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‘None at all. We found them wandering along the road as if they’d woken from a deep sleep.’ Elodi laughed. ‘But when the Castellan approached, they certainly looked as if they’d seen a ghost then.’ Her smile faded. ‘Yet it seemed odd that they couldn’t remember why they were out there.’

‘And what of the Castellan? Was he satisfied with their story?’

‘I think it’s safe to say that he most certainly was not. He’s put the whole watch on stable duty for a week. He’s convinced they’d been drinking, and it was all in their heads. But it’s no surprise. Everyone appears to be on edge. Grim tales are spreading around the city like a sickness. People are frightened. The disaster at the pass has shaken their faith in their leaders and the strength of Archonholm.’ Her eyes followed the road east to where it looped around the forest. ‘Rightly, they fear what is to come.’

Toryn looked down to the grassy bank where the guards had reported the sighting. ‘Still, the ghost is worth investigating. It would help put our minds at ease if it turned out it was their eyes playing tricks on a dark night. We know little of the forces our enemy commands, yet our imagination is quick to fill the gaps.’ He shuddered. ‘Mine keeps me awake at nights, but if there are ghosts and ghouls already on the prowl this far south…’

‘My father used to say we fear what we can’t see more than what we can.’ She sighed. ‘But if that’s true, I dread to think what yet lurks in the dark. Surely, it can’t be worse than what I’ve seen with my own eyes.’

Toryn recalled the strange creatures on the banks of the Menon River. ‘Yet we have to keep our spirits high to have the courage to face them.’

Elodi’s hand rested on Toryn’s. ‘I know how you feel.’

He kept his eyes on the evening mist above the Foranfae, rising like steam from a simmering pot. His face burned. ‘You do?’

‘I felt the same following the death of my father. To have such responsibility suddenly thrust upon you comes as a shock.’

Toryn’s shoulders dropped. ‘Ah. I see.’

Elodi clasped his hands. ‘But I know competence when I see it. Just as I can recognize someone who is not suitable to hold a position of power.’ She turned to face him. ‘I would not have appointed you to my staff if I did not think you capable.’

Toryn looked down at his hands in hers. ‘It was only a few months ago that I was, as the Castellan described, a simple farm boy.’ He chuckled. ‘And not a very good one at that. I’d heard the tales of Calerdorn and Archonholm, but I never thought places as tall and as mighty really existed. They were just stories to me. Yet… yet now, here I am, overlooking another wonder of our world I thought was another of Hamar’s fairy tales. And… to make it all the more unreal, I find myself holding hands with the fair lady of Harlyn.’

Elodi smiled. ‘And I could say the same. I stand beside the son of the most powerful Imaari of Nyomae’s Order.’ Her gaze went to the forest. ‘Neither of us could have anticipated this even a short while ago. But here we find ourselves playing a major part in the very survival of the realms.’

‘Then I hope it doesn’t rest upon the actions of this farm boy.’

‘You do yourself an injustice, Toryn.’ She held up his hands and turned them over. ‘These markings confirm you have inherited your father’s abilities.’

He withdrew his hands and shoved them into his pockets. ‘But abilities I have little knowledge of how to use.’

Elodi stepped back. ‘That will come with time. Granted time is against us, but already you have accomplished more than the generals of Archonholm. And I’m sure with Nyomae’s guidance you will soon be a force our enemies will not take lightly.’

Toryn’s stomach knotted. ‘From the exchanges I have had to date, I think it’s safe to say I currently fear them more than they could possibly fear me.’

She touched his shoulder. ‘You have already proven your courage. The journey to Greendell alone was treacherous. Many in your position would have given up long before you reached the town.’

Toryn thought back to stumbling over tree roots the night he had left Midwyche. ‘Those days now seem a very long way off. And I wouldn’t have gotten very far if it hadn’t been for Hamar.’

'Look at how much you've changed. We both have. We’ve faced significant hardship, but as my father used to say, what doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger. And considering our ordeals of late, we must be far stronger.’

‘Then I hope you’re right. And thank you for your trust.’ He turned to her, took his hands from his pockets, and held hers. ‘You can count on me. I won’t let you down. I’ll follow wherever you lead.’

