Go! whispered the One, and all along the southern foothills of the FarReach Mountains, from Hairekeep to the River Lhyl, millions of Skraelings darted forth, rushing into the gullies and crevices of the mountains.
By morning they would be through the mountain range and into the realm of the Lord of Elcho Falling.
Atop the peaks of the mountains danced the Lealfast Nation, almost a quarter million of them, holding torches gleefully into the night so that the Skraelings had both light and guidance, and singing with glee as below them silver-orbed horror seethed through the mountain passes.
Salamaan Pass was so thick with Skraelings they hid the ground completely.
Go! whispered the One, and in Elcho Falling Eleanon and his twelve thousand fighters picked up their weapons and dissolved into invisibility.
A moment later they were dispersing throughout the citadel, seeking out the units of the Strike Force and the Emerald Guard and the Outlander fighters, an unseen cloud of silent death.
Go! whispered the One, and in the Twisted Tower Josia frowned at the scratching at the door.
He opened it, and stared bemused at the red tabby cat that entered and began to wind its way about his ankles.
And now I! whispered the One, and deep in the heart of Elcho Falling Eleanon’s dark spire glowed once, twice, then flared violently.
When the glaring light died, it was to reveal the green form of the One standing in the heart of the citadel.
The One looked about, flexed his shoulders as if he were working out a slight stiffness, then walked toward the staircase that led upward.
Infinity had come to claim Elcho Falling, and death its inhabitants.
The Book of the Soulenai lay in the center of the Infinity Chamber in the heart of DarkGlass Mountain, where the One had left it. As the One set foot on the first rise of the staircase in Elcho Falling, so the cover of the book opened slowly.
The rat, who had hidden in the book for so long, slowly emerged and moved away several paces.
It sat down, staring intently at the Book of the Soulenai.
The book burst into flames, very suddenly, and as it did so, the rat began to scream.