{"id":1840,"date":"2026-01-03T21:55:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T21:55:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/heritage-of-shannara-01-brooks-terry\/"},"modified":"2026-01-03T21:55:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T21:55:26","slug":"heritage-of-shannara-01-brooks-terry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/heritage-of-shannara-01-brooks-terry\/","title":{"rendered":"Heritage of Shannara 01 – Brooks, Terry"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Book Preview<\/h3>\n
\n

\nT<\/span>
\nhe old man sat alone in the shadow of the Dragon’s<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nTeeth and watched the coming darkness chase the day-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlight west. The day had been cool, unusually so for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmidsummer, and the night promised to be chill. Scattered clouds<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmasked the sky, casting their silhouettes upon the earth, drifting<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin the manner of aimless beasts between moon and stars. A hush<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfilled the emptiness left by the fading light like a voice waiting<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto speak.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was a hush that whispered of magic, the old man thought.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nA fire burned before him, small still, just the beginning of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhat was needed. After all, he would be gone for several hours.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe studied the fire with a mixture of expectation and uneasiness<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbefore reaching down to add the larger chunks ofdeadwood that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrought the flames up quickly. He poked at it with a stick, then<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstepped away, driven back by the heat. He stood at the edge of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe light, caught between the fire and the growing dark, a crea-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nture who might have belonged to neither or both.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHis eyes glittered as he looked off into the distance. The peaks<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the Dragon’s Teeth jutted skyward like bones the earth could<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnot contain. There was a hush to the mountains, a secrecy that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nclung like mist on a frosty morning and hid all the dreams of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe ages.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe fire sparked sharply and the old man brushed at a stray<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbit of glowing ash that threatened to settle on him. He was just<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na bundle of sticks, loosely tied together, that might crumble into<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndust if a strong wind were to blow. Gray robes and a forest cloak<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhung on him as they would have on a scarecrow. His skin was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nleathery and brown and had shrunken close against his bones.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhite hair and beard wreathed his head, thin and fine, like<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwisps of gauze against the firelight. He was so wrinkled and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhunched down that he looked to be a hundred years old.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe was, in fact, almost a thousand.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nStrange, he thought suddenly, remembering his years. Para-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnor, the Councils of the Races, even the Druids-gone. Strange<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat he should have outlasted them all.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe shook his head. It was so long ago, so far back in time<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat it was a part of his life he only barely recognized. He had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthought that part finished, gone forever. He had thought himself<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfree. But he had never been mat, he guessed. It wasn’t possible<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto be free of something that, at the very least, was responsible<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor the fact that he was still alive.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHow else, after all, save for the Druid Sleep, could he still<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbe standing there?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe shivered against the descending night, darkness all about<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhim now as the last of the sunlight slipped below the horizon.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was time. The dreams had told him it must be now, and he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbelieved the dreams because he understood them. That, too,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas a part of his old life that would not let him go-dreams,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nvisions of worlds beyond worlds, of warnings and truths, of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthings that could and sometimes must be.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe stepped away from the fire and started up the narrow<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npathway into the rocks. Shadows closed about him, their touch<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nchill. He walked for a long time, winding through narrow de-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfiles, scrambling past massive boulders, angling along craggy<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndrops and jagged splits in the rock. When he emerged again into<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe light, he stood within a shallow, rock-strewn valley domi-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnated by a lake whose glassy surface reflected back at him with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na harsh, greenish cast.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe lake was the resting place for the shades of Druids come<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand gone. It was to the Hadeshom that he had been summoned.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Might as well get on with it,” he growled softly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe walked slowly, cautiously downward into the valley, his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsteps uneasy, his heart pounding in his ears. He had been away<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na long time. The waters before him did not stir; the shades lay<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsleeping. It was best that way, he thought. It was best that they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnot be disturbed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe reached the lake’s edge and stopped. All was silent. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntook a deep breath, the air raiding from his chest as he exhaled<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlike dry leaves blown across stone. He fumbled at his waist for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na pouch and loosened its drawstrings. Carefully he reached<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwithin and drew out a handful of black powder laced with silver<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsparkle. He hesitated, then threw it into the air over the lake.