Elodi looked away. ‘I’m also aware of how you feel… about me.’

‘You… you are?’

Her grip tightened. ‘And I feel the same… about you.’

Toryn’s face grew hot as his heart raced. ‘You do? I didn’t think—’

‘From the moment you held me as I lay injured beneath the rubble, I sensed… a connection. At first, I wondered if it was due to our lineage, perhaps a bond between the Amayans and Imaari. But lately, I’ve come to know that while there is undoubtedly an element of that, what I feel for you is… is… perhaps not solely to… to do with that.’

Toryn gaped. ‘Well, I… that’s…’ He dropped his hands as two Palace Guards approached. They nodded to Elodi and continued on their way. He watched them leave. ‘I should imagine the ruling powers of this land would frown upon the likes of me standing alone, hand-in-hand with you.’

Elodi grinned. ‘I’m sure you’ll appreciate by now I do not care what the high and mighty of this land think. Not too long ago, Wendel, my Chief Advisor, suggested I find a suitable partner to produce an heir.’

‘But that… wouldn’t that mean…?’

She laughed. ‘Well, yes. Of course.’ Toryn’s heart lurched as her troubles fell away to reveal the true Amayan within. An eyebrow raised as she noticed the look on his face. ‘I politely, but firmly informed Wendel that it was not the time to be planning so far ahead. And could you imagine leading an army into battle heavy with child?’ Her laughter faded. She touched his forearm. ‘But I feel I must tell you. I cannot...’ she searched for the right word, ‘invest more at this moment, not with events unfolding as they are. I lost my father, and I never knew my mother. I can’t face losing another I had come to hold dear. And the same must hold true for you. We face a considerable threat, and it’s not unthinkable that either one of us, or both, will not see the end of the year. I therefore think it’s—’

‘Apologies for interrupting, ma’am.’ An aide to the Castellan stepped forward.

Elodi glanced at Toryn before addressing the aide. She sighed. ‘No apology is needed. I assume this is an important matter.’

‘I'm afraid so, ma'am.’ He nodded towards the east. ‘We received a dispatch from Caermund this last hour.’ Elodi’s eyes closed. She knew what he was about to say. The aide cleared his throat. ‘They report wreckage washing ashore along the entire Mund coast. There’s enough to account for at least two dozen ships, and…’ his head bowed, ‘it's not just the remains of ships. There’s also bodies of the Elites and their horses, ma’am. More than three hundred have been recovered as of yesterday.’

Elodi’s jaw clenched. ‘Thank you. Please inform the Castellan that I would like to read the dispatch in full.’ She turned her back. A tear brimmed and ran down her cheek. ‘We knew they must have died, but receiving confirmation makes it harder somehow.’

Toryn dabbed her cheek. ‘Then Nyomae was right. A traitor on the Watchtower must have alerted Uluriel.’

‘So many good people lost.’ Elodi’s eyes burned. 'We must not let them win. We cannot tolerate more death. We have to find a way to defeat these… fiends.’ She turned to leave. ‘I believe your tuition with Nyomae commences tomorrow. Let us hope you learn fast.’

Nyomae’s pace surprised Toryn. He strode behind, recalling the days they had spent together tramping across the western realms. She spoke over her shoulder. ‘You speak fondly of Hamar. He must have been a loyal and dear friend.’

‘And even more so than I once thought.’ Toryn watched as a rower struggled to steer his boat clear of the sturdy piers of the bridge. ‘It wasn’t until after his death that I appreciated just how much he had helped me. I was a restless child, never feeling that Midwyche was my home.’

Nyomae stopped at the bridge. ‘And now we know why. It was a blessing that he had traveled wide and could satisfy your curiosity with his stories.’

Toryn chuckled. ‘I was sure many were exaggerated. But my eyes have since been opened these last few months.’

Nyomae nodded to the boat. ‘He’s made it. Quite a skilled oarsman. It’s a most potent river, not the easiest to negotiate.’ She turned to Toryn. ‘Did Hamar come this far south to Archonholm?’

