Dragonsteel Prime

Dragonsteel Prime
by Jian Guo
Released	March 29, 2024
Publisher	Dragonsteel Entertainment

Dragonsteel Prime was Brandon Sanderson's seventh novel and was written as part of his Masters Thesis when working towards a Master's Degree in Creative Writing. Five copies are currently held in the Harold B Lee Library at Brigham Young University, four of which are available for circulation. After positive response to his release of The Way of Kings Prime, Brandon considered a possible release of this draft as part of a "Sanderson Curiosities" series, and ultimately, it was released during the Words of Radiance Leatherbound campaign on Backerkit. The book can be downloaded here.

Brandon has stated that it was not his best work. He plans to rewrite and publish the series after the completion of The Stormlight Archive. Sections of the book, including locations such as the Shattered Plains, were later re-purposed in The Way of Kings, but Brandon considers some of the other events to be canon. Specifically, Brandon has stated that he considers most of the worldbuilding in the book to be canon, but not the characters. He had some trepidation over removing the Shattered Plains because, though it was not as essential to the story, he felt it was the part of the book that worked best.

In 2007, Brandon began work on a rewrite of the Dragonsteel series. He began with The Liar of Partinel and The Lightweaver of Rens, which take place approximately five hundred years before the events of Dragonsteel Prime, which he then planned to rewrite and release as 'The Eternal War'. However, after finishing Liar he was unsatisfied with the result and shelved the series for a future date. Since 'The Eternal War' would begin the main story arc, at the time he also intended to call that book 'Dragonsteel Book 1' and expect the readers to connect it to the previous two books to avoid the confusion of starting his story arc with Book 3. The story takes place on Yolen and focuses on Jerick, but also includes other viewpoint characters such as Topaz, also known as Hoid.

Plot Summary

Chapter 1

Eleven year old Jerick is content living his life in the small village of Farastham, but his lumberjack father Rin has bigger plans for him. Rin is well liked and respected by everyone in their village. A school starts in the village, and Rin, knowing Jerick to be incredibly inquisitive and intuitive, signs him up to go once a week.

The teacher of the school, Torell, comes from the capital of Yolen, Lakdon. Jerick, through eavesdropping, learns that he has no desires to be there teaching peasants, but sees it as punishment from the king. During classes one of the rules is to not ask questions, but this is something Jerick can’t help, and whenever he does so Torell slaps him with his thin reed. When asked when they will learn reading, Torell scoffs and says that if they would bring in their own scrolls he would teach them after class, knowing full well no peasant had any scrolls.

On his way home from school one day with his father, Jerick and Rin hear screams of horror. Running over, they see a crowd surrounding a bone-white six-legged beast of some kind with pure black eyes. Rin informs Jerick that it is Fain, a creature of evil that are all monsters. The Sho Del are a race of creatures that live south that are also Fain, and down near their border where the Dragonsteel wells are located is a war known as The Eternal War.

After school a different day Rin asks Torell when Jerick can start reading. Torell says that a book costs a crin to buy. Rin then pulls out a silver crin, worth ten years of his savings, to buy the book for Jerick so that he can learn to read.

Chapter 2

In a history lesson, the boys relearn how Oreon the White created the world and all good things, and how his brother Xeth the black, out of jealousy, created the Sho Del and other Fain creatures. Their lesson is interrupted by the priest, Wat. After class Torell starts teaching Jerick how to read.

At home, Jerick receives his caste mark as a present. Everyone 12 and older receives a castemark, which is a symbol of which caste a person is in. Jerick’s says lumberjack on one side but Rin left it blank on the other.

A visitor comes to town, a man dressed in outrageously colored clothes. He has white hair and a hawk-like face. Toreel moans, “Not him!” when he sees him. The visitor announces that in three months the king would be visiting the town for a business deal with cattle dealers. Later the visitor, Cephandrious Maxtori, tells Torell that the King made a bet with house Lord Kalord Stafen that a peasant can be educated to be like a nobleman at that the king would also be checking in on the school’s progress. Cephandrious tells Jerick to just call him Topaz, and shows him a large Topaz ring he has on.

Later that night Topaz convinces Jerick to sneak into Torell’s house to steal some food. After stealing some, Topaz gives it all to Jerick, asking him to give it to those that need it most. He also encourages Jerick to learn as much as he can, and then runs off. In a later lesson, Torell continues to teach Jerick how to read from the book he bought, which is about the three realms of existence, the spiritual, the cognitive, and the physical. Torell explains that the cognitive realm is associated with the Sho Del.

Chapter 3

Jerick is becoming very proficient at reading. The cattlemen arrive. One of them is of the Ke’Chan ethnicity, who are a race of people with darker skin. Another one gives Jerick chills, although he doesn’t know why. The day for the King’s arrival arrives. The King, King Rodis, is given a tour by the Foreman and Rin. He is the first fat person Jerick has seen in his entire life. Afterwards they go to the school, where Kalord Stafen asks the boys of the school questions, but none of them get the right answers. Jerick knew the answers to all the questions but his own, which was exceptionally hard. Jerick makes a fool of Kalord, and Kalord hits him, but is then restrained by the King.

Later at the cattle yard, Jerick and his parents are there. Jerick sees the cattleman that gave him chills, and fells a coldness from him. Jerick throws a rock at him, which causes the man to drop his disguise momentarily, revealing it to actually be a Sho Del assassin, with bone-white skin and eyes of pure black. The Sho Del shouts, and Jerick can see the sound waves somehow. The shout leads the cattle to stampede, but Rin is able to drag the King to safety. The Sho Del shoots an arrow, killing Jerick’s mother, and then grapples with Rin with a knife as Rin stops him from reaching the King. Jerick sees the knife coming towards his father and yells “Get out of the way!”

The next scene is of Jerick sitting by himself on the dirt, his parents dead under white cloths next to him. The King comes up and snaps Jerick out of his self-imposed stupor, and asks him if he wants to help the King win his bet by going to the capitol and learning there. Jerick says he’d have to go ask his parents first and if the King has seen them. Disturbed, the King says he’s already talked with them and they’re fine with it, and that he’s never met a better man than his father.

Chapter 4

During their trip back to the capitol on a ship, Jerick is amazed by how small his village really was as he sees big villages and sees the world through a new paradigm. On deck, Topaz insults Kalord about his wife leaving him, and Kalord comes inches from backhanding his face. Topaz is a Jesk, and it is illegal to strike him. Kalord’s wife left him because he was abusive.

Jerick eavesdrops on the King and Topaz in their cabin. The king mentions that Jerick claimed he could see the force of the water against the ship, to which Topaz is stunned silent for a moment. When they begin to mention what happened to his parents, Jerick pulls away, convincing himself that it was rude to eavesdrop in the first place.

They arrive at Lakdon and see the crowd waiting for them. Jerick spots the princess, Courteth, and is smitten by her, for which Topaz shakes his head in disapproval.

Chapter 5

Ryalla is the slave servant girl of Courteth. Courteth treats her poorly, and is seen to be cunning and manipulative. Ryalla is forced by Courteth to knell longer than anyone else near the docks, by punishment of Courteth who claimed Ryalla made them late. Topaz and Ryalla ride back to the castle in the same carriage as Jerick, and Ryalla is shocked as to how naive Jerick is to what she takes for common knowledge. Topaz asks Ryalla if Courteth is still giving her grief. Topaz is not fooled by Courteth at all, and is Ryalla’s friend. Along the way they pass the Temple dedicated to Slonis, goddess of mystery and childbirth.

At the stables, Topaz meets up with his friend, Bat’Chor, a Ke’Chan man. Ryalla leads Jerick into the castle, and learns that Jerick has never heard of slaves before. When Ryalla mentions that both of her parents were dead, Jerick freezes in the hallway midstep, his eyes dead and glassy. A moment later he’s back to normal and acts as though nothing had happened, to Ryalla’s unease.

Chapter 6

Jerick is dressed up and presented before the Queen and Prince Yoharn. He is given three rooms and a variety of clothes options, which he considers wasteful. He seems unsure of how to treat and address servants.

