We all have our part to play and our duty to perform. This is a beautiful novel about performing your duty with honor, even in the face of almost certain failure.
Author Philip Chase has an unusual gift for telling a compelling story, and The Prophet of Edan works on two levels: on the individual level, with characters we care about and root for, and on the grand, civilizational level, where entire nations hurl themselves at each other in a desperate war of survival. And the geopolitical dramas in Philip's world of Eormenlond are downright Kissingerian--with betrayal, realpolitik and honor, all in equal measure.
Now, any story with a large cast and a lot of moving parts presents the author with a structural challenge: how do you help the reader keep everybody and everything straight, but yet do it in a way that's organic to the story? After all, this is the second part of a trilogy, and a lot happened in Book I. So I'll share an example here of what this author does, naturally, invisibly--and it's just one of the many reasons why his storytelling is so good. Early on in TPoE, the author structures a clever scene where his main character, recovering from injuries and still cognitively foggy, needs to understand what has happened. And in the natural conversation that follows as the other characters bring him up to speed, both the main character and the reader get a reminder of the prior book's events. A subtle, discerning device.
I offer this example because doing this sort of thing well is far harder than it looks. If an author is too obvious with cues and reminders, the reader feels condescended to. If an author gives no help at all, the reader feels lost.
But our author uses all the right techniques to connect his readers to the story. He makes his characters intrinsically memorable--without resorting to blunt tropes--and so they stick in our minds. He uses natural and necessary dialogue between characters as they review the complex geopolitical issues of this grand-scale conflict--and thus the reader knows exactly what's going on too. And he includes the occasional stray reference and helpful callback here and there, again to make the story flow naturally.
This is exactly how it is done. Not many authors have this gift for combining form and function, helping readers along in just the right way. The irony is, if you get it just right, the readers don't notice! They simply enjoy the story as it unfolds.
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A few more thoughts about this author's storytelling skills, starting with his gift for humor. I won't give it away, but you'll be laughing out loud at different sections in this book, usually when you least expect it. And it's also hard to believe such a witty author could have such a gift for gore! The battle scenes of this novel are so deliriously gory that blood practically spatters from the page. Finally, our author has a gift for sculpting a good villain. The best villains are imperfect, and Bledla, the "end boss" of this volume, is wonderfully well-constructed, with moments of agonizing self-doubt, even self-loathing. The reader empathizes, almost sympathizes, with him. I won't give anything away here, but he meets with quite an unexpected surprise at the end.
Certain reviews of this book critique the pacing. Fools! The book has a variable pacing by design: some portions of the book fly by, others move at the stately pace of a Meiji-era Japanese novel. Again, this is about connecting readers to the story: you can't drive them across an entire trilogy at Dan Brown speed--it's too much, too formulaic and too exhausting. This author mercifully lets the reader catch her breath and get her bearings at natural points in the story.
One last thought, on yet another uncommon gift this author has: he makes the second book of his trilogy into its own intrinsically resolved story, while keeping the reader curious about what might happen next. No arbitrarily lopped-off plot or cheesy cliffhangers. Instead, we have a grand story, fully concluded, with a bare thread or two skillfully left hanging. Well done.
The Edan Trilogy by Philip Chase:
Book II: The Prophet of Edan
Book III: Return to Edan
[Readers, what follows are my notes and reactions to the book--they are here to help me order my thinking and better remember what I read. Feel free to stop reading here. Also there are spoilers below!]
Notes/Quotes/Plot Points [Warning: Spoilers to follow!]
Prologue
* Gnorn the Dweorg in a conversation with his deceased brother, talking about how there's something intriguing about the lad Dayraven; Gnorn wants to be a shaper of the story Dayraven lives. Suddenly there's an attack on the castle he's in; we soon learn it's a dragon; the entire group from the last novel, Gnorn, Sequara, Abon and Orvandil, carrying a weakened Dayraven, attempt to escape to safety. Imharr bravely but foolishly attacks the dragon, buying them time. Dayraven recovers his senses and manages to drive it away with a powerful spell. Sequara heals Imharr's hand, it is now silvery in appearance after being splattered by dragon's blood. Imharr and Duke Anarad agree to remain behind to try to delay the Torrlond army, giving the rest time to escape.
