than one. So Aeson is broken. But Rakina, for the elves, is a sign of respect. It means broken, but one who survived. Ella and Rhett ride in the back of a merchant’s cart with another couple and a man and his son. The cart is stopped and ordered out of the cart by imperial soldiers. They intimidate everyone, enjoying their fear, and demand everyone’s names. When they get to Ella, they tell her she needs to come with them. Ella doesn’t understand and, in her confusion, tensions rise between the soldiers and Rhett. They only need Ella; Rhett is not invited to come with her. One of the soldiers grabs Ella and she fights against him; Rhett kills two of the soldiers. They continue fighting and Ella and Rhett get the upper hand for a moment. Rhett tells Ella they need to run now but it’s too late. One of the two remaining soldiers stabs him through the stomach with his spear. Ella holds him as he dies. The two soldiers are even rougher with Ella now, but she hears a growl, and the soldiers are torn away from her. It’s Faenir, who did not die in the fire and has tracked her all the way here. At first, she thinks her family has come for her. But when she only sees Faenir, she wraps him in a hug and sobs. Calen trains with Aeson and then Therin, but Gaeleron is always watching, judging. One day, he asks Calen to spar with him. The bout does not go too poorly for Calen; he even manages to hit the elf on the chin once. Gaeleron talks to Aeson, and it’s decided that he will take over sparring with Calen. Calen is going to learn to wield the elven blade he carries. One evening, Calen wakes up to a strange feeling though everyone else is sleeping. He sees something standing near their camp. It’s the Fade. It tries to make a deal with Calen. He will trade Rist for the egg. Obviously, Calen cannot make that trade even if he wanted to and the Fade gets angry. Valerys steps between the two of them, shrieking at the Fade, until the Fade leaves screaming about how Rist will be the one to pay for this. The others wake up to Valerys’ screaming and Calen tells them what happened. The Fade saw Valerys so Fane will soon know about him too. They must get to Belduar as soon as they can. The Fade goes back to Farda and tells him that the dragon has hatched. It has a plan, and it wants one thousand men from Farda. Farda explains that in four hundred years, they’ve never broken through Belduar’s gates. The Fade doesn’t plan on going through the gates. Calen and the others arrive at what looks like a dead end in a cliff face. But Aeson pulls out a green stone which starts to glow and reveals a large cave. With the glamour down, they enter, walking the horses until they get to a portcullis. Aeson places the stone, a key, into a spot made for it. He explains that once the stone is placed, its twin will start to glow. Soon, a man named Ihvon arrives carrying the matching stone and greets Aeson warmly. When he places his stone in its spot, the portcullis opens and leads into Belduar. Ihvon shows Calen how the gates lead to a courtyard which is open to the upper levels. Should Belduar ever be breached, which it never has in all the time it has existed, the archers could gather on the walls and have open shots into the whole of the courtyard. He also shows the Bolt Throwers - installed with the help of the dwarves after The Order fell - designed to bring down dragons, and a big reason why Fane was never able to take the city. They are introduced to the king, Arthur, and given rooms. After he cleans up, Calen goes to dinner, deciding to leave his sword in his room. At dinner he is introduced to Arthur’s son, Daymon. They eat better than they have in weeks. Rist has been in his room for about two weeks. He’s not allowed out, the door is always locked, he’s fed once a day, has to use the bathroom or bathe under guard, and no one speaks to him. He has no idea what’s going on. The next time the door opens, the man who always brings Rist’s food is back, food in hand, but this time there are two plates. The man joins Rist for dinner. He explains that they found Rist unconscious on the side of the road and brought him here to Al’Nasla. Specifically, to the Circle of Magii in the palace. Garramon, the man, continues that Rist was found half-starved and dirty. They believe that Rist may have been left because he has abilities but not to worry, he’s among friends now. Garramon is also a mage and would like to teach Rist. Rist agrees and introduces himself. He asks if he can write to his family to let them know that he’s okay and Garramon agrees to provide him with pen and paper. Their training will start the next day. Meanwhile, Calen meets with the ambassador to the Dwarven Freehold, who is not a dwarf at all, but a human man named Oleg Marylin. King Arthur would like to meet with the dwarves as soon as possible, since the empire is practically at his doorstep and he has a dragon and Draleid inside. Oleg writes a letter and decides to hand deliver it to the dwarves. Calen spars with Erik as Gaeleron watches - better to notice where Calen needs improvement this way. His training with Therin has extended to learning about all the different peoples of the world and their customs, not limited to mankind. Valerys is also growing, he’s close to seven feet long now. Today, he and Calen share a moment together and Calen feels a sudden urge to move. Valerys runs and takes flight for the first time. Calen closes his eyes and is able to feel what Valerys feels. He’s joined by Erik and Dann, who is speechless possibly for the first time in his life. The people around them are astounded and awestruck to see Valerys in