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe powder exploded skyward with a strange light that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrightened the air around him as if it werc d^ Bg'””- There was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nno heat only light It shimmered and danced against the night-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntime like a living thu^- The old man watched, robes and forest<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncloak pulled close, ey^ b1^111 wlth the reflected gtow. He rocked<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nback and forth slightly and for a moment felt young again.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen a shadow appared in the light, lifting out of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit like a wraith a W^ ^orm mat “”ght have been something<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstrayed from the dark^^ beyond. But the old man knew better.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThis was nothing straY^’ttus was something called. The shadow<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntightened and took s^P\u00ae- K was the shade of a man cloaked au<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin black a tall and forbidding apparition that anyone who had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\never seen before wou^ have recognized at once.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“So, Allanon,” the old man whispered.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe hooded face tit^”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>s0 tnat me “\u00a7”1 fevealed the dark,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nharsh features clearly^t11\u00ae angular bearded face, the long thin<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnose and mouth the fierce bTOW that “”S”! have been cast of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\niron the eyes beneatflthat seemed to look directly into the soul.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe eyes found the o^ man and held him fast-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-I need you-\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe voice was a whisper in the old man’s mind, a hiss of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndissatisfaction and ur^Y- The shade communicated by using<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthoughts alone The c^d man shrank back momentarily, wishing<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat the thing he had called would instead be gone. Then he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nrecovered himself an^ stood firm before hls fears-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I am no longer one of V0″‘” he snapped, his own eyes<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnarrowing dangerous^’ forgetting that it was not necessary to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nspeak aloud. “You can command me!”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-I do not commad – Listen to me- You are all that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nis left, the last that m^V be unti1 “^ successor is found. Do you<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nunderstand-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe old man laughed nervously. “Understand? Ha! Who un-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nderstands better than me<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-A part of you will always be what once you would not have<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nquestioned. The mastar within you. Always. Help me. I<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsend the dreams and Shannara children do not respond.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSomeone must go to them- Someone must make them see. You-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n” Not me’ I have ^ved BP^ from the races for years now- I<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwish nothing more to do with their roubles!” The old man<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstraightened his stick and frowned. I shed myself of such<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnonsense long ago.”\u00a0 <\/span><\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe shade seemed t\u00b0 nse anu broaden suddenly before him,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand he felt himself li^d free ofme earth- He soared skyward,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfar into the night. He did not struggle, but held himself firm,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthough he could feel the other’s anger rushing through him like<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na black river. The shade’s voice was the sound of bones grating.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-Watch-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Four Lands appeared, spread out before him, a panorama<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof grasslands, mountains, hills, lakes, forests, and rivers, bright<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nswatches of earth colored by sunlight. He caught his breath to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsee it so clearly and from so far up in the sky, even knowing that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit was only a vision. But the sunlight began to fade almost at<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nonce, the color to wash. Darkness closed about, filled with dull<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngray mist and sulfiirous ash that rose from burned-out craters.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe land lost its character and became barren and lifeless. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfelt himself drift closer, repulsed as he descended by the sights<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand smells of it. Humans wandered the devastation in packs,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmore animals than men. They rent and tore at each other; they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhowled and shrieked. Dark shapes flitted among them, shadows<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat lacked substance yet had eyes of fire. The shadows moved<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthrough the humans, joining with them, becoming them, leaving<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthem again. They moved in a dance that was macabre, yet pur-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nposeful. The shadows were devouring the humans, he saw. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshadows were feeding on them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-Watch-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe vision shifted. He saw himself then, a skeletal, ragged<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbeggar facing a cauldron of strange white fire that bubbled and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nswirled and whispered his name. Vapors lifted from the caul-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndron and snaked their way down to where he stood, wrapping<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nabout him, caressing him as if he were their child. Shadows<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nflitted all about, passing by at first, then entering him as if he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere a hollow casing in which they might play as they chose.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe could feel their touch; he wanted to scream.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-Watch-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe vision shifted once more. There was a huge forest and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin the middle of the forest a great mountain. Atop the mountain<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsat a castle, old and weathered, towers and parapets rising up<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nagainst the dark of the land. Paranor, he thought! It was Paranor<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncome again! He felt something bright and hopeful well up within<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhim, and he wanted to shout his elation. But the vapors were<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nalready coiling about the castle. The shadows were already flit-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nting close. The ancient fortress began to crack and crumble,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstone and mortar giving way as if caught in a vise. The earth<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshuddered and screams lifted from the humans become animals.