Chapter 1: The Burden
* A giant dragon lands near Bledla as he surveys a conquered town. Bledla senses another power, he senses that the boy Dayraven may still be alive.
* "Those that refused to submit to the Way would have one last choice to make: axe or rope. There was no place in the Kingdom of the Eternal for unbelievers."
* Dayraven has a dream where he and Imharr are surrounded by flames but not consumed by them, the dream possibly foreshadows some way in which Dayraven fails or betrays Imharr somehow. He awakens to find himself on a ship on the way to the island kingdom of Asdralad. Dayraven struggles to remember and put together what's happened, so the other characters bring him up to speed. [Great device to bring the reader up to speed here, well done!] He meets Sequara, formally, for the first time; he feels he already knows her [recall in the last novel they practically mind-melded as she healed him]. Somehow he shares her memories, but he also feels deeply self-conscious around her. They arrive to Asdralad, Dayraven meets Urd, and then the group meets Faldira, Queen of Asdralad.
* Abon the "shaper," who saved Dayraven's life, leaves to return to his homeland to assist the wizard Galdor. Dayraven agrees to stay on Asdralad to continue his training in the gift with Faldira and Urd.
Chapter 2: Up in Flames
* Now King Balch, Duke Anarad and Imharr, who are running a resistance movement with some 300 loyal men, and who have now retreated to a corner of Balch's kingdom of Adanon; they've lost most of their territory to the Torrlond army. King Balch has lost his fat belly and his character arc is one of redemption here: he's proving to be a brave dude, and it's nice to see how the author shapes his reclamation. The group executes a raid on a well-guarded supply train, but they are counter-attacked by a dragon and a larger force: their trap turned out to be a double trap. Anarad orders Imharr to protect the king while gathering troops in a desperate rearguard attack.
* King Balch and Imharr escape but Balch is wounded and his wound becomes infected. He awakens in a hut in a village just as Torrlond soldiers arrive, hunting him; an old woman who was treating his wound dresses them up in women's clothes to hide them among the villagers. They're saved at the very last minute by a group of soldiers led by Balch's wife, Queen Rona.
Chapter 3: The Last Survivor
* [Ilarchae story thread] The reader is introduced to Munzil, an Ilarchae warrior who is the last surviving member of the Grey Wolves tribe; he observes a huge battle between two other Ilarchae tribes, he is searching for someone; the winning side of this battle is led by a giant man clad in black, Surt, who leads the Fire Dragon tribe. Munzil manages to persuade this tribe to let him meet with their leader.
* After Surt presses Munzil for how he came to be the only survivor of his tribe, Munzil explains how he was sold into slavery; he avenged his owner by killing him and then escaping; over the years he learned to trade furs and timber, gradually becoming a wealthy and successful trader. But his purpose here is to warn the fractious Ilarchae tribes of the coming Torrlonder conquest, which will eventually threaten every part of the entire realm. He encourages Surt to unify all the Ilarchae tribes. "We must change! A common foe will bring us together."
Chapter 4: Using One's Gift
* Dayraven, now in Asdralad, trains his gift with Queen Faldira, while Gnorn and Orvandil arm and train up a small army of Asdralad soldiers; Dayraven, studying High Andumaic with Sequara, is interrupted by Urd with news about his home realm, The Mark: they have joined with the Torrlonders in the conflict. Dayraven also learns that his love Ebba was married off, quickly, to a widower with two children shortly after he left The Mark. Dayraven practices "the gift": controlling animals and training with his mental powers; Sequara and Faldira are astounded by his power, even fearful of him.
* Gnorn and Orvandil depart for the mainland with their ersatz army, leaving Dayraven to continue his training. At a farewell dinner for them, Sequara and Dayraven's hands brush.