‘That he did. He trained here and later returned on at least three occasions I believe.’

Nyomae smiled. ‘Ah, good. Then he would have crossed here.’ She held out her hand and invited Toryn onto the busy roadway. Let us see if we can locate him from times past.’

Toryn gaped. ‘I would dearly love to see him as a young man.’

‘We’ll sit here out of the way of the carts.’ Nyomae perched on the parapet and patted the stonework. ‘Let us begin your tuition in the ways of the Song.’ Toryn sat down beside her. ‘Your ventures to date have been somewhat haphazard and fraught with danger. I suspect the Watchers will likely be engaged elsewhere at this time, so we'll make the most of the opportunity.’

‘My Order called them Watchers. As the name implies, they keep an eye on who enters the Song. They are not Imaari and appear to exist only within the Verses with no presence in our world. Idraman believed they were a creation of Ormoroth, or perhaps another dark force of earlier times.’

‘Can they harm us?’

‘No, they just watch. But the danger comes when they inform others of our entry. Think of them as a guard dog alerting their master. In time, you’ll learn to evade them and enter without detection. But as yet, your entry will come to their notice, and I don’t have the ability to disguise you.’

‘But you seem to think they’ll not be watching this morning, at this place.’

‘I imagine their attention will be on the borders of the occupied realms in the north.’ She patted his hand. ‘But be wary. There will be other, lesser mischief-makers from darker times. They may look intimidating but can be ignored.’

Toryn frowned. ‘And who are these mischief-makers?’

Nyomae gazed up at the passing clouds. ‘The dead who have become trapped or lost within their Verses. For instance, if someone has died in a brawl on this bridge, they may have failed to leave this world and remain trapped.’

‘There’s more to this Song than I first thought.’

Nyomae laughed. ‘The same thought still crosses my mind. Everything you do, and even your emotions, create more lines in your Verse. And the same applies to every living being, even the worms beneath your feet. The Song is therefore complex and ever changing, evolving as the world ages.' She took a deep breath. ‘Let’s delay no more. Today, we’ll start with something simple. I will show you how to navigate through the Verses for this part of the bridge.’ She clutched his hand. ‘Now, close your eyes and imagine Hamar standing before you. Use a memory of happier times to guide us on our journey.’

Toryn glanced over the parapet at the river. ‘What if I fall while in a trance? Or if a cart’s wheel runs over my toes?’

‘You need not worry. We may spend what seems like hours in the Song, yet only a moment passes here. Our eyes will be closed, but to these traders it will be as if we blink. We will appear as if enjoying the morning sun. Now, what about that memory? Do you have something suitable?’

Toryn grinned. ‘There are so many to choose from, but many are at the expense of Hamar’s pride thanks to my youthful antics. But I have one still fresh in my mind.' He closed his eyes. Immediately, he saw Hamar sitting alongside Jerrum as they rode in the cart after a long day of setting fence posts. Jerrum chuckled at his jibe at Hamar, while the old guard glowered at the young lad from under his bushy eyebrows. Toryn smiled at the memory of simpler times.

Nyomae’s hand warmed. ‘Yes, that will do.’ She muttered a few lines in a strange tongue, then spoke to Toryn. ‘Allow the words to flow through you. The language lies within.’ She returned to the incantation, and while he found he knew the words, their meaning evaded him. Other voices joined, harsh and unpleasant, but Nyomae's voice rang out over them. ‘Pay no attention, Toryn. These are the mischievous folk I spoke of. They are no match for you. We stand at the gateway. Repeat with me, and we will pass them by.’

Toryn’s throat warmed as he spoke the words to aid their passing into the Song. A wind blew in his face as if he rode a horse at speed. Yet, he could still feel the solid stone on which he sat. Suddenly, faces flashed towards him, or perhaps he sped through them, he could not tell. Voices rose. Conversations, arguments, cries for help, threats, and laughter, deafened him. A thousand hopes and fears flooded into his mind. His body on the bridge wavered. Nyomae reassured him. ‘Focus on the ground beneath you. You feel both the pain and joy experienced here over the years. We progress through time, but our bodies are motionless. You will soon become accustomed to the sensation.’

