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The band of Nordleng could not have been more surprised if the Three Maidens had arrived in the foothills of the Ravern’s. Accustomed to raiding defenseless settlements, the sudden appearance of Lady Harlyn and two dozen knights of the First Horse, had turned their vile tactic back upon them. But even outnumbered and outclassed, the Nordleng had refused to surrender, choosing to make a stand no matter how futile.

Elodi wiped her blade on the grass. She had wished the eight Nordleng had chosen to surrender, but it was not their way. The skirmish had been short and brutal, and Elodi gave thanks the casualties were all on the opposing side. She looked at the robed figures strewn across the grass where they had fallen. She had no time to dig graves and return them to the soil. They would rot where they lay as she doubted the locals would grant that honor to those murdering their kin.

Elodi sheathed her blade and turned to the captain. ‘We’ll burn them. If they consider that’s good enough for their victims, we’ll grant them the same end.’ Elodi turned away as he gave the order. She did not know how many bands remained in Mund, but one less was welcome. She strode away as the flames took, desiring to breathe the fresh night air before the smoke reminded her of the fall of Calerdorn. Elodi turned as the sliver of the moon rose above the dark slopes of the Ravern Hills to the east. Her thoughts turned to Toryn. How did he and his company fare in Vortimo?

‘Our work is done, ma’am.’

She turned to her captain. ‘Thank you. We should ride on. While fortunate we came upon these scoundrels, we must not delay our journey. Please have your men saddle up and be—’ Elodi spun around. A black speck soared high over their heads.

The captain frowned. ‘Ma’am? What troubles you?’ The horses screamed.

Elodi yelled. ‘To the trees!’ She pointed. ‘A flying beast. A corvraak. The horses will bolt.’ She ran to Sea Mist. His wide eyes stared skyward but remained calm while the others pulled at their tethers. Elodi leaped into the saddle, turned him about, and kicked on. She glanced over her shoulder to see the corvraak tuck its wings into its body and plummet towards them. A figure sat upon its back. The foul bird extended its large talons and snatched at the last knight yet to mount. He cried out, then fell silent as sharp claws pierced his armor. Elodi wheeled Sea Mist and drove him towards the beast as it eyed up its next victim. The knights struggled with their frightened horses, but two managed to join Elodi. She drew her sword and shouted her challenge to who she knew to be Uleva. Her blade glowed orange as she closed the gap.

Time appeared to slow as the bird’s black eyes fixed on Elodi. Behind, Uleva grinned as she drew a shard of rock from her cloak. Elodi’s head throbbed as the stone pulsed green. But she held her course. The horses at her side reared up, throwing their riders. But Elodi was not to be defeated. She rose in her saddle as the corvraak opened his claws. She swung her sword to form a dome of light over her. The raven hurtled into her shield. Its claws snatched at Elodi’s head. She thrust her blade up. The bird screeched. A light burst from Uleva’s stone. Sea Mist lurched. Elodi was thrown back and landed heavily. She gained her feet as the corvraak hovered overhead, thrashing its ragged wings to send a rush of foul air into Elodi’s face. She gagged as the stench of a rotting corpse caught the back of her throat. Shouts behind. Arrows flew past her, but the raven beat them aside as if twigs slung by a child.

Elodi wiped the burning tears from her eyes. She ducked and rolled to her left as the corvraak’s blooded talons sought to crush her skull. Elodi lunged. The tip of her blade dug into its belly. She pushed and twisted, but it felt like she had struck a tree. It squawked a vicious retort, beating its wings to pull her off balance. The heat from Uleva’s stone scorched her skin beneath her armor, but Elodi held her ground and drove her blade deeper. Yet still the beast fought back. Just as Elodi thought she would fall, an arrow found its target beneath the corvraak’s wing. Uleva cursed. The bird withdrew, leaving its foul stench in its wake.

Elodi recovered her breath and watched the corvraak soar into the night and fly towards the Kolossos. She ran to Sea Mist. Thankfully he appeared unharmed, if a little shaken. Her eyes found the torn body of the knight. Two of his companions stood by with their heads bowed.

The captain strolled over. He glanced to the retreating raven, now a speck as it had first appeared. ‘What in the Five Realms was that?’

‘It’s a corvraak, and mercifully, I believe the last of its kind.’ She turned to the trees. ‘How are the horses?’