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFire erupted out of the earth, splitting apart the mountain on<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhich Paranor sat and then the castle itself. Wailing filled the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nair, the sound of one bereft of the only hope that had remained<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto him. The old man recognized the wailing as his own.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen the images were gone. He stood again before the Hades-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhom, in the shadow of the Dragon’s Teeth, alone with the shade<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof Allanon. In spite of his resolve, he was shaking.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe shade pointed at him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-It will be as I have shown you if the dreams are ignored. It<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwill be so if you fail to act. You must help. Go to them-the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nboy, the girl, and the Dark Uncle. Tell them the dreams are real.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nTell them to come to me here on the first night of the new moon<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhen the present cycle is complete. I will speak with them then-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe old man frowned and muttered and worried his lower<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlip. His fingers once more drew tight the drawstrings to the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npouch, and he shoved it back into his belt. “I will do so because<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere is no one else!” he said finally, spitting out the words in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndistaste. “But do not expect. . . !”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n-Only go to them. Nothing more is required. Nothing more<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwill be asked. Go-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe shade of Allanon shimmered brightly and disappeared.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe light faded, and the valley was empty again. The old man<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstood looking out over the still waters of the lake for a moment,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthen turned away.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe fire he had left behind still burned on his return, but it<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas small now and frail-looking against the night. The old man<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstared absently at the flames, then hunkered down before them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe stirred at the ashes already forming and listened to the si-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlence of his thoughts.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe boy, the girl, and the Dark Uncle-he knew them. They<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere the Shannara children, the ones who could save them all,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe ones who could bring back the magic. He shook his grizzled<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhead. How was he to convince them? If they would not heed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAllanon, what chance that they would heed him?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe saw again in his mind the frightening visions. He had best<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfind a way to make them listen, he thought. Because, as he was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfond of reminding himself, he knew something of visions, and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere was a truth to these that even one such as he, one who had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nforesworn the Druids and their magic, could recognize.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIf the Shannara children failed to listen, these visions would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncome to pass.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nII<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar Ohmsford stood in the rear doorway of the Blue<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhisker Ale House and stared down the darkened tun-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnel of the narrow street that ran between the adjoining<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbuildings into the glimmer of Varfleet’s lights. The Blue Whisker<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas a ramshackle, sprawling old building with weathered board<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwalls and a wood shingle roof and looked for all the world as if<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nonce it had been someone’s barn. It had sleeping rooms upstairs<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nover the serving hall and storerooms in the back. It sat at the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbase of a block of buildings that formed a somewhat lopsided U,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsituated on a hill at the western edge of the city.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar breathed deeply the night air, savoring its flavors. City<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsmells, smells of life, stews with meats and vegetables laced<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith spice, sharp-flavored liquors and pungent ales, perfumes<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat scented rooms and bodies, leather harness, iron from forges<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstill red with coals kept perpetually bright, the sweat of animals<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand men in close quarters, the taste of stone and wood and dust,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmingling and mixing, each occasionally breaking free-they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere all there. Down the alleyway, beyond the slat-boarded,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngraffiti-marked backs of the shops and businesses, the hill<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndropped away to where the central part of the city lay east. An<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nugly, colorless gathering of buildings in daylight, a maze of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstone walls and streets, wooden siding and pitch-sealed roofs,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe city took on a different look at night. The buildings faded<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ninto the darkness and the lights appeared, thousands of them,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstretching away as far as the eye could see like a swarm of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfireflies. They dotted the masked landscape, flickering in the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nblack, trailing lines of gold across the liquid skin of the Mer-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmidon as it passed south. Varfleet was beautiful now, the scrub-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwoman become a fairy queen, transformed as if by magic.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar liked the idea of the city being magic. He liked the city<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin any case, liked its sprawl and its meld of people and things,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nits rich mix of life. It was far different from his home of Shady<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nVale, nothing like the forested hamlet that he had grown up in.