His head settled as the movement ceased. Nyomae's voice echoed as if they were standing in a cave. ‘Open the eyes of your mind, Toryn.’ At first, he saw nothing in the surrounding mist. But as he repeated the refrain with Nyomae, the fog lifted to reveal the bridge. He looked up at the towers of Archonholm, but their tops remained shrouded in a mist Toryn knew to be the limits of his vision. He turned to Nyomae. Her outline wavered as if a reflection in a pond. She smiled. ‘What you see is my presence within this Verse. And I perceive you the same way. If you were to release my hand, I would disappear although I would still be at your side back in our time.’

Toryn peered upstream to where the river emerged from a wall of fog. ‘I know where we are, but when are we? How far have we gone back?’

‘Not far. We have come back almost fifty years, barely a blink in terms of the Song.’ Toryn glanced across the river but could only see the lower slopes of the Menon Hills. Many leagues to the north, his parents would still be children growing up in Midwyche. And what of his real father, Finromir? Did he still wander under the shadow following the battle at Gormadon? Or had he already met Toryn's birth mother? His eyes wandered across the eerie limits of his world, struggling to come to terms that everything he knew had yet to happen.

He turned to the sound of laughter. A band of young Archonians ambled across the bridge towards them. Toryn beamed as he recognized the young Hamar. He strolled with strong arms swinging from his broad shoulders that could brandish the guard's blade hanging from his belt with ease. Toryn stifled a laugh as he watched Hamar flick the ear of one of his colleagues, then try to blame it on another. But as they approached, Hamar’s pace slowed. He glanced towards where Toryn and Nyomae sat. His mouth opened as if about to speak, then he shrugged and walked on. Toryn whispered. ‘Did he see us?’

‘Some may briefly sense the presence of visitors in the Song. Often people think they’re being watched, only to turn around and find themselves alone. So perhaps there is some truth in that.’ She stroked his hand. ‘I believe that happens when a friendship is deep and the bond is strong.’

Toryn’s eyes brimmed. ‘That it was. I miss him every day.’

Nyomae smiled. ‘That may yet aid us. In dark times, friendship and loyalty are powerful weapons against those who hold no such values. If your strength fails, it may be possible to draw sustenance from loved ones from the past. For now, you can only travel back in time at your current location. However, as your skill grows, you will be able to venture farther and move to other areas within the Song. That is how Uldrak conjured up the apparition of a shreek at Calerdorn as none, to my knowledge, has ever attacked the city. That takes strength, but the strongest can bring back actual dark beings’ — she winced — ‘such as the Draedalak at Gormadon. But we will start with something much simpler. Ah, yes.’ She pointed to the ground. ‘The apple that has fallen from a cart. Let us see if you can bring it back.’

‘Indeed, and if you do it right it will briefly be edible. Uldrak could only maintain his vision for so long, but Elodi's conviction shattered it, thankfully before it could crush Calerdorn's resolve.’

Toryn looked at the red apple close to his feet. ‘Where do I begin?’

‘Look at the patterns on your palms. That is how it is done. In the everyday world your hands move when you speak without you being aware of their behavior. Thus, your thoughts acquire a physical form through their movement.’ She traced a line across his palm. ‘We can reverse this in the Song. We cannot touch that apple here. However, if you move your hands as if to pick it up and place it in your pocket, it will be there on your return to—’ Nyomae shivered. A dark figure took shape in the fog clinging to the head of the Menon Valley. She sighed. ‘Ah. They come. Time for us to leave. Think back to the bridge as it was this morning and then open your eyes, Toryn.’

He blinked in the daylight unaware that his eyes had been closed. Toryn noticed the trader's cart had barely moved since they entered the Song. He turned to Nyomae. ‘Was that a Watcher?’

‘Sadly not. I could have dealt swiftly with it if it were. That shadow was most likely a servant of the Ul-dalak. Their power continues to grow if they sensed our presence from so far away, and so soon.’ She stretched out her arms. ‘That will be all for the day, but it’s imperative we continue tomorrow. There is something I must attend to at the gate. If my suspicions are proved to be true, I will send for you.’