‘Spooked, but they’ll be fine. Their training will see them through.’ He nodded to her sword as the glow faded. ‘Our enemy continues to misjudge you, ma’am. If the hag on that creature’s back thought she could defeat you, she was very much mistaken.’

‘I’m not so sure that was her intention. My blade barely left a scratch, and the arrow caused little injury.’ She looked up to the sliver of the moon. ‘No, I think that was more to delay us. I believe the intended targets were the horses. Had they bolted, we would have wasted valuable time trying to recover them.’

‘All the same, ma’am. You stood your ground, and the horses held their nerve… just. I don’t think that creature will readily attack us again.’

‘I hope you’re right, Captain. I would not wish to face that beast every night.’ She looked back to the fallen rider. ‘And we cannot afford to lose more knights. We need every last one if we’re to defend the Kolossos Pass.’

Elodi appreciated why people struggled to describe Telamir now she stood beneath the tower. She turned to her captain. ‘We’ll stop here and eat. I cannot explain it, but I feel as if this place offers us sustenance. Perhaps a few hours here would be worth a whole night’s rest.’

‘Agreed, ma’am. I’ve heard many tell of its ability to ease the aches and pains of the saddle.’

The fires were soon lit and supper cooked. Elodi’s stomach rumbled as the smell of roasted rabbit found her. The horses appeared calm, seeming to care less for the tower than their riders. Her knights had recovered from their encounter with the corvraak, but it was the news from Vortimo that caused her concern. By chance, they had met an injured rider from Toryn’s company on the road north of Cafra. At first, his account of freeing the Amayans had been a relief, but dread filled her heart when she heard they had entered the tunnels below the fortress. While she had confidence in Toryn’s emerging powers and the Amayans’ skill, what awaited them deep beneath the mountains? Would the four be lost in the pursuit of one?

‘Ma’am?’ Her captain pointed. ‘Someone crosses the lake. They head this way.’

Nyomae’s dull eyes stared into the light of the campfire but appeared to see another time and place. Despite her frail state, she refused the food offered by Elodi. The few mumbled words she uttered made no sense and Elodi decided to save her questions until daybreak. She had intended to rest only for a short while, then head off before sunrise. But if Nyomae slept for a week, Elodi believed she would struggle to stay on the back of a galloping horse. She instructed the captain they would camp for the night, hoping the refreshed horses would make up the lost time.

Nyomae closed her eyes and slumped. Elodi laid her down and covered her with a blanket. She checked the watch was set, then tried to ease her troubled mind to sleep.

A warm hand touched her shoulder. Elodi sprang up. Nyomae kneeled beside her. She whispered. ‘Please come.’ She motioned for Elodi to follow her back to the lake. The moon had made its way across the sky to the north and now sat close to the tower. Elodi was certain it had not yet reached a half-moon, yet its full face glowed bright in stark contrast to the black spears of Telamir piercing the night sky. Elodi tilted her head. The tower’s silhouette appeared to no longer rise from the lake. She blinked. It looked to Elodi that Telamir was painted on the great dome that sheltered their world, at once both near and far off in the distance. Her hand moved, certain she could reach through the dark rent that split the sky. She let her hand drop and chided herself. At her side, Nyomae gazed into the dark water as if it had cast a spell upon her. Nyomae’s eyes flickered, reminding Elodi of the colors she had once seen in those of the Archon.

Nyomae’s quiet voice echoed across the lake. ‘I have seen through Draegelan’s eyes. I have found the meaning of the last line of Aber’s Verse.’ Her head dropped. ‘But now I fear to use it.’

Elodi dared to breathe. ‘A double-edged sword?’

‘Indeed. But there’s another reason that stays my hand.’ Nyomae let out a long sigh. ‘Sylvena was an imposter. She was always… Uluriel.’

Elodi gaped. ‘But she was a high-ranking Imaari. And was it not Uluriel who brought you into the Order? What makes you think she is an imposter?’

‘Despite her powers, why did Sylvena succumb so quickly to the Ul-dalak while Toryn’s father yet resists. At first, I believed it was due to the Angorlith as few could withstand its power. But if that were so, they would have taken Finromir to Ormoroth’s pillar, thus he would have fallen many years ago.’

Elodi frowned. ‘Then for what purpose do they hold Finromir, if not to turn him?’