Chapter 5: A Reason to Fight
* Orvandil needs to fight, he must fight, he can't fight the itch for battle; he dreams of his one love, Osynia. The small Asdralad army of 500 lands at Adanon, the realm of King Balch, to help stall the Torrlonder invasion. Orvandil and Gnorn--their peoples once mortal enemies--have become good friends with deep respect for each other, as they join a hopeless mission in an even more hopeless war. They find King Balch and Queen Rona, but Gnorn didn't reach the rendezvous point; the group is about to move out and suddenly dragons attack them; Gnorn arrives just as they break camp.
* Bledla heals one of the dragons who suffered a gigantic spear wound in its wing. He's greeted by Munzil who has come all the way from the Wildlands to propose an alliance with the Ilarchae; Bledla has them meet with King Earconwald, and then decides he will send priest Joruman, who he doesn't trust, as emissary and negotiator on the long journey back with these barbarians.
Chapter 6: Finding an Advantage
* Joruman curses Bledla on the incredibly long journey to the Wildlands in harsh, cold weather. He can't believe the appalling behavior of these barbarian Ilarchae warriors.
* Some solid humor writing right here!
1) Joruman "put on a casual smile that he hoped expressed both indifference and a measure of contempt, though it was hard to know if he was achieving the right effect since his face was frozen."
2) Jorunan talks to Munzil about transcendence as "Munzil squinted in obvious ignorance of the word."
3) Finally note one warrior woman, Skuld, demonstrating a rare gift for polyphonic farting.
* Joruman arrives at the war council to debate terms; he demonstrates his sorcery by making a huge wizard's fire explosion; the tribes vote to join the Torrlonders, electing Surt as their leader; another tribal leader challenges Surt, leading to a gloriously gory battle that climaxes as Surt rips out the challenger's throat bare-handed. Joruman watches, both appalled and fascinated, thinking how he can use this man.
Chapter 7: An Announcement
* Back to Dayraven in Asdralad, working to master the songs of origin; messages come in from Orvandil and Gnorn of bad tidings in the conflict against Torrlond's army. Dayraven also is mastering the language of Asdralad in his classes with Sequara; once again because of her efforts to save him in Volume I, they have access to each other's thoughts--their minds are sort of naked to each other. Sequara then tells him that today will be their last lesson: she must leave for the mainland for long journey. They have some sort of emotional connection, but because of their duties, they both have to remain cool about it all; Dayraven continues his training, but struggles with the elf shard that lodged his mind [also from Volume I]; on one of his days of training it takes over his mind, making him very ill.
Chapter 8: Plots Beneath Plots
* A green-eyed man stands under an oak tree, talking to it; he is joined by King Fullan of Ellond; we learn the green-eyed man is the wizard Galdor, and there's a bounty on his head; Galdor shows the king a message saying that Earl Freomar will betray Ellond to the Torrlonders in return for the title of Duke of Ellond; then Galdor shares a vision he had about strange ships carryng either foes or friends, Galdor is sort of an oracular character here.
* Galdor and Abon escape through a secret door in a gigantic oak tree leading to an underground tunnel, which emerges in the cellar of a brothel; we meet the brother owner, Lady Hildegarth, who owes a debt to Galdor; she sends them in her carriage to the shipyard to escape the Torrlonders searching for him. Abon then boards a ship to Asdralad with a message for Queen Faldira, while Galdor sails for Sildarhan to meet with King Naitaran, before then journeying to Golgar and then Sundara.
Chapter 9: Hanging by a Thread
* The reader now joins Sequara, inside Cargilon territory now, occupied by Torrlond. She's disgusted with herself because she was forced to kill many people in battle; she's also angry at herself for so far totally failing to control the dragons. A meeting here of Sequara and a motley group of resistance soldiers from different regions, babbling and arguing with each other because things look so bleak.
* The conceits the author builds around the dragons are creative: the dragons can sense when someone uses the song of origin to control them, but Bledla turns these attempts around by having the dragons seek out these signals. It's sort of like using a "radar detector detector" to destroy the other side's radar equipment, and this eliminates anybody else who is trying to control the dragons Bledla controls. [Pretty darn creative!] Thus Sequara, as she tries to control one of the dragons, suddenly becomes an exposed target.