Later that day is a feast, and Topaz chats with Jerick before it begins, giving him advice and telling him to be wary of Martis, who is Kalord’s son. Martis does indeed sit by Jerick, and makes fun of his peasant lineage and the way he talks. The King asks Topaz for their entertainment, and Topaz stands up to tell a story.

Chapter 7

As Topaz tells the story, he juggles several balls in a very skilled and seemingly impossible way. Topaz tells the story of the creation of the world, how Oreon the White created man to be immortal and able to do magic. Xeth the Black was jealous and had Slonis help him to create the Sho Del. Xeth then tried to corrupt thousands of men, but only found one, who betrayed mankind to Xeth. Xeth destroyed them and Oreon mourned for ten thousand years before creating man again, only this time mortal and unable to do magic. The only one that remained from the old race was the betrayer, who lives among them still and whose name has been lost.

After the story ends, Jerick and everyone else discuss how Topaz got the story wrong. Martis plays a prank on Jerick, and he realizes that nobles and peasants are the same. Jerick challenges Martis, making the King’s bet a personal one.

Later that night Topaz comes to Jerick’s window, explaining how he needs a place to lie low as Kalord is after him again. When Jerick confronts him about getting the creation legend wrong, Topaz simply explains that he told the version that used to be, and that Topaz is worried about something evil coming and wants the people to prepare for it. At night, Jerick looks over at Topaz several times, but Topaz’s eyes are always open and staring at the ceiling.

Chapter 8

In the morning, Jerick is awoken by Frost, his new tutor, and Topaz’s friend. Frost and Jerick discuss how legends, languages, and everything changes, and the only eternal things are truth and Dragonsteel. Jerick wonders if Dragonsteel is actually real, and Frost tells him to ask the King to look at his castemark, which is presumably made of Dragonsteel. They begin their tutoring session.

Walking to his first class lesson, Jerick runs into the King speaking with Dorm, captain of the royal guard. Jerick asks to see the King’s castemark, and he shows him. It seems to be made of very fragile thin wire, but when it is tried to be bent turns out to be indestructible. For a moment to Jerick’s eyes it suddenly appears to burst with light and power.

The lessons are to be held in the library. The king introduces Jerick to his fellow classmates, Martin and Yoharn, and to their teachers, Scholars Vendavious and Teniclese, and a Horwatcher named Scatherem. Horwatchers are mistrusted in that society, and Jerick is alarmed and interested to hear this. He will be teaching about Realmatic theory and give demonstations on the nature of magic. The king tells Kalord that their bet begins here and will end in four years when the boys will take the tests.

Chapter 9

Ryalla hides from Courteth on the balcony, daydreaming about not being a slave. Courtheth passes her spot several times without seeing her. Topaz, sitting outside on a thin ledge, sees her and they converse. Topaz leaves and Courteth punishes Ryalla for hiding, even though Ryalla claims she was in plain sight the whole time. Ryalla gets Courteth ready to go, and they leave for the library.

At the library Courteth manipulates her father into letting her take school lessons with the boys, even though she doesn’t want to learn but just be admired by Martis and Jerick, who are enraptured by her. The lesson begins, and even though questions are not allowed, Jerick asks them anyway, eventually coming to the conclusion that the teachers see questions as an aid to thinking, not a replacement for it, and thus punish those who ask questions to get them to see how valuable they are. Ryalla bemoans her and Jerick’s status in life and hopes that one day it will change.

Interlude One

Topaz flips into Frost’s room from the window, and they have a conversation in which Topaz accuses Frost of being more than just human, to which Frost denies. Topaz bums food off of Frost, explaining that Kalord tried to have Topaz poisoned the other night. Topaz says there’s more to Jerick, but Frost reminds him that humans can’t do magic. Topaz causes a candle to burst into flame just by looking at it, to which Frost just snorts and says he hardly calls Topaz human anymore. Topaz thinks that whatever he, Topaz, is, Jerick is one too. He goes on to say that Ryalla also might be one, as she could bend light around her so much that even Topaz almost didn’t notice her. Frost grew troubled at that. Topaz says that something is coming, and has to leave with Bat’Chor to find out what it is and prepare for it.

End of Book One

Chapter 10

In Tzendor, Topaz uses makeup to disguise Bat’Chor and himself. As they go out in disguise, they remark on how even the peasants are better off than before, due to the new emperor Aronack. As they approach the Temple of Hsaw, they mix with other pilgrims who are visiting it for religious purposes. Topaz’s knowledge of when these pilgrims arrived causes Bat’Chor to once again wonder is Topaz needs to sleep.

They enter the building and Bat’Chor is amazed by its architecture. Topaz and Bat’Chor get their own small private room to stay in, and discuss architecture. Three hours later, the pilgrimage director calls them and their pilgrimage group out of their rooms to see the object they’ve traveled so long to see.

They walk down a hallway with other pilgrims into a large room. In the center of the room surrounded by a glass case is an ancient sword, a relic. Bat’Chor is a fierce warrior and thus is interested. Topaz notices that part of the hilt is made of Dragonsteel in an odd pattern and shows Bat’Chor. Bat’Chor asks if they are there to steal the sword, but Topaz replies in the negative, saying that they are there to instead steal a scroll, located on a nondescript bookcase at the back of the room.

Chapter 11

Martis and Yoharn practice dueling outside, as Courteth and a group of girls look on. Jerick is also nearby, and Ryalla comes up to talk. Jerick notices that while Ryalla seems subservient, she is actually rebellious underneath the surface, which no one but Jerick notices. They start to bond.

In a break in the dueling, Martis’s father Kalord comes to talk with him, telling him that Jerick is doing better at Martis in his studies and that he needs to step up his game. Martis acts submissive but yearns for the day when he can overpower his father.

Ryalla thinks how sad it is that Jerick is caught in Courteth’s wiles. Martis notices Jerick looking with longing at the duel and, in order to look good in front of Courteth and humiliate Jerick, invites him over to spar. Jerick readily agrees, but is, of course, woefully beaten. The king and Doram pass by, the king commenting that he forbade Jerick to practice, but Doram adding that he didn’t forbid him to fight. Jerick vows to learn how to fight.

Chapter 12

In the middle of the night, Topaz explains to Bat’Chor the security measures surrounding the sword, and the alarm that will go off if any traps are activated. They sneak off and enter what appears to be a service closet but actually leads to up behind the sword room, filled with complicated machines for the traps. A window peers into the sword room, and Topaz and Bat’Chor look in to see a group of thieves attempting to steal the sword.

Topaz purposefully sets off a trap, setting off a loud alarm that blares through the building. The thieves barely manage to escape, and Topaz grabs the scroll. Bat’Chor and Topaz enter the hallway, now crammed with people trying to figure out what’s going on. A tall man with a deep birthmark on his face enters at the front of the chapel, and Topaz suddenly collapses, the hand with his topaz ring pulsing like a heart.

Bat’Chor manages to lug Topaz back to their room, but the tall man is following them. Topaz uses his magic to make cracks in the wall, but can’t bring it down. Topaz curses the Lords for giving him no power to destroy. Bat’Chor is ready for a fight, but Topaz stands up again and causes the cracks in the wall to suddenly grow with moss and fungi, which manages to break the wall apart. The two escape.

Later on a boat, Topaz explains that what he did was cause microscopic spores to grow. When Bat’Chor asks him how he did it, Topaz replies that he doesn’t know. Topaz gives Bat’Chor the scroll, telling him to bring it to the Trexandian scholars to translate. The two will separate but meet back up in Lakdon in about a year once the translation is done.

Chapter 13

Jerick is now fifteen. He and Doram practice fighting, and Jerick is improving. Jerick asks Doram about the Eternal War, and learns that even peasants can fight in it, but Doram encourages him not to. Courteth comes in and reminds Jerick about a feast happening that night. Later as Jerick walks down the hallway, thoughts enter his head that are not his own. It seems as if two people are talking with each other, mentioning obtaining a bargaining item. Jerick recovers and convinces himself that he’s just overtaxed from studying too much.