‘Perhaps they seek to discover more of our ways. Finromir is an accomplished Imaari. His knowledge of the Song equaled that of Idraman. That is why I believe Uluriel infiltrated our Order. But not only did she learn much of our knowledge, she influenced the direction of our study. And when she had all she needed, she simply returned to the Ul-dalak. We thought she was captured in her quest of the relic. I led a large force to rescue her, only to walk into a trap. We were deceived.’ She wrung her hands. ‘That decision cost us dear. We’ve spent the last three hundred years in decline, blighted by the shadow while our enemy schemed.’

Elodi watched the moon emerge from the west side of the tower. ‘How could she have deceived our greatest minds?’

Nyomae closed her eyes and tilted back her head. ‘The Dark Verses concealed her past to make her appear young to our eyes. She patiently worked her way into our society, gaining trust with her achievements. When she returned to the Ul-dalak, the warlocks must have manipulated her Verse so we would see the false story of her torture.’

‘But why did she bring you into the Order?’

Nyomae sighed. ‘That is my concern. Now I must ask, why me? Did she see something in my Verses the Ul-dalak could exploit? Does that explain why the kruul inside the Castellan did not attempt to kill me? We suspected nothing. It could have guided the Castellan’s hand to slay us both.’

‘Ah. Then there has to be a reason. Just as Uleva spared my life on Dorn Plain while I slumbered under her spell.’

Nyomae grasped Elodi’s arm. ‘Was I… or you, chosen by our enemy? Are we capable of being turned to their cause? Or worse, bring about our demise by actions we believe will defeat them?’ Her voice lowered to a whisper. ‘From what I learned in the tower, I believe they need me to open the way for Ormoroth’s return. And you may yet play a part in their plans.’

Elodi stuttered. ‘By… by what means? How do they expect you to succeed when the warlocks have failed?’

Nyomae turned. ‘By some means, Ormoroth removed his name from the Song, knowing it could be used to bring about his end. But despite their centuries of torment, the Maidens remembered the name that granted him life before he became a servant of the Dark Verses. They disguised it, then concealed it from him in a new Verse.’

Elodi’s eyes widened. ‘The Maidens’ Cypher.’

‘Precisely. And the last line of Aber’s Verse solves it.’ Her voice wavered. ‘Elodi… I know the name the Maidens gave Ormoroth.’

Elodi’s hand went to her mouth. ‘But that means you—’

‘Could cast his dark soul into the Great Void for good. Or… open the way for his return to this realm. His spirit resides in the Halfway World, where he has been held since his defeat at Talaghir. But to send him into the Great Void, I first need to enter his world. I would have to open the way between the two realms. If I delay invoking his Maiden’s Name, he could overpower me and return. Or if his warlocks sense my purpose, they can intervene and aid their Master.’ She stared at the lake. ‘I… I have the means to either secure or destroy our future.’

Elodi looked up at the glimmering stars, untroubled by the woes below. ‘This is what drove Draegelan out of his mind? And you too now bear this burden.’

‘And already it drains my strength.’ Nyomae kneeled and dipped her hand into the cool water. ‘Draegelan deliberated long whether to open the gateway and banish Ormoroth for good. But he dared not share his discovery with the Imaari, not wishing to saddle them with this most dreadful burden. When the force that had sustained him well beyond his years began to wane, I believe Draegelan came to the decision he would invoke the Maidens’ Name. He risked spending an eternity in the Void to save the realms, but it was a sacrifice he was prepared to make. But by then, many believed him to be senile, thus his words were taken as those of a confused man and ignored. It was only due to the diligence of his healer that his ramblings were noted, leading me to where I stand now.’

Elodi took Nyomae’s hand. ‘This is indeed a most terrible burden to bear.’

Nyomae’s grip tightened. ‘Oh Elodi, I am not certain I can live with this knowledge. I do not possess Draegelan’s resolve and wisdom. And now I know of Uluriel’s deceit, how can I be sure I am not simply a vessel to bring about our ruin?’

Elodi’s heart went out to her. ‘Uluriel may have selected you because of something she saw in your Verse. But is it not also obvious the Ul-dalak cannot match your ability? Otherwise, she could have stayed within the Order, studied Draegelan’s notes, and then opened this gateway herself.’

Nyomae thought for a moment. ‘That may be true. But what she has done is pass this appalling deed onto me. Those who open the way to the Great Void risk being dragged into it. I may banish Ormoroth but also myself. I would be stranded with him until the end of time when the gods are said to return.’