* Sequara makes a final attempt to control a dragon, but she and her group are surrounded by Torrlond soldiers who kill almost all of the men around her; she and Imharr manage to leap to safety off of a cliff into a cave. She returns to Asdralad.
Chapter 10: The Triumph of the Way
* Bledla is in battle against multi-peopled army including soldiers from Adanon, Asdralad as well as insurgents from the already conquered Caergilion. He comes into contact with a powerful "heathen" sorcerer, but Bledla defeats him and then the battle is won. King Balch of Adanon is captured, although Queen Rona has escaped; the reader also learns that Uwain, one of the members of the Adanon resistance, sold out Balch and the others to Bledla.
* King Earconwald offers to spare Balch's life if he will convert to the Way. Balch remains defiant, and is thrown down a cliff to be eaten alive by pucas.
* Discussion here of the madness that settles in on some of the priests of the way as they control animals and beasts, many are lost to insanity.
* Bledla calls his friend and counsel the high priest Arna to join him all the way from Torrhelm. He tells him there is a traitor among us; they also prepare a surprise attack on Asdralad while everyone is expecting them to attack the Eastern kingdoms first. They want to destroy Asdralad's ideological significance, destroy the many sorcerers there, as well as punish Queen Faldira for daring to oppose them. Bledla asks Arna to find out who the traitor is.
Chapter 11: The Council of Kiriath
* Dayraven is practicing casting "wizards fire" but misfires when his mind is distracted thinking about Sequara; Urd gives him a lecture about balance and detachment. Dayraven doubts his progress, but in reality he has gon far beyond the expectations of Urd and Faldira
* Asdralad holds a council of nobles--this is sort of a "quietus" period in the novel; Dayraven has a reunion with Orvandil and Gnorn; also a surprise to the reader as Imharr arrives as well, as he and Dayraven have an emotional reunion. [The author also uses this little interlude to help the reader catch up on everything that's happened, it's well done.] We learn that the last pocket of resistance in Adanon is gone, and as long as the Torrlonders control the beasts there's no hiding; also news that the Mark, Dayraven's home region, will join Torrlond's side in the conflict. The consensus now is that fighting will continue in the east as Torrlong attempts to crush Sildharan with the help of the barbarian warriors of Ilarchae. We also get some history/backstory here about the old prophet Aldmund and how he received the spell to control dragons: either it was given in a revelation from Edan or he learned it here in Asdralad; the thought was that the song had died with him, but somehow "Bledla had awakened the old spell." [Think of this as a kind of nuclear weapons-type technology for the fantasy world.] The council ends with a plan to leave the island and land at Sundara to be received by King Tirgalan. Finally Dayraven and Sequara have a brief meeting and show a little bit of friendly connection to each other.
Chapter 12: Fire and Ruin
* Dayraven has a gut wrenching feeling of foreboding after a bad dream of Queen Faldira's palace going up in flames; the Torrlond army is coming, they attack the island, they came for Asdralad first. The Torrlonders arrive in ships accompanies by twelve dragons. Faldira, Urd and Sequara summon a leviathan of the water to destroy some of the ships. Dayraven begins the song of origin and climbs into the minds of the dragons, he enters into contest with Bledla for their will; Bledla at first gains the upper hand, so Dayraven decides to access much more of the power of the elf shard than ever before, but he collapses, unconscious. Later he awakems with battle raging around him. "I failed." "You'll try again, but only if you live."
* Then a wizard battle happened between Bledla and Queen Faldira; Urd and Sequara rush to her side chanting spells, Dayraven is too weakened by his earlier battle against Bledla to do anything. Faldira dies in a dragon attack, but she shoves Sequara safely out of the way, Urd also gives her life in a last, massive spell that pauses everything in the battle as all the beasts stop moving; this briefly takes away the power of the Way from Bledla and his priests, and gives enough time for Sequara and Dayraven and their small group to escape. As they rush to find a ship, Sequara is attacked by an aglak.
* Now some days after the battle, Bledla agonizes over how Dayraven managed to live, and how Dayraven managed to have so much power. Queen Faldira and Urd's bodies have been hung from a pole, their charred corpses dangling in the breeze.