flight. Later, the three of them are called to a meeting. Oleg has returned and he brought Asius the giant with him. The Freehold have met, and they want to have a meeting in the Heart Chamber of Durakdur. But only Arthur, Aeson, Calen, and Asius are invited. After a brief dissent from Ihvon, it is agreed that they will leave within the hour so those going must hurry to pack their things. Before that though, Calen introduces Asius to Valerys. Asius cries, he’s waited so long for this moment. Meanwhile, Dahlen is struggling. He worked so hard to help get the egg. It should be him, not Calen, sitting at the meeting with his father. The elves and Dann are not pleased about being left behind, but Dann accepts it more easily. If anything happened to Calen while alone, it would damage the elves’ honor and for them, honor is everything. This grates on Calen, as if they don’t care about him but only their own reputations. Therin reminds Calen of the dwarves as he gets ready. They will test him, but it is not just Calen that should be tested - they need to prove themselves to him as well. But the dwarves were always loyal to the Draleid and The Order before it fell. Calen joins the others in the Wind Tunnels where they will be ferried by the Wind Runners Guild to the land of the dwarves. He’s introduced to Falmin Tain who steers the ship the Crested Wave. The ride is faster than anything Calen could imagine as Falmin uses the Spark to guide them. When they disembark, Falmin tells Calen it was an honor and if he should ever need the Wind Runners Guild, Calen should only ask. Calen enters Durakdur and is amazed by what he sees. He meets Queen Kira of Durakdur, King Hoffnar of Volkur, Queen Elenya of Ozryn, and Queen Pulroan of Azmar. As they walk to the meeting room, Calen sees not just dwarves in the city, but men and elves too. Aeson explains that the dwarves cannot access the Spark for whatever reason, but they cherish magic more than any other race. These are the lucky mages who have found refuge here when they were turned away by their own people or hunted by the empire. When the meeting starts, Arthur asks the dwarves for aid should the Lorian Empire lay siege to Belduar. Kira says no. The dwarves have not left their holds since The Order fell for good reason, they do not want to attract the notice of the empire. They do not want to be hunted down like the giants were. Like the dwarves of Kolmir were. But Arthur points out that the empire has not forgotten about the dwarves. They know who put the Bolt Throwers in Belduar or who built its walls. If Belduar falls, there will be nothing left standing between the empire and the Dwarven Freehold. The dwarves want to know what Calen has to say and suddenly, Calen realizes that everybody wants to use him as a pawn. To raise aid, to increase their honor, to raise a rebellion. The only people who have never asked anything of him were Rist, Dann, and Erik. One of those people is now lost and he left the other two behind in Belduar. Calen points out that nothing he says is going to change the dwarves’ minds and Kira calls him a petulant child. Pulroan retorts that they are both acting like children. That the dwarves will not just stand with Calen because he has bonded a dragon, he needs to prove himself. After all, it was the Draleid that turned on themselves and allied with Fane, who hunted the giants and drove the elves away, and who forced the dwarves below ground. Calen apologizes for what came before him, to both the dwarves and to Asius. But he points out that they are not the only ones to know pain. The empire killed his family as well. They took Rist. At first, he only wanted revenge and while he still wants that, he wants more too. He wants to be a man that the elves will be proud to protect. To earn their trust and the trust of the dwarves. He will fight. He will fight with Belduar and with the others until he cannot fight any longer even though he never asked for this. He never went looking to become Draleid. But these are the cards he has been given, and he will not walk away from what he needs to do. Dann finds a pub with the express intention of getting drunk and is soon joined by Dahlen, who would also prefer to drink to forget that he is not under the mountain at the meeting. Erik, on the other hand, practices to get his frustration out. While there, Dahlen says he’s sorry for what happened with Rist and Dann doesn’t blame him. He makes half an apology for the way Calen has been acting, saying that Calen can be passionate, so he doesn’t give Dahlen the satisfaction of hearing that Calen is stubborn. Dann is loyal and Calen is all he has right now, at least until they find Rist. Calen and the others stay with the dwarves for days as the dwarves debate their answer. Calen is mad at basically everybody. The dwarves for demanding answers from him and refusing to give him the same courtesy, Aeson and Arthur for throwing him in front of the dwarves without proper preparation or full information, himself for letting anger get the better of him. More than all that, he’s angry that his family and Rist are gone and he finally lets the emotions wash over him. Arthur comes to him and explains that he did not know the dwarves would act like that. But Arthur believes in Calen and what Calen said up there. There was no prophecy about the Draleid reemerging, but Calen is better than fate ever could have promised anyway and Arthur’s not the only one that thinks so. He reveals that he is going back to Belduar that evening because his son is ill and he needs to check on him. That night, two men attack Calen while he sleeps. He