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt lacked the purity of the trees and streams, the solitude, the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsense of timeless ease that graced life in the Vale. It knew noth-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ning of that life and couldn’t have cared less. But that didn’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmatter to Par. He liked the city anyway. There was nothing to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsay that he had to choose between the two, after all. There wasn’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nany reason he couldn’t appreciate both.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil, of course, didn’t agree. Coil saw it quite differently. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsaw Varfleet as nothing more than an outlaw city at the edge of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFederation rule, a den of miscreants, a place where one could<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nget away with anything, hi all of Callahom, in all of the entire<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSouthland for that matter, there was no place worse. Coil hated<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe city.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nVoices and the clink of glasses drifted out of the darkness<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbehind him, the sounds of the ale house breaking free of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfront room momentarily as a door was opened, then disappear-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ning again as it was closed. Par turned. His brother moved care-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfully down the hallway, nearly faceless in the gloom.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“It’s almost time,” Coil said when he reached his brother.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar nodded. He looked small and slender next to Coil, who<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas a big, strong youth with blunt features and mud-colored<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhair. A stranger would not have thought them brothers. Coil<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlooked a typical Valeman, tanned and rough, with enormous<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhands and feet. The feet were an ongoing joke. Par was fond of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncomparing them to a duck’s. Par was slight and fair, his own<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfeatures unmistakably Elven from the sharply pointed ears and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrows to the high, narrow bones of his face. There was a time<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhen the Elven blood had been all but bred out of the line, the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nresult of generations of Ohmsfords living in the Vale. But four<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngenerations back (so his father had told him) his great-great-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngrandfather had returned to the Westland and the Elves,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmarried an Elven girl, and produced a son and a daughter. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nson had married another Elven girl, and for reasons never made<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nclear the young couple who would become Par’s great-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngrandparents had returned to the Vale, thereby infusing a fresh<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsupply of Elven blood back into the Ohmsford line. Even then,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmany members of the family showed nothing of then- mixed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nheritage; Coil and his parents Jaralan and Mirianna were ex-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\namples. Par’s bloodlines, on the other hand, were immediately<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nevident.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nBeing recognizable in this way, unfortunately, was not nec-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nessarily desirable. While in Varfleet, Par disguised his features,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nplucking his brows, wearing his hair long to hide his ears, shad-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ning his face with darkener. He didn’t have much choice. It wasn’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwise to draw attention to one’s Elven lineage these days.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“She has her gown nicely in place tonight, doesn’t she?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil said, glancing off down the alleyway to the city beyond.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Black velvet and sparkles, not a thread left hanging. Clever<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngirl, this city. Even the sky is her friend.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar smiled. My brother, the poet. The sky was clear and filled<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith the brightness of a tiny crescent moon and stars. “You<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmight come to like her if you gave her half a chance.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Me?” Coil snorted. “Not likely. I’m here because you’re<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhere. I wouldn’t stay another minute if I didn’t have to.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘You could go if you wanted.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil bristled. “Let’s not start again. Par. We’ve been all<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthrough that. You were the one who thought we ought to come<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnorth to the cities. I didn’t like the idea then, and I don’t like it<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nany better now. But that doesn’t change the fact that we agreed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto do this together, you and me. A fine brother I’d be if I left<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyou here and went back to the Vale now! In any case, I don’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthink you could manage without me.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“All right, all right, I was just…” Par tried to interrupt.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Attempting to have a little fan at my expense!” Coil fin-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nished heatedly. “You have done that on more than one occasion<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof late. You seem to take some delight in it.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“That is not so.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil ignored him, gazing off into the dark.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘I would never pick on anyone with duck feet.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil grinned in spite of himself. “Fine talk from a little fel-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlow with pointed ears. You should be grateful I choose to stay<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand look after you!”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar shoved him playfully, and they both laughed. Then they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwent quiet, staring at each other in the dark, listening to the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsounds of the ale house and the streets beyond. Par sighed. It<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas a warm, lazy midsummer night that made the cool, sharp<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndays of the past few weeks seem a distant memory. It was the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nkind of night when troubles scatter and dreams come out to play.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“There are rumors of Seekers in the city,” Coil informed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhim suddenly, spoiling his contentment.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“There are always rumors,” he replied.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“And the rumors are often true. Talk has it that they plan to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsnatch up all the magic-makers, put them out of business and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nclose down the ale houses.” Coil was staring intently at him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Seekers, Par. Not simple soldiers. Seekers.