Chapter 13: Captives
* Dayraven contemplates the cost of his failure, feeling guilt and despair. "Bleda had won." The small group is pursued across the water but Dayraven has an idea to use the ocean push their craft over an isthmus to escape: he unleashes a giant wave which lifts their boat across and destroys the pursuing boats. The group continues on through the night, as Sequara and Dayraven huddle together for warmth at the bottom of the boat.
* The next day they find themselves chased yet again, but in a bit of a deus ex machina, a Thjothic ship happens by, captained by Orvandil's cousin, King Vols of the Thjoths; they take them on board on their way east to Sundara.
Chapter 14: Origins
* En route with the Thjoths, Abon shapes a song that the king and all the Thjoths love, Vols protects Abon with his bond. We also learn why Orvandil left his homeland: he killed his foster brother in an oath duel.
* The Thjoths land at the city of Glirdan, and Dayraven finally meets Galdor, waiting for them at the docks. They have a conference with King Tirgalan of Sundara. The reader gets an in-depth history of the region and its various conflicts over the centuries. Dayraven relates what happened when he tried to control the dragons; Galdor tells him that Bledla did not defeat you, something in you defeated you.
* The group puts together a gameplan: Orvandil will go to his people and persuade them to join the fight; he will bring Gnorn with him so that he may see the land of the ancestors. Galdor will take Dayraven, Sequara and Abon to Sildhara to provide counsel as the Sundarans will join with Sildhara's army to fight the Torrlonders. Also the group has a trick up their sleeve: the Ellond forces--who are supposed to fight for Torrlond--plan to defect to the other side when least expected. Finally Dayraven gives his sword Sweothol to Orvandil: "The sword never belonged with me."
Chapter 15: To Be a God
* Now we are in the character perspective of Torrlond's King Earconwald: he cannot understand why Bledla wastes his days self-flagellating and not using his power; Earconwald begins to get a bit of a god complex here as he thinks back joyously at the murder, rape and pillage of the island of Asdralad. He meets with Joruman, they review their plan for Joruman to remove and replace Bledla as soon as they've won the war; Earconwald's plan is to include new doctrines in the Way that make him a literal divinity. Then Earconwald's wife Queen Mota arrives, they attempt to have sex, but he can't get it up as he sees in his mind images of all the slaughter and rape on Asdralad; they have an argument, she talks back to him, and in a rage, he strangles her to death. Then there's a knock on the door: Earconwald answers and sees his father, the much-beloved King Earconwald I; then he pulls himself together and focuses and it's instead high priest Bledla at the door. Bledla covers for him as he sees the dead Queen Mota.
* We meet all the various dukes and leadership of the coalition behind the Torrlonder forces: King Earconwald hates them, distrusts them, and is jealous of them. Earconwald meets with Munzil and Gorm, the two representatives from Ilarchae, as well as king Ithamar of The Mark, accompanied by Dayraven's father Edgil; the reader is reminded here that Edgil saved King Earconwald's father in a battle many years before. At the meeting all the dukes swear their allegiance to Earconwald, although one leader, Hadulac of the Hemedowns, gives a speech focusing on religious tolerance rather than imposing the Way on all the conquered territories.
Chapter 16: The Embrace
* Dayraven, Sequara, Galdor, and Abon begin their long journey from Sundara to Golgar and then ultimately to Sildaran; on the way we learn that Galdor had a male lover, his relationship was broken up by Bledla. Dayraven is also thinking about Sequara, and there's a scene here where they make love; he realizes he loves her.
* Dayraven then tells Sequara he has to walk his path alone; he leaves them that night, heading east to the forest of Orudwyn. He goes into the forest, sits by a huge oak tree, and communes with the elf shard, giving himself over to it. The elf appears to him, looking at first like Sequara, but then like an evil goddess of death; Dayraven then has an extended vision and learns about the oldest dragon in all of Eormenlond: Gorsarhad.