Courteth prepares for the feast and punishes Ryalla by forcing her to do her homework for her. As Courteth leaves, Ryalla congratulates herself for tricking Courteth: Courteth was about to be kicked out of school for not doing any homework, and so she forced Ryalla to do it. Ryalla convinced Courteth that she hates reading, thus making sure that Courteth “punishes” her by forcing her to read. After reading a book about folk tales, Ryalla goes down to Topaz’s rooms to water his plants like she does every week. When she approaches, however, the plants burst into life and grow rapidly, which is a sign that Topaz is now somewhere in the palace.

Chapter 14

Jerick enters that feast, and him and Martis sit near each other to keep an eye on each other. Jerick begins thinking about his father, and the next thing he knows someone is asking him if he’s alright, as he had zoned out. Martis and Jerick exchange barbs, and the king gets up to speak. Right before he can, a large tearing noise is heard above and Topaz drops from the ceiling with a colorful scarf, stealing the limelight.

Prince Yoharn is very unconfident in himself, and doesn’t think he’ll be a good king. He feels like he’s just faking everything, and contemplates that he’d give Jerick the crown if he could get away with it.

After the feast, Frost is in his room when Topaz sneaks up on him. Topaz comments again on how he thinks Frost is more than what he says he is, which Frost denies. They discuss Jerick’s education and Topaz learns that Jerick has become skeptical of magic. Topaz vows to correct this, and leaves.

Chapter 15

In school, the teacher Vendavious discusses the recent essays the students just turned in. He then begins a discussion on a newly developed theory about Axios. The Axios is the base element, incredibly small, and everything in the physical world is made up of them. He gives the students an essay to read on the subject and dismisses them.

Jerick sits in the library reading the essay and is surprised when Topaz shows up to talk with him. Topaz notices that his years of studying have made Jerick argumentative and cynical, and he points this out. Jerick apologizes, but when Topaz mentions magic Jerick scoffs at the idea. Topaz begins to speak about presumed reality.

Topaz shares a story of when he visited a faraway land where people had a superstition that they had to throw rocks at a certain type of tree before going near. Topaz uncovered the origins of why they did this and knew that it was safe to go near the trees, and to prove his point he forced a man to go near a tree without throwing rocks at it first. However, the man’s presumed reality was stronger than actual reality, and the man died of fright right then and there. After his story, Topaz gives Jerick a small red fruit and leaves.

Chapter 16

Jerick looks up the fruit and learns that it is a Ballas fruit, which only grows in Southern Yolen and spoils within hours: it was impossible for Topaz to give him one still fresh and red. Jerick ponders this in the back of an amphitheater where Scathe the Horwatcher is performing a magic show. Frost comes up and speaks with him, and Jerick discusses with him Topaz and the fruit and how Scathe does all his tricks.

Scathe’s last trick is waving a Tamu Kek bone from a Sho Del over candles several times and making them burst into flame. As Jerick ponders presumed reality, the Ballas fruit, and through some prodding from Frost, Jerick begins to notice waves coming off of the bone. Suddenly, Jerick’s vision switches from normal to being able to see individual Axi. Frost is blown away that he can do this, and explains that Jerick and Topaz do this, but no one else can that he knows of. Scathe himself doesn’t even know what he’s doing when he uses the Tamu Kek bone.

Jerick sits at his table long into the night thinking, and Ryalla comes in. They talk, and Jerick asks Ryalla soul-searching questions about himself, such as if he’s arrogant. Their conversation is interrupted by footsteps approaching, and while Jerick wants to hide Ryalla responds that the people can’t see them if they don’t want them to. Scathe comes in, but even though he is feet from Jerick and Ryalla, doesn’t see them. He and another man talk about a token of bargaining, and then leave to continue their conversation elsewhere. Ryalla acts as if it was no big deal, but Jerick realizes that Ryalla can do magic too and doesn’t even know it.

Chapter 17

Martis heads home after dueling practice to find his father, Kalord, beating the cook for getting his food wrong. Martis mentions that he thinks Jerick will beat him in the testing in a few months, which causes Kalord to come at him in a rage. However, Martis fights back, which is unexpected, and due to Martis’s training and Kalord’s lack of practice, Martis beats his father and stabs his cheek with a knife. Martis takes over for Kalord as ruler of their house.

In Jerick’s rooms, Topaz comes in and Jerick apologizes. Jerick asks him how they can do magic, but Topaz doesn’t know. Topaz calls it microkinesis, but says everything he’s read about it claims that magic is evil or of the Fain. Topaz warns of an unknown danger that’s coming, but hints of it can be found in ancient legends and myths.

Their talk is interrupted by a disturbance at the window, and they look out to see a man in white armor riding on a horse up to the castle. Topaz and Jerick use microkinetic vision to determine the composition of the armor, which is steel. They then rush down the hallway to meet the visitor, and Topaz explains how Dragonsteel gives off pulses in the spiritual realm. Jerick mentions how the Tamu Kek does this, and Topaz says that’s because Sho Del have some Dragonsteel in their bones. They reach the gates where the king is greeting the visitor, Hsor. Hsor announces to everyone that he has just come from the Eternal War hunting after a Sho Del assassin. He promises riches and glory to anyone who can catch the assassin, which causes quite a stir.

Chapter 18

Jerick is invited to the throne room to see the king and Hsor, as Jerick might be able to identify what a Sho Del looks like. Jerick is confused and claims he’s never seen a Sho Del before. As Jerick walks down the hallway after being dismissed, he hears a commotion at the gates. He goes over to see a mad beggar trying to enter the palace. However, the beggar turns out to be Torell, who is unaware of how he sounds and looks.

After five years away from the palace, Torell’s speech has become like the peasants’ speech, and he thinks his dirty robes are still pristine because the common people’s clothing was all he had to compare them to. As servants clean him up, Topaz comes in to see him and talk.

In his command pavilion, Martis receives reports from some scouts. Martis plans on capturing the Sho Del, but not by hunting it. Rather, he has spies in the other hunting parties so that he can intercept it when it is captured. He makes plans to marry Courteth and become king.

Chapter 19

The weather has turned cold and icy, and Ryalla walks around the frozen palace grounds. Courteth finds her and punishes her by telling her to read her homework books in four days. Ryalla complains, but Courteth catches on that Ryalla has been playing her for a fool. Courteth orders Ryalla to strip down to just her shift and walk out into the freezing pond up to her neck. Ryalla’s years of slavery and obeying orders cause her to do so despite herself. As Ryalla stands in the pond in agony, Courteth lectures her from the side. Ryalla feels her body begin to shut down, and she begins to sink under the water.

Suddenly, Topaz is there, grabbing Ryalla and dragging her to shore. He presses his topaz ring against her and she feels sudden warmth and healing. Completely healed, she watches as Topaz, his demeanor dark and menacing, slowly advances upon Courteth. Plants around him burst into rapid life, and Topaz threatens Courteth, who runs away in fright. The plants go back to normal and Topaz tells Ryalla that she’ll never have to worry about Courteth punishing her again.

Courteth races back to her rooms and calms herself down. She convinces herself that the plants growing was just a trick. Martis enters and proposes a union with her, claiming that the Sho Del assassin will soon be his. Courteth knows that the best way to get back at Topaz is to go through his friend Jerick, and so she denies Martis, planting in his head the need to humiliate Jerick.

Chapter 20

Ryalla sits by the pond that was her near-demise, and realizes that her punishments only worked because she willfully obeyed and allowed them to. Jerick comes up and they talk, both admitting that Topaz can do magic.

Frost and Topaz talk in Frost’s room. Frost muses how Topaz does so much with so little information and is almost tempted to tell Topaz all he knows, which would break a vow he’s made. Whatever Frost is, it is much greater than Topaz assumes. Bat’Chor arrives and gives Topaz the translation of the scroll. One section is a legend from thousands of years ago about an altar to five gods, the names of the gods being written in Dragonsteel on the altar. The altar was later destroyed. The names of the gods are written on the scroll, but it was a part the translators couldn’t translate, and were left in their original tongue.