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar knew what they were. Seekers-Federation secret police,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe enforcement arm of the Coalition Council’s Lawmakers. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nknew.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey had arrived in Varfleet two weeks earlier. Coil and he.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey journeyed north from Shady Vale, left the security and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfamiliarity and protective confines of their family home and came<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ninto the Borderlands of Callahom. They did so because Par had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndecided they must, that it was time for them to tell their stories<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nelsewhere, that it was necessary to see to it that others besides<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Vale people knew. They came to Varfleet because Varfleet<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas an open city, free of Federation rule, a haven for outlaws<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand refugees but also for ideas, a place where people still lis-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntened with open minds, a place where magic was still toler-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nated-even courted. He had the magic and, with Coil in tow, he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntook it to Varfleet to share its wonder. There was already magic<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\naplenty being practiced by others, but his was of a far different<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsort. His was real.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey found the Blue Whisker the first day they arrived, one<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the biggest and best known ale houses in the city. Par per-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsuaded the owner to hire them in the first sitting. He had ex-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npected as much. After all, he could persuade anyone to do just<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nabout anything with the wishsong.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nReal magic. He mouthed the words without speaking them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThere wasn’t much real magic left in the Four Lands, not<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\noutside the remote wilderness areas where Federation rule did<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnot yet extend. The wishsong was the last of the Ohmsford<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmagic. It had been passed down through ten generations to reach<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhim, the gift skipping some members of his family altogether,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npicking and choosing on a whim. Coil didn’t have it. His parents<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndidn’t. In fact, no one in the Ohmsford family had had it since<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhis great-grandparents had returned from the Wesdand. But the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmagic of the wishsong had been his from the time he was born,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe same magic that had come into existence almost three hun-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndred years ago with his ancestor Jair. The stories told him this,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe legends. Wish for it, sing for it. He could create images so<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlifelike in the minds of his listeners that they appeared to be<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nreal. He could create substance out of air.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThat was what had brought him to Varfleet. For three centu-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nries the Ohmsford family had handed down stories of the Elven<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhouse of Shannara. The practice had begun with Jan”. In truth,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit had begun long before that, when the stories were not of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmagic because it had not yet been discovered but of the old<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nworld before its destruction in the Great Wars and the tellers<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere the few who had survived that frightening holocaust. But<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nJair was the first to have use of the wishsong to aid in the telling,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto give substance to the images created from his words, to make<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhis tales come alive in the minds of those who heard them. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntales were of the old days: of the legends of the Elven house of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nShannara; of the Druids and their Keep at Paranor; of Elves and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDwarves; and of the magic that ruled their lives. The tales were<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof Shea Ohmsford and his brother Flick and their search to find<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Sword of Shannara; of Wil Ohmsford and the beautiful,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntragic Elven girl Amberie and their struggle to banish the De-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmon hordes back into the Forbidding; of Jair Ohmsford and his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsister Brin and their journey into the fortress of Graymark and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nconfrontation with the Mord Wraiths and the Ddatch; of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDruids Allanon and Bremen; of the Elven King Eventine Eles-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsedil; of warriors such as Balinor Buckhannah and Stee Jans; of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nheroes many and varied. Those who had command of the wish-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsong made use of its magic. Those who did not relied on simple<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwords. Ohmsfords had come and gone, many carrying the sto-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nries with them to distant lands. Yet for three generations now,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nno member of the family had told the stories outside the Vale.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nNo one had wanted to risk being caught.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was a considerable risk. The practice of magic in any form<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas outlawed in the Four Lands-or at least anywhere the Fed-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neration governed, which was practically the same thing. It had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbeen so for the past hundred years. In all that time no Ohmsford<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhad left the Vale. Par was the first. He had grown tired of telling<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe same stories to the same few listeners over and over. Others<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nneeded to hear the stories as well, to know the truth about the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDruids and the magic, about the struggle that preceded the age<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin which they now lived. His fear of being caught was out-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nweighed by the calling he felt. He made his decision despite the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nobjections of his parents and Coil. Coil, ultimately, decided to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncome with him-just as he always did whenever he thought Par<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nneeded looking after. Varfleet was to be the beginning, a city<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhere magic was still practiced in minor forms, an open secret<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndefying intervention by the Federation. Such magic as was found<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin Varfleet was small stuff really and scarcely worth the trouble.