Chapter 17: The Homecoming
* Gnorn, Orvindil and the Thjoths journey to Gimric; Gnorn gets to know the other Thjoths. There's some taunting going on and Gnorn earns respect by defeating one of the Thjoths in a wrestling match. King Vols calls a "folkmoot" among the Thjothic people; we also meet the King's wife, Osynia, who turns out to be the woman Orvandil killed his foster brother over. At first the moot doesn't go well, but then Gnorn speaks out and turns the tide; the chapter ends where King Vols is about to take a vote.
Chapter 18: Sildharan's Pride
* Now we return to Sequara thinking about her moment of passion with Dayraven before he left; she and Galdor discuss the history of what happened to Bledla that turned him into what he became, how he charged Galdor with heresy, banning him from the priesthood. The reader also learns that high priest Arna was the source of the song of origin of dragons.
* They are roused in the night by a column of Ilarchae warriors as well as former Ilarchae slaves united to fight against Sildaran in revenge for their enslavement; the Ilarchae have organized a slave revolt from within. Our group here escapes discovery through the use of some magic. They then arrive to the city of Thulhan to meet King Naitaran; the king is arrogant and fails to grasp the gravity of what's going on geopolitically. He thinks the city is well-protected, and when Galdor tries to warn him that there will be a slave revolt, he thinks there's no threat.
Chapter 19 Seeing the Hidden
* Dayraven awakens from his vision and then begins his journey to see Gorsarhad, eldest of living dragons. On his way he sees a group of rebel slaves waiting to attack a column of soldiers from Sundara, but Dayraven has a vision of what's going to happen: they themselves will be ambushed and killed. Also, they are clearly frightened of him, but Dayraven does not know why. And then, as they pursue him, Dayraven controls their horses effortlessly, without even trying. Clearly, Dayraven has emerged from his vision with far more power, and he also realizes that the song of origin is a screen between him and the gift. He doesn't need it.
* Dayraven journeys to the hidden mountain city of Holurad; en route a group of soldiers rides up to him, and he persuades them to take him to King Veduir. He must go blindfolded. Finally they arrive, and the reader gets a description of the wonders of the hidden city. He meets the king who is training his daughter to be his successor; he tells the king that he needs guides to take him to the Osham mountains to find the lair of Gorsarhad, and then break Bledla's control over the dragons. The king laughs, considering it madness, but the captain, Uthron, who took Dayraven through the mountains volunteers to guide him there.
Chapter 20: The Fury of the Ilarchae
* The Sildharae and the Ilarchae are arrayed for battle: Sildhara is outnumbered ten to one. The barbarians are extremely well-organized and they manage a two front attack on the city: attacking the city walls from the outside, and attacking with runaway slaves from within the city. A soldier, Keevan, escapes to bring the news to King Naitaran, who panics, loses his shit and becomes nearly insane with despair. And then the Thjothic army arrives.
Chapter 21: Taken by Surprise
* The story backs up slightly here, as the reader joins Gnorn on the Thjoth's ship talking with Orvandil. They are both happy, and ready to face their deaths. When they arrive they see some of the enemy Torrlonder ships, and they plot a trap. Note also the reference here to Galdor's vision [see Chapter 8] foretelling "strange ships carrying either friends or foes." It looks like the King Fullan, the king of Ellond is about to change sides.
* Battle scene here where Gnorn and Orvandil to defend King Vols as he is surrounded by the enemy. This battle goes well and the Torrlonders are routed both on land and on the sea. Galdor, Sequara and Abon also arrive on a group of ships coming from Sildara--just in time to fend off surprise dragon attacks.
Chapter 22: Wrath and Destruction
* Bledla arrives to see the destruction of the battle where the Ellond army switched sides; he is aware that all of his enemies, including Galdor, are now in the city of Thulhan, Sildhara's chief city. He readies an attack.
* Bledla leaves the camp to instruct his dragons to firebomb the city of Thulhan in the night. With Sequara's help, the city struggles desperately to control the fires started by the dragon's breath.
* Galdor sends a message by crow to King Tirgalan, who arranges a diversion to help the Sundarans army to slip by the Torrlond army.