Frost admits that he can translate them, and does so, justifying his actions that any scholar could translate them, even though he knows that what he was doing was close to being “a betrayal of his promise.” However, the scroll only has four names down, not the name of the fifth. Frost says he knows what it is, but says he is forbidden to share it, to Topaz’s anger.

Topaz tells Bat’Chor they’ll find the name of the fifth god on their own, pointing out that the bits of Dragonsteel that the names were made of would still be around even after thousands of years. In fact, the pattern of one of the names was identical to the piece of Dragonsteel on the sword hilt: that piece had come from the altar. They plan on going and looking at famous pieces of Dragonsteel to see if one spells the name of the fifth god, and Frost agrees to give them the alphabet so that they can translate it when they find it. Martis’s servants find a group of hunters that caught the Sho Del assassin, and kill them, bringing the Sho Del to Martis. Instead of taking it to the king immediately, Martis says he has a better plan.

Chapter 21

Jerick visits Torell and asks about his parents. When he tells him, Jerick’s mind goes fuzzy until Topaz snaps him out of it. Topaz says they’ll have to do something about that, and then that the king has an announcement to make and they should go. As they walk down the hall, the voices in Jerick’s mind come again, one saying to proceed with the plan and that a distraction was made for them. Topaz didn’t hear the voices and says that that power isn’t microkinesis, but cognitive magic, which comes from the Sho Del. They hurry to the king.

Meanwhile, Martis talks to the bound Sho Del, giving it a blunted sword and telling it to kill the king. He then rushes to the king, who is making his announcement. The Sho Del rushes at the king but it intercepted by Topaz and Jerick. Topaz tries to swing a sword at it twice, but both times his body refuses to cooperate and his swings miss at the last moment. The Sho Del kicks Topaz out of the way. Jerick fights with it, and is about to defeat it when Martis yells out to him to kill it to avenge his parents, who were killed by a Sho Del. Jerick freezes, allowing the Sho Del to move past him and to the king. Martis then defeats it according to his plan, leaving Jerick humiliated.

Chapter 22

The king announces the engagement of Martis to his daughter. Jerick packs his bags and goes to the stables to get a horse to leave for the Eternal War. A betrothal lasts two years and he hopes to earn glory and be back by then. Ryalla, Topaz, and Frost all try to stop him, saying the Eternal War is not the place to gain glory. He leaves anyway, and Topaz curses the fact that the bet, which would have been completed in less than a week, is now ruined. He also bemoans that the only other human that is like him has run off. Frost corrects Topaz, mentioning that while Topaz has the power of life, Jerick has the power of destruction. Frost agrees to go after Jerick and watch out for him.

Interlude Two

Hsor prays in his room and is visited in person by Oreon, the White One. Hsor explains to the God how Prince Yoharn was captured in the confusion with the assassin. Oreon tells Hsor to stay in the confidence of the king, then leaves, leaving Hsor drained from his experience.

End of Part Two

Chapter 23

Four days after leaving the palace, Jerick’s chariot is stolen, and he’s left to scrounge for himself. He sympathizes with the poor working class and remembers what that was like a long time ago for him. He enters a tavern one night to warm himself by the fire before finding an alley to sleep in later, as he has no money. A traveling storyteller gets up and begins to tell a story to lighten everyone’s mood, but he’s terrible at telling stories and just makes the occupants angry with him. Jerick saves the day by taking over for the storyteller, telling it in a rhythmic way as he learned in his studies.

After the story is done the innkeeper gives him some free food and Jerick considers storytelling as a way to make it down to the Eternal War, but knows it probably wouldn’t work. An illiterate man comes up to him and asks him to write a letter for him, which Jerick does for the payment of a silver crin. Frost then reveals himself and that he’s been following Jerick, waiting for him to give up and go back. Jerick admits that he was about to, but the fact that he can be paid for being literate, in a society where those people are rare, changes everything. Jerick gets himself and Frost a room to stay in.

Chapter 24

In Jarg, Topaz and Bat’Chor go into an inn for food. The roasted pig in there makes Topaz physically sick, and Bat’Chor asks him if he misses being able to eat meat, to which Topaz responds that it’s been so long he can’t remember. Bat’Chor then takes offense at something someone says, and gets into a brawl, which is typical of Ke’Chan people. Topaz, unable to fight, wanders outside and ponders how Jerick can do microkinesis too but is able to eat meat and fight. Bat’Chor exits a little later, victorious. They find another inn to stay at.

Topaz writes out a Ke’Chan prophecy for Bat’Chor, and then explains other stories from different cultures that all share the similar thread of a peasant becoming a great leader and unifying the people to defeat an evil threat. Topaz admits that he had been hoping to use Jerick as someone that people would think matches the prophecies to unify the people against what is coming. He then explains how while these stories all have different origins and he doesn’t really believe them, the stories about an evil force all stem from the same source. He makes a chart showing how through history the different versions of the stories all lead back to the same origin. That is what they are fighting: the fifth god.

Topaz doesn’t believe these stories, and admits that he had been hoping to use Jerick as someone that people would think fulfills the stories and prophecies in order to unify mankind to prepare for what’s coming. The stories of the evil force he does believe, and Topaz draws a chart demonstrating how all of these stories have stemmed from one single ancient story.

Chapter 25

Three months after leaving the palace, Jerick and Frost arrive on the Shattered Plains. Frost explains that the Dragonsteel seeping up through the ground fortified the earth surrounding the wells, while erosion eroded in between, leaving plateaus with chasms between them.

They go to General Demetris’s camp. Demetris is unsavory and an envious person. He cares only about Jerick’s castemark and thus Jerick gets assigned to the bridgecrews while Frost is ordered to be Demetris’s scribe. Jerick, bewildered, gets assigned to be on Bridge Four, with a Ke’Chan man named Gaz as their leader. A horn alarm sounds and they rush to their bridges to go on a plateau run.

The bridge crews carry portable bridges to lay across the chasms so that the army can pass from plateau to plateau. For about an hour Jerick is forced to run with the bridge, lay it down, wait for everyone to cross, then pick it back up and run some more.

They reach the last plateau before the one where the Dragonsteel well is, where Sho Del are already set up. The Sho Del can jump across chasms and thus do not need bridges. The Sho Del fire arrows into the bridge crews, but Bridge Four manages to get their bridge across. Jerick sees terrible giant beasts, but he is informed that those are just Sho Del illusions. The Sho Del and Demetris’s soldiers fight, and the humans end up getting the Dragonsteel from the well at the center of the plateau. Jerick realizes he now has to carry the bridge back, this time with only two-thirds the number of men as before.

Chapter 26

Immediately following Prince Yoharn’s kidnapping the palace was in an uproar, but after about four months things quieted down. Ryalla is struck by how quickly Jerick has been forgotten in the chaos. The school teachers prepare to head back to Trexandos, and Vendavious reveals to Ryalla that he knew it was her doing Courteth’s homework the entire time. Ryalla is still Courteth’s slave, but Courteth has less power over her and can’t make her punish herself. With school over, Ryalla wonders how she can still learn, and turns to Torell. She makes a deal with him that she’ll help him to lose his peasant accent if he’ll continue to teach her secretly.

Chapter 27

On a boat, Bat’Chor and Topaz talk. Bat’Chor’s father recently died, and there’s a two-year mourning period before Bat’Chor will take over his house. Bat’Chor asks Topaz why Topaz chose him, and Topaz replies that Bat’Chor is a great learner and open-minded. Topaz says it’s hard for him to have faith anymore, and he needed someone with strong faith.

When they reach shore, Topaz says they need to split up to find the fifth god’s name. Bat’Chor knows everything that Topaz does now, and they have two continents to cover. Bat’Chor will search Tzendor and look into a Dragonsteel necklace he’s heard about, and Topaz will try to infiltrate the Horwatcher’s fortress.

Chapter 28

Jerick has nightmares about the Sho Del and their illusions. He is awakened for a bridge run, and because of how many bridgemen die, Jerick is one of the most experienced members of the bridge crew after only a few months. He talks to a Keeg, a fellow bridgemen, and they start their run.

