PART ONE

Summer’s End

Cruel orb, my foe, the sun,

Glaring upon things

I never want to see again

The proud, lightning-limbed oaks

Of Hekhasor

The shimmering blue waters of Silverhome’s lake

And the endless, endless sky

Go away, foul sun! You make me sad.

—SHUN’Y’ASU OF BLUE SPIRIT PEAK