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCallahom was only a protectorate of the Federation, and Var-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfleet so distant as to be almost into the free territories. It was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnot yet army occupied. The Federation so far had disdained to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbother with it.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nBut Seekers? Par shook his head. Seekers were another mat-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nter altogether. Seekers only appeared when there was a serious<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nintent on the part of the Federation to stamp out a practice of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmagic. No one wanted any part of them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘It grows too dangerous for us here,” Coil said, as if reading<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar’s mind. “We will be discovered.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar shook his head. “We are but one of a hundred practicing<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe art,” he replied. ‘ ‘Just one in a city of many.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil looked at him. “One in a hundred, yes. But the only one<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nusing real magic.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar looked back. It was good money the ale house paid them,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe best they had ever seen. They needed it to help with the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntaxes the Federation demanded. They needed it for their family<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand the Vale. He hated to give up because of a rumor.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHis jaw tightened. He hated to give up even more because it<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmeant the stories must be returned to the Vale and kept hidden<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere, untold to those who needed to hear. It meant that the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nrepression of ideas and practices that clamped down about the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFour Lands like a vise had tightened one turn more.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“We have to go,” Coil said, interrupting his thoughts.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar felt a sudden rush of anger before realizing his brother<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas not saying they must go from the city, but from the doorway<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the ale house to the performing stage inside. The crowd would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbe waiting. He let his anger slip away and felt a sadness take its<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nplace.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I wish we lived in another age,” he said softly. He paused,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwatching the way Coil tensed. “I wish there were Elves and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDruids again. And heroes. I wish there could be heroes again-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neven one.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe trailed off, thinking suddenly of something else.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil shoved away from the doorjamb, clapped one big hand<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto his brother’s shoulder, turned him about and started him back<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndown the darkened hallway. “If you keep singing about it, who<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nknows? Maybe there will be.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar let himself be led away like a child. He was no longer<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthinking about heroes though, or Elves or Druids, or even about<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSeekers.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe was thinking about the dreams.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey told the story of the Elven stand at Halys Cut, how<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nEventine Elessedil and the Elves and Stee Jans and the Legion<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFree Corps fought to hold the Breakline against the onslaught<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the Demon hordes. It was one of Par’s favorite stories, the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfirst of the great Elven battles in that terrible Westland war. They<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstood on a low platform at one end of the main serving room,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar in the forefront. Coil a step back and aside, the lights dimmed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nagainst a sea of tightly packed bodies and watchful eyes. While<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil narrated the story. Par sang to provide the accompanying<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nimages, and the ale house came alive with the magic of his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nvoice. He invoked in the hundred or more gathered the feelings<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof fear, anger, and determination that had infused the defenders<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the Cut. He let them see the fury of the Demons; he let them<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhear their battle cries. He drew them in and would not let them<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngo. They stood in the pathway of the Demon assault. They saw<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe wounding of Eventine and the emergence of his son Ander<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nas leader of the Elves. They watched the Druid Allanon stand<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nvirtually alone against the Demon magic and turn it aside. They<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nexperienced life and death with an intimacy that was almost<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nterrifying.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhen Coil and he were finished, there was stunned silence,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthen a wild thumping of ale glasses and cheers and shouts of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nelation unmatched in any performance that had gone before. It<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nseemed for a moment that those gathered might bring the rafters<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the ale house down about their ears, so vehement were they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin their appreciation. Par was damp with his own sweat, aware<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor the first time how much he had given to the telling. Yet his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmind was curiously detached as they left the platform for the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrief rest they were permitted between tellings, thinking still of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe dreams.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil stopped for a glass of ale by an open storage room and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar continued down the hallway a short distance before coming<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto an empty barrel turned upright by the cellar doors. He slumped<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndown wearily, his thoughts tight.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