On the Dragonsteel plateau, a dragon is spotted flying above them in the sky. A bridgemen named Tenne comments that it’s Drephrast, king of the dragons and lord of the Sho Del, but hasn’t been seen in a decade. The dragon leaves and Tenne mentions that Jerick is wasted as a bridgeman; he’s too poised, confident, and clever.

General Ki Tzern, a fellow general and someone Demetris considers his arch-rival, comes up to Demetris and offers compliments on how well he did on the Dragonsteel run. He also offers Demetris plans for a new bridge mechanism he designed that could save bridgemen lives. Demetris, believing everyone thinks the same way he does, believes Ki Tzern is being sarcastic and trying to put Demetris down. Demetris declines, to Ki Tzern’s confusion.

Chapter 29

Ryalla’s lessons with Torell are going well, and her next assignment is to read the essay about Axi. Ryalla goes to Kalord Strafen’s manor. She sees Kalord, but she wills herself not to be seen and he looks right past her without noticing her. She goes into Martis’s room to give him a letter from Courteth, and Raylla notices he’s holding a scroll with a purple seal on it.

Ryalla goes to the stables to see her brother, Hert, who is a slave there. She finds him having a secret meeting with some ominous characters in one of the empty stalls, and he warns her that it’s dangerous there and that she should go. She gives him some fruit and then leaves.

Chapter 30

Jerick and Bridge Four are on chasm duty: they walk the bottom of the chasms and scavenge any usable weapons to bring back up. Jerick finds a Sho Del body and wonders why they’re so rare down there when about the same number of them and humans fall into the chasms. Gaz calls them back up to be ready for a plateau run.

On the run, the Sho Del are already at the well. Jerick and Bridge Four perform a move they’ve been practicing: they put the bridge on its side as they approach to block the incoming arrows. It works, and not a single bridgeman dies, but Jerick realizes that his idea ruined the timing of the entire assault, and the army is defeated. For a month afterwards Jerick is treated with complete disdain and contempt by everyone in the camp, but it eventually blows over.

On another run, Jerick and a fellow bridgeman named Ham discuss the elite force of Ki Tzern’s army, a clan of tan-armored warriors who can jump chasms and other magical feats. They see them fighting nearby and talk about how Ki Tzern’s a better general than Demetris. Sho Del appear riding giant lizard horses, something no one’s seen before. Suddenly, some Sho Del start attacking the bridge crews. Some bridgemen try to hide behind the only cover out on the plains: large boulders that are scattered on every plateau. Jerick fights with a Sho Del and wins its sword, but the rest of Bridge Four is slaughtered. The tan-armored warriors drive off the Sho Del, and Gaz promotes Jerick to bridge leader.

Chapter 31

Jerick tries to be a valiant leader of the bridgecrew, but they ostracize him and no one will listen. On a bridge run, Jerick takes Dente’s place at the front center of the bridge, claiming it was his duty as bridgeleader to be there. Dente, confused, agrees, knowing it’s the most dangerous spot on the bridge.

On the run as they approach the Sho Del, an arrow approaches Jerick. Jerick manages to switch to microkinetic vision, and wills the Axi of the arrow to dissipate, which they do, saving Jerick’s life. Jerick somehow knows he won’t be able to do that again. They only lose one bridgeman that run, while the other bridges lose three or four each.

That night around the fire Dente thanks Jerick for saving his life. Jerick tells the men stories of some legends, such as one about how the trickster god deceives his brothers. The other one he tells is of a humble table-maker who, due to his diligence and dedication to his craft, became king. Jerick praises bridgemen, saying they have the least armor and are the first into every battle. He encourages them to be the best bridgemen they can be, and they shout their agreement.

Chapter 32

In the kingdom, Hsor takes over the investigation for the lost prince. It’s been ten months since his disappearance. Topaz visits the city, and Ryalla is able to sneak up on him, something he swore wasn’t possible. Ryalla urges Topaz to find Yoharn, but he curses and says he as too many other important things he has to do, but he suggests that Ryalla can find him.

Topaz gets Ryalla to confront the possibility that she can do magic. He shows his topaz ring and makes a rainbow appear briefly on the wall, but says he can only scatter light briefly, he can’t bend light like Ryalla can. He encourages Ryalla to play around with bending light and to practice. Ryalla agrees to try and find the prince and Topaz says he’s leaving for a while.

Chapter 33

Jerick and his crew search the chasms for Sho Del bones. They find a corpse that has composed, and Dente collects the bones into a sack. Above the chasms, Dente sneaks the sack past the guards, and a smaller bridge man, Kep, is accosted by the guards. Members of Bridge Four, including a large man named Gathban, nicknamed Rock, come to his aid.

That night, Gathban makes soup for the crew and the men talk about why they came to war. They talk about Jerick’s past, how he had been part of the king’s bet and how he can read and write. Jerick says he’ll teach anyone who wants to learn how to read.

About two weeks later on a bridge run they get a chance to use the bones. They had them constructed into shields, which are ideal shields because they are light and, as Topaz told Jerick, had Dragonsteel in them. They use the shields in their approach, while making sure they didn’t mess up the timing of the assault. Jerick gives Gaz a shield in exchange for him putting more men on his crew.

On the plateau, Jerick realizes that during the battle while the bridgemen just sit there is a great time for Bridge Four to learn how to fight and practice with the sword. Jerick senses something and the crew sees a large figure in intimidating armor join the Sho Del ranks, whom Gathban calls the Lord of War.

Chapter 34

Bat’Chor travels through Tzendor and marvels how agriculture has sprung up where they used to be a wasteland. He visits his seveth cousins, who, due to the nature of close family ties to Ke’Chan, is still close family. They eat lunch together and Bat’Chor is introduced to the odd invention known as a clock.

Bat’Chor makes it to the house of Lord Ki Avel, who owns a Dragonsteel necklace Bat’Chor came to see. Ki Avel is rude to Bat’Chor and tells him that no one can see the necklace, to which Bat’Chor knocks him out cold. Ki Avel’s wife lets him see the necklace, but Bat’Chor informs her that it is not Dragonsteel at all, but silver. Lady Ki smiles at the new power this knowledge gives her.

Chapter 35

Bridge Four practices their fighting and are getting better. That night at soup, Jerick commends Dente on how his reading and writing are improving. Gathban praises Jerick as a leader, because he cares about his men. Jerick thinks back to his life in the palace, and though he can remember Ryalla well he can’t really remember what Courteth was like. He thinks about how he tried to find Frost in camp but couldn’t locate him. Other bridgemen wish to join Bridge Four’s soup circle, and they let them. Gaz comes with a message for Jerick, that Demetris has heard about what Jerick’s been doing and is going to be there in person to watch on the next bridge run.

On the next run, the soldiers arrive a little before the Sho Del, but Demetris orders them to stop and wait for the Sho Del to set up their arrows before they continue. The shields work great and the battle is an easy one. On a nearby plateau, the well has turned black, which means it will give out Dragonsteel shortly. Demetris thinks about taking it even though it’s in Ki Tzern’s district, but a Ki Tzern scout appears, followed by Ki Tzern’s army.

Ki Tzern’s army uses mechanical bridges, but the Sho Del soon topple these into the chasms, leaving his army surrounded and trapped on the plateau. Demetris chuckles and orders his army to leave Ki Tzern to his fate, but Jerick and Bridge Four all know what they have to do. Against orders they run to the plateau and set up their bridge to rescue Ki Tzern, fighting Sho Del the whole time. An illusion appears but Jerick jumps through it and fights with a Sho Del on a lizard beast. Jerick shifts his vision to microkinetic view, and somehow is able to shoot out lighting from his body, which hits the Sho Del’s metal armor and kills the Sho Del. Bridge Four manages to rescue Ki Tzern’s army, but the Lord of War appears, seems puzzled by the electrocuted Sho Del, and orders the army to attack. Ki Tzern’s army is saved when a dragon descends from the sky, and the Sho Del bow down to it, then retreat. Jerick gets a closer look and realizes how Dragonsteel got its name: dragons grew it on their bodies.