Chapter 23: Ascension
* Dayraven has a true-dream telling him what will happen at the battle over Thulhan; he knows Sequara is in grave danger. He and Uthron, along with a couple of other foresters, climb the Wyrmberg; although the final part of the climb Dayraven must do alone. Dayraven navigates a very difficult climb, but as he draws near the dragon Gorsarhad's lair, he loses his grip on the rocks and is about to fall from a high cliff.
Chapter 24: Dragonbane
* Orvandil and Gnorn work together to fashion a special spear they name "Dragonbane." The armies meet outside the city, and Orvandil kills a dragon with a mighty throw of the spear. "Word of the dragonslaying spread like fire." Orvandil and Gnorn find Sequara badly injured, near death from an arrow wound. Orvandil carries her to safety and returns to battle.
Chapter 25: Seeking the Eldest
* Dayraven, still hanging desperately on the cliff face, receives a visit from a raven; Dayraven joins with it and it helps him find handholds and finish the climb. The raven then changes color from black to white: Dayraven realizes it is the same raven that lured him to the elf in the first book of the trilogy. It flies into the mouth of a large cave. Dayraven walks into the cave and has a mental dialog with the dragon, eventually controlling it. He climbs onto her back and they fly to Thulhan.
Chapter 26: The Prophet of Edan
* Orvandil and Gnorn continue fighting; Orvandil engages from a man from The Mark. Bledla attempts to destroy Galdor. Orvandil realizes he is fighting Edgil, Dayraven's father. And then just as Bledla releases a spell to kill Galdor, Arna jumps in front of Galdor to absorb the blast and is killed instantly. Bledla, in a fit of rage, attempts to kill Galdor yet again, but Dayraven, astride Gorsarhad, arrives to the battle. Orvandil kills Edgil.
* Dayraven engages with Bledla and takes control off all of his dragons; but the elf shard in his mind fully takes him over. Sequara arrives and helps him regain who he is. The two armies conduct a parley with King Earconwald, who condemns Bledla as a traitor; Earconwald suddenly kills Bledla. The battle, and much of the war, is over.
Chapter 27: The Final Parting
* [The geopolitics become extremely intriguing here, a lot of interesting storylines could emerge from this.] The Ilarchae meet to decide what to do after the Torrlonders stop fighting and leave. Orvandil and Dayraven talk about what happened between Orvandil and Dayraven's father Edgil in battle. Dayraven understands. The battle continues between King Naitaran of Sildara and the Ilarchae, but the allied Sundaran army decides to leave after Naitaran offends the Sundaran King Tirgalan. Also, as Torrlond's King Earconwald retreats back home, many of the different kingdoms that Torrlond conquered rise up in rebellion. All kinds of geopolitical instability results from this. "The War of the Way died with Bledla, but new conflicts arose from its ashes."
* Dayraven grapples with the elf shard, he's having difficulty maintaining a presence in the world of forms; he visits Gnorn and Abon, who are both recovering from injuries. He then visits Sequara, also recovering. He talks about returning with her to restore their kingdom, but Sequara says no ruler of Asdralad has ever wed, they understand they cannot be together, but struggle to accept it.
* Joruman and King Earconwald map out plans to reassert control of their region of the world. Joruman refers to certain important scrolls that Bledla has in his library that "could be of great advantage to us."
* Dayraven leaves Sequara to rest and then wanders from the city, considering a quest to find Imharr's sister Riall; this might give him some certainty and some direction; but then the elf shard takes him over again as he wanders outside the city.
* Finally, Munzil joins a meeting with Surt to learn that some thirty Ilarchae tribes, from a far distant island to the north, will join the Ilarchae in their rebellion against the Sildhara.
Epilogue
* Dayraven awakens next to a river, unsure of who he is and uncertain of where he's going, although he knows he needs to go somewhere. He journeys south along the river hoping to find out who he is. [Really enjoyed the device here at the end of the book to leave the reader hanging just a little. even though the main story is already well-resolved. The author has left a few intriguing threads hanging, and now dangles this thread last... it makes the reader really want to get to the next book to find out what's going to happen next.]