woke up as they came into the room so he and Valerys were able to fight the attackers off. They stumble into the hallway to see Aeson and Asius running toward them. They were also attacked but survived. It was mages who attacked them. If their enemies are here, they’ll be attacking the dwarf royals too and headed for Belduar. Calen runs to Kira’s room as the other two run to the other queens’ and king’s rooms. Calen kills the two attackers trying to get into Kira’s room, makes sure she’s okay, and then heads to the Wind Tunnel. Oleg has already been sent to get Falmin. Calen is the first to arrive to find Falmin there but still readying the ship to fly. Aeson and Asius arrive just after him, but Aeson is wounded. Asius heals him since Aeson will not survive if he takes the wound above ground with him. Just before they head out, Kira shows up with a bunch of her guardsmen. They’ll be defending Belduar and standing with the Draleid. In Belduar, Ihvon stumbles out of the tunnel where he just used the stone to allow the mages inside. He cannot believe that Arthur went to the dwarves. He cannot abide that; the dwarves are cowards. He has bartered to give up Calen and Valerys for his own amnesty. But now that the moment is upon him, he can’t do it. Calen reminds him of his own son too much. He changes course and runs to warn the others. Of the thousand soldiers Kira brings with her, only two hundred or so can ride the first ship, the others have to stay behind until the Wind Runners Guild can bring more ships. When the first ship arrives in Belduar carrying Calen, Valerys, Aeson, Asius, Kira, and the two hundred guards, the city is already under attack. Kira begins to wreak havoc around her as Aeson, Asius, and Calen head for the Inner Circle where Arthur will be. Calen realizes there are no archers on the walls meaning the gates were not breached, the soldiers were allowed in. The Bolt Throwers are ablaze. Before his group reaches the bridge separating the Inner Circle of the city from the Outer Circle, they see Erik and Dahlen fighting back-to-back and growing tired. They had taken some soldiers and were trying to clear a path to the Wind Tunnels. Aeson tells them to continue doing that. Across the bridge they pick up one of Calen’s elf guards, Ellisar who begins to fight next to Aeson. They find Dann, already wounded and looking terrible, who says the twin elves followed Therin, but he doesn’t know where the others are. As they enter the hall at the center of the Inner Circle, Asius does not come with them, saying he is needed in the battle below, but Therin joins them and warns them that there is terrible magic inside. When they open the doors, they see nothing but shadow. The Fade is there. It’s already killed Arthur and Daymon is hung in the air with Sparks of air, still alive. Calen, Aeson, and Ellisar attack the Fade, Dann shooting arrows at it from further away, but the Fade shoots purple bolts of power into Dann and Therin must tend to his wounds. The Fade is so strong that it is toying with them, even three against one. It throws them all away and picks Valerys up and tosses him to the floor, injuring the dragon. Calen, Aeson, and Ellisar continue to fight the Fade, trying to get any upper hand at all, but the Fade beheads Ellisar. It pins Calen to the ground with Sparks of air while Aeson continues to fight it, distracting the Fade as much as possible. Which is when Calen notices that Daymon is watching something closely. Valerys is sneaking up behind the Fade. Calen pours as much Spark into the dragon as possible, fire and air and spirit, and then he screams at Aeson to drop. Valerys unleashes fire for the first time and even the Fade cannot withstand it. As it dies, Daymon drops to the ground and Therin comes to Calen, who has pulled too much from the Spark and may very well be dying. Calen doesn’t die, but it’s close and he’s in bed for several days barely conscious. But his companions also survive, including Dann and the remaining elves. Gaeleron loses his left hand, but he assures Calen it isn’t an issue cause he’s never been great with a bow, and he uses the sword with his right hand. Before they attend Daymon’s coronation, Therin warns Calen to be careful. He and Aeson trusted Arthur and perhaps Daymon can be trusted too, but it’s too soon to tell. The coronation is also attended by all four of the Dwarven royals and Ihvon, Daymon’s new chief advisor. No one knows yet who opened the gates to their enemies. When the coronation is over, Daymon’s new Captain of the Kingsguard, Tarmon Hoard, tells Daymon that the blockade is moving toward the city and the Dragonguard is with it. Rist grows stronger every day, practicing with the Spark as much as he can. He asks if there’s been any response from his friends or family, to whom he sent letters, but Garramon says there has not. Ella makes it to Gisa with Faenir and Shirea, who was in the merchant’s cart with Ella and Rhett. While the man and his son ran for the woods when they could, Shirea’s husband John and the merchant fought and died with Rhett. The women have decided to travel to Berona together with the tickets from Rhett’s uncle, but the captain of the ship will not allow them onboard with Faenir. Luckily, a soldier that Ella does not know (but the captain does) comes up behind them and vouches for them. The captain allows them on (Faenir included), and the soldier tells them it might be best if they and Faenir stay in his rooms, so the captain doesn’t get any ideas about Faenir on the trip, but the choice is theirs. He points out where to find his room and as he walks away, Ella sees him flip a coin.