Ki Tzern commends Bridge Four for their bravery, and offers them to leave Demetris and join his army. He says that he will make Jerick more than just a bridgeman. The tan-armored warriors then arrive and apologize for not being able to come sooner.

Chapter 36

Cathis the Horwatcher sits in a building in Jarg on a recruiting trip. He hopes to become an elder Horwatcher, known as the Drath, but to do so he needs to recruit people who need to recruit people who need to recruit people. He and a person he recruited ten years previous, Endelo, finish giving a test to a boy, who leaves.

As the two Horwatchers discuss who to recruit, they are interrupted by a peasant who wants to see Horwatcher magic. Endelo grants his request by passing a Tamu Kek bone over a candle to light it. It takes him only six passes over the candle, which is very talented, as the lowest number ever done was three passes. Endelo puts the bone down and talks with Cathis, and the peasant picks it up. The Horwatchers are horrified and the peasant quickly moves to put the bone back, but when he does so it passes over an unlit candle and it bursts into flame.

The Horwatchers are stupefied and have the peasant do it again, which he does so with only one pass. The Horwatchers are elated and believe that finding and recruiting this man could get them into the Drath. They tell the man, who claims his name is Jerick, that he will be coming with them and made a Horwatcher. Both of them are so excited they don’t notice the small smile creep onto the hawkish features of the man’s face, or a glove on his hand covering up a large ring.

Chapter 37

Ki Tzern’s camp is much more organized and disciplined than Demetris’s was. Bridge Four is sent on leave, and Ki Tzern asks questions about Jerick’s backstory. It seems unbelievable to Ki Tzern, but then Frost appears and confirms everything Jerick said. Ki Tzern asks how Jerick was able to shoot lightning, when it is a tool of not Oreon, but his brother Xeth the Black.

Jerick is asked how he was able to jump through an illusion, and Frost explains that Sho Del illusions are not illusions of light, but are a cognitive magic that causes a person’s brain to fill in details itself. Hence, people can be and have been hurt and killed by illusions, and explains how they still give off Axi patterns when looked at microkineticly. Ki Tzern tells Jerick he has some options for the future, including becoming a member of his tan-armored elite force, known as the Tzai. They watch two Tzai fight, and it seems as if they can slow down time and move faster than possible.

Later Frost and Jerick talk and Frost explains that he checked in on Jerick from time to time. Frost explains that the three realms, physical, cognitive, and spiritual, exist but aren’t as people describe them: everything exists in all three realms, and the Sho Del are using the cognitive aspect to make illusions. The Tzai manipulate the spiritual aspect: they can shatter swords with their bare hands by changing its spiritual nature, which has violent repercussions in the physical world. Ki Tzern tells Jerick that the Tzai have also learned how to get rid of their nightmares, and Jerick decides to join their ranks.

Chapter 38

Ryalla and some maids watch as a messenger arrives at the throne room with a letter for the king, which is rumored to be a ransom note. Ryalla tries to consciously affect light and manages to be able to see individual light rays, and is then able to force them to bend around her, making her invisible. She finally admits to herself that she’s been able to do that for quite some time.

Ryalla goes to the door and wills the light bouncing off it to move forward a bit, making the door appear closer. She sneaks behind the illusion and gets in the throne room, then shifts the light rays of the door back onto the door. The king, Hsor, Scathe, and Martis are there discussing the random note, which asks for fifty thousand to return the prince. Hsor and Scathe leave and Martis talks to the king about moving up his and Courteth’s marriage, and him becoming heir, which the king agrees to. Ryalla then notices the ransom note has the same violet seal on it that she saw earlier at Martis’s place.

Chapter 39

Topaz and Cathis make it to the Horwatcher’s fortress, the Ekrobila. The three months they spent traveling have given Cathis plenty of time to show off Topaz as a powerful undiscovered Horwatcher. They enter and the Drath decide that Topaz is too powerful to be trained by anyone but a Drath, so he will not count as Cathis’s recruit, to Cathis’s utter dismay. Topaz is led to a room to meditate.

Topaz sneaks out instead and pokes around the fortress. In a scene of dramatic irony, he almost opens the door to where Prince Yoharn is being kept prisoner, but voices in the hall cause him to stop picking the lock. Topaz looks into a room to see some Drath dancing naked around an altar, and a being of power appears. Topaz starts to head back when he hears a voice calling him Cellin, a name which he has not heard in a long time.

The voice belongs to the being who calls himself Oreon the White, and he appears to Topaz, bombarding him with his awesome power. Topaz is thrown to the floor and can barely contain his muscles, so powerful is the god before him. Oreon commands Topaz to worship Him and give himself to Him, and Topaz is about to do so when he looks at Oreon microkineticly. Microkineticly the god appears as a void, sucking in light and life, and Topaz refuses to succumb. Oreon leaves, and as Topaz falls into unconsciousness he has the thought that he needs to figure out what that was, no matter how long it would take.

Chapter 40

In his months of training as a Tzai, Jerick practices the arts of Gvel Mou, Gvel Tzou, and Gvel Too. Gvel Mou is tensed relaxation, being able to completely relax all of one’s muscles while at the same time becoming completely aware of one’s surroundings and able to respond quickly at a moment’s notice. Gvel Too is contemplating a single idea for extended periods of time. Jerick ponders over the concept of beauty for an entire day and night.

Gvel Tzou is contemplating a single object for an extended period of time. Jerick is given a wooden jewelry box, which he studies and ponders over for weeks. He’s told if he can open it using just one finger he can start going on Dragonsteel runs. One day as he ponders it, in a state of Gvel Mou he jets his finger forward, puncturing the side of the box. His mentor Tzai named Sharn comes in and sees this, and grabs Ki Tzern. Ki Tzern says Jerick is full of surprises and that the exercise was meant to be futile to teach patience, but that to keep his promise Jerick will start going on night Dragonsteel runs with Sharn. Jerick will also start learning Gvel Dar: maintaining Gvel Mou while fighting.

Frost contemplates his position in a game of Dek when he receives a telepathic mind-thought from Topaz, who is using Tamu Keks to do so. Frost mind-thinks back, which Topaz uses as proof that Frost is more than what he says he is, but Frost’s denies it, saying that there are so many Tamu Keks where Topaz is he could communicate with a dead ox that way. Frost gives an update on Jercik, and Topaz wonders why Jerick is not more willing to use his powers, and what is holding him back. Frost tells Topaz how Jerick has joined the Tzai and that he once shot out lightning during a battle.

Chapter 41

Bat’Chor visits a museum in Tzendor that Emperor Aronack established. He moves with the crowd to see a shield that has Dragonsteel in its center. Bat’Chor is the last one there, and the Dragonsteel there did come from the altar of five gods, but it’s of a god Frost already gave them. As he turns to go he notices that he’s surrounded by guards sent from Emperor Aronack himself, who claim that Bat’Chor fits the description of the man who attacked Lord Ki a few months ago, and that he’s been taken in to appear before Emperor Aronack for judgment.

Chapter 42

Over a year since the kidnapping, Ryalla sits in a temple and offers burnt sacrifice and prayer for Jerick. She exits the Temple and uses her ability to bend light around herself to sneak into one of Martis’s secret meetings. He and five noblemen discuss how the king has agreed to pay the ransom, but Martis talks about how the Sho Del probably kidnapped him and how they are known to replace children with changelings, and how even if Yoharn came back they wouldn’t be able to trust him.

Ryalla attempts to bend light into an image she created, something she hasn’t tried before. She creates the image of a scroll with a violet seal and projects it three times so only Martis can see it. Martis freaks out and has everyone leave, then goes to a secret compartment and gets out his letter to make sure it’s still there. It says that Martis can pay money to ensure the prince is never seen again, so now Ryalla knows that Martis wasn’t the kidnapper.

Martis and Courteth’s wedding is performed. Ryalla is troubled and considers the Horwatchers as the next best possibility of being the kidnappers. She also worries about the king’s safety now that Martis is just one step away from the throne.

Chapter 43

Jerick and Sharn sit on a shattered plains, their only company the large boulders on the plateaus. When Dragonsteel first emerges from the wells, it emits a flash of light, which the Tzai look for. Jerick and Sharn see a flash and head towards that plateau. They use the Gvel Dar to leap across the chasms. When they reach the final plateau, they sense something is wrong. The Sho Del ambush them a moment later.

Jerick is almost killed, but Sharn rescues him. They notice the Sho Del have painted their faces so that they could sneak up on them. Sharn gathers the liquid Dragonsteel. Jerick realizes that if he looks microkineticly, he can easily tell where the chasms are and is thus able to leap across them with greater ease.

Two weeks later, Frost and General Tzern are playing a game of Dek. Negotiations are sometimes played over a game of Dek as its pieces can be used for nuances of conversation, such as attacking, uncertainty, or suspicion. Tzern tells Frost how the Sho Del have tripled their numbers recently somehow, and how Jerick is doing so well as a Tzai, which makes him suspicious. Frost plays an attacker, informing Tzern that Frost will vouch for Jerick.

Jerick comes in, carrying four full Dragonsteel vials. Tzern agrees to switch him to day runs. Taern mentions he misses one of his advisors, called Dellanios, which through questioning turns out to be Topaz under another pseudonym. Jerick tells frost that the combination of the Gvel Dar and microkinesis allows him to sense where Dragonsteel will appear hours before it does, and Frost warns him to show restraint showing off his powers, as it could make others jealous.

Chapter 44

Bat’Chor doesn’t do well in prison, as Ke’Chan do not do well in captivity, being free spirits. All escape attempts fail. In the middle of his second month of imprisonment he hears troops outside, and for the next month watches through his window as an army gathers. Bat’Chor believes that Emperor Aronack is planning on invading the Sho Del homeland, U Poni She Del.

One day a tall officer comes in and demands that Bat’Chor tell him where the necklace is, to Bat’Chor’s confusion. The man says that Ki’s wife was found dead and the necklace gone, and Bat’Chor realizes that Ki Avel probably woke up to find his wife run away with the necklace, and assumed it was Bat’Chor. The tall man says that Emperor Aronack will judge Bat’Chor himself, and leaves.

Chapter 45

Four months after the wedding, Ryalla, invisible, overhears the Old Kalord talking to his son Martis. The Old Kalord calls Marits evil, that while the Old Kalord hurt people for rage, Martis hurt people for pleasure. They leave and Ryalla, visible, runs into Courteth, sleep deprived and with a huge welt on her face. Courteth asks where Martis is, saying he gets mad when he needs her and she’s not there, and asks Ryalla to talk with her that night.

Later that day Ryalla takes up her usual post of spying on Scathe, but nothing interesting happens again. This time, however, Scathe picks up a Tamu Kek mumbles something, as if communicating to someone telepathically. He then is able to sense Ryalla there even though she’s invisible, and she leaves. That night Ryalla goes to comfort Courteth, who admits being cruel to Ryalla. Courteth asks if she’s still beautiful, even covered in bruises. They hear Martis coming and Courteth urges Ryalla to go before he comes in.

Chapter 46

On a day run, Jerick notices something odd: this battle doesn’t have the illusions they usually do. Him and the other Tzai engage in the battle, and Jerick fights and takes down a Sho Del on a lizard-horse, then notices the Lord of War. The Lord of War and Jerick fight each other, the Lord of War using Gvel Dar and a sword made of Dragonsteel, which can cut through anything. Jerick bashes in the Lord of War’s helmet, forcing him to remove it. Doing so reveals that the Lord of War is actually human, and he retreats, although Jerick isn’t sure if it’s because he doesn’t want the humans or the Sho Del to see that he’s human.

Jerick notices that the Sho Del forces have somehow suddenly multiplied ten-fold. He and the other Tzai race to General Tzern, but Jerick is wounded. Bridge Four comes to his rescue and protects him. They are soon overwhelmed, and Jerick notices a dead body on the ground with large cuts, but with no blood. His mind begins to put pieces together, and realizes there weren’t any illusions this battle because the Sho Del were focusing their cognitive strength on something else. He notices the large boulders and remembers how everyone he talks to about them have described them differently, and how Frost said that the Sho Del illusions aren't illusions of light, but an imprint that causes a person’s brain to fill in details itself. The reason everyone sees the boulders differently--is because they are also a Sho Del illusion.

Jerick stabs his sword into a nearby boulder, and it disappears, revealing a Sho Del in red hidden in it, now writing at the end of Jerick’s sword. It dies, and as it does, all the Sho Del within a 20-foot radius disappear, along with all the wounds that Jerick and Bridge Four have. Jerick tells other Tzai to start attacking the boulders, and as they do huge portions of the Sho Del army disappear. Only about two dozen of the fifty thousand Sho Del actually happen to be real.

In the aftermath General Tzern and Jerick look over the scene of corpses, each one without a single wound mark on them. They discuss that the Sho Del have been using this tactic for quite some time, and probably have scouts near their camps to maintain the illusion of wounds. Their false illusions were used to fool the Tzai and others into thinking they could see through the illusions, when the fact was that most of their army was an illusion to begin with, which also explains the lack of Sho Del corpses in the chasms. Tzern apologizes that he was suspicious of Jerick.

Chapter 47

During Topaz’s nine months in the Ekrobila, he’s quickly advanced through the ranks. Because of his photographic memory and ability to use microkinesis, he can do seemingly impossible tasks with ease, such as memorizing entire books of chants and emptying out fireplaces in less than a half-hour. The day finally arrives where the Drath will make him a Drath, and Topaz will be able to ask three questions to the goddess he briefly saw earlier.

Topaz enters the chamber but is horrified to learn how the goddess is summoned, as a bound and gagged 14-year old girl wearing nothing but a shift is brought in. As they begin to tie her to the altar, Topaz tries to think of a way out of the predicament, but finally admits that he’s wasted the last nine months. He then uses his microkinesis to rescue the girl and they begin their escape. As they’re escaping, an army of Sho Del attack the Ekrobila. Topaz and the girl use secret passages to escape from the Sho Del and make it out of the fortress.

Later, Topaz surveys the wreckage of the burnt down fortress, and uses microkinesis to locate a piece of Dragonsteel. It spells the name of one of the gods Frost already gave them. Topaz finds a Drath survivor who says the Sho Del attacked because they had been holding Yoharn, but he’s back in Lakdon now. Topaz notices a Sho Del corpse and realizes that its bones don’t pulse in microkinetic vision: there’s no Dragonsteel in the bones. Thus they aren’t Sho Del, nor human, and Topaz has no idea what they could be.

Chapter 48

Jerick is now third in command, under Tzern and Sharn. Through practice he can sense Dragonsteel from far away, and marks a map of where Dragonsteel will soon appear. In the two months since the discovery of the Sho Del illusion tactics, Tzern has become leader of all the troops of the Shattered Plains, and many permanent bridges have been set up. Tzern calls Jerick in and says Emperor Aronack will soon call him to a new position now that the Sho Del have essentially been completely defeated, and with Sharn getting married, Jerick will be in charge in four months’ time.

On a run, Jerick watches as the Sho Del army approaches. He and the other Tzai have trained themselves to sense the Sho Del magicians, which Frost calls the Kame Ken Den Tu. Jerick slays the Kame Ken Den Tu and half the Sho Del army disappears, causing them to retreat. Tzern gets a letter that the Horwatcher’s Ekrobila has been attacked and completely destroyed by Sho Del. Frost exclaims that this is impossible. Tzern says that their entire army is being called away by Emperor Aronack to join the army he’s been gathering, which they assume is to attack U Poni Sho Del. Jerick requests that he first make a detour to stop the Sho Del that attacked the Ekrobila. Tzern agrees, and gives him a horse and some of his own armor.

Chapter 49

Ryalla learns verb conjugation forms in the Trexandian language from Torell, but her mind keeps drifting to think about the Horwatchers. She now knows that their “magic” comes from using Tamu Kek bones, such as communicating from mind to mind, and believes Scathe was talking about moving Prince Yoharn back to the city. She realizes that the Horwatchers try to fit the part of mystics from the old ballads, and that they claim the goddess Slonis as patron.

Ryalla visists the Temple dedicated to Slonis and finds Yoharn in a hidden room. The guards have Tamu Keks and sense her even while invisible, so she goes to Hsor for help. Hsor immediately believes her when she says the Horwatchers have the prince, and they go to the hidden room. Hsor then tells the Horwatchers that they have betrayed their agreement with him, and kills one with a sword, and the other two using magic to separate their hearts from their surrounding veins. Ryalla, horrified, tries to escape, but Hsor catches her and orders from the Temple priests a second room to lock Ryalla away in.

Interlude Three

In the Sho Del council chambers, a Kame Ken Den Tu named Du Len storms in. She demands from the thirteen Sho Del council members why she was called back from the Shattered Plains. They inform her that the war is lost now that the humans have discovered their illusion tactics. Then Du Len’s father, Fa Len, tells Du Len that it isn’t too late for her to become an adult, as there is still some Ana Ku Mae (Dragonsteel, presumably) to be found. Du Len rejects this offer, even though it means remaining as a child forever, an undesirable fate that more and more Sho Del are forced to accept. Du Len storms out of the room, vowing to never stop fighting, even if it requires killing every last human.

End of Part Three

Chapter 50

Jerick and his men survey the ruins of the Ekrobila. Frost mentions that this couldn’t have been the Sho Del, but won’t explain why he thinks that. The men find in the nearby town the Drath survivor, who claims that the Healing Lord, Sivonn, healed him and that this is His judgment upon the wicked. The men leave him and start to follow the So Del tracks.

Jerick’s nightmares begin to return, even with the Gvel Mou, each one having to do with his parents in some way. At the border to Aldbish, Aldbish warriors stop their way, refusing to let Jerick’s man through, even though they let the Sho Del through for some reason. Jerick decides they have to go around Aldbish and hope to connect back with the Sho Del tracks later.

They find the trail three days later, but three days after that they notice that about ten Sho Del chariots had split off from the main group. Jerick notices that they are in the general direction of his home village. That night he has a dream of his father and a Sho Del fighting, and of his father being split down the middle, killing him. He awakes and immediately decides he has to go after the ten Sho Del chariots, sending the rest of his men to finish the chase of the main army. Frost realizes with dread that Jerick is going after his parents.

Chapter 51

Ryalla spends seven weeks trapped in the Temple of Slonis, and uses that time to practice bending light. She hears a click one morning and discovers Torell has picked her lock to rescue her: he knew she was somewhere in the Temple of Slonis because that’s the last place she mentioned before she disappeared. They try to pick the Prince’s lock as well, but hear footsteps and turn invisible. Hsor comes down the stairs and discovers Ryalla and Torell when Torell drops a pick. Just when Hsor is about to kill Torell, Ryalla bends every beam of light in the vicinity and aims it at Hsor’s chest, which burns a hole through his heart. Hsor drops down dead, and Ryalla, Torell, and the Prince escape to outside where they learn the city is under attack from an army of Sho Del.

Topaz awakens outside of Lakdon, with Oreon, or the fifth god, standing near him. Topaz arrived to warn the city of the mock Sho Del in time, but the fifth god kept him incapacitated until it was too late. Topaz figures out that the fifth god’s plan was to frame the Sho Del in order to pitch the world into a massive war, and by the look of things, the plan is succeeding.

Jerick races toward his hometown on horseback, the weeks passing fitfully. He continues to have dreams about his father being murdered by a Sho Del and believes he can stop it if he can only get there in time.

Chapter 52

Ryalla, Torell, and Prince Yoharn escape from the Temple, and Ryalla convinces Torell to take Yoharn and escape the city. Ryalla moves towards Strafen’s house, where she sees the Old Kalord talking with some Sho Del, telling them they can keep the girl but to leave the boy. In response, and to the Old Kalord’s horror, the Sho Del reveal Martis’s corpse, saying that their only bargain was to make certain he couldn’t take the throne. Ryalla heads off toward the palace.

Topaz sees Jerick’s army arrive, but the fifth god creates a Sho Del army out of nothing, which easily defeat them. The fifth god demands that Topaz give it the power he has, but Topaz refuses, causing the fifth god to assault Topaz with its torturous power. Under this onslaught Topaz notices an untapped power within him that he never would have discovered if he hadn’t been so close to death. Topaz heals by bringing someone’s physical bodies in alignment with their spiritual bodies: their perfect form. But the fifth god’s spiritual nature is a void. Topaz takes part of his new-found power and applies it to the fifth god, causing it to scream in agony and disappear. Topaz, now with new energy, races toward the palace, passing a dragon who is just observing events unfold.

Ryalla reaches the king and creates a brief image of Oreon the White to trick the Sho Del. They escape to the gardens but the fifth god causes her invisibility to vanish, and the Sho Del attack them.

Topaz uses his microkinetic vision to locate the king’s castemark, as it is made of Dragonsteel. He reaches the gardens to find the king dead with three arrows sticking out of him, and Ryalla also about to be fired upon. Topaz uses his power to cause a huge wave of growth to burst from him, which not only heals everyone in the entire city, but also causes dormant tree seeds in the ground to spontaneously grow. The arrows hit the sides of the new trees and Ryalla escapes. A weakened Topaz admits he overdid it a little, and is captured by Kalord Strafen.

Chapter 53

Jerick arrives at Farastham hours too late, the scents of smoke and blood still hovering in the air. He hears weeping and runs into Wat, the priest. Oreon the White appears, mocking Wat for just standing by and not interfering while everyone was slaughtered, in keeping to his vow. Oreon threatens to kill Jerick, but Wat begs him not to, saying that he’s special and has come so far. Oreon causes Jerick to begin to suffocate, but at the last moment is spared by Wat, who gives a disbelieving wail and then vanishes.

Ryalla watches Strafen’s coronation on the cliffs near the city. Strafen then orders Topaz immediately executed, and he’s brought forward. Strafen removes Topaz’s topaz ring, but as he does so Topaz is able to get a good look at the king’s castemark hanging around his neck, and with sudden realization notices it’s the name of the fifth god: Aronack. The axe falls with a thunk and Topaz’s head and body, gushing blood, are tossed over the cliff into the lake.

Bat’Chor is brought in before Emperor Aronack, who apologizes for being busy on the other side of the continent, and then admits that he knows Bat’Chor didn’t kill Lady Ki, but he needed an excuse to keep Bat’Chor there so they could talk in person. Aronack reveals that the troops Bat’Chor saw were not to invade U Poni Sho Del, but to invade Yolen. Aronack proposes a deal: once the mourning period for Bat’Chor’s father is passed, Bat’Chor will be the Ke’Chan leader; if Bat’Chor will commit Ke’Chan troops to Aronack’s army, Aronack will use his technology to restore the Old Ke’Chan homeland to its former glory. The deal is tempting to Bat’Chor, who decides to think about it.

Jerick stares at his parents’ abandoned house, realizing what it means. Frost appears and gives Jerick the terrible news from Lakdon. In his pain, Jerick remembers fully what happened the day his father died, and remembers what was actually the first time he used microkinesis. When the Sho Del swung its knife at Rin, Jerick saw everything as Axi, and in panic commanded the Axi in front of the knife to get out of the way. Those Axi made up Rin’s body, and they obeyed, splitting Rin down the middle. The Sho Del hadn’t killed Jerick’s father; Jerick did. With a bowed head, Jerick finally admits to himself what he had done.

Epilogue

Jerick, wearing pure black, bids goodbye to Frost and mounts his horse. Jerick says he is going to rescue Courteth from the Sho Del, after settling his grievance with King Strafen in Lakdon.

A man sits on the shore of a beach, introspective. Near him, a bloated head floats to shore. The man pokes at it with a stick, and muses that he had always believed that it would be his head that would grow a new body.

The End of Book One

Characters

• Bat'Chor
• Frost
• Topaz
• Courteth
• Jerick
• Mardle
• Martis
• Rin
• Rodis
• Ryalla
• Strafen
• Torell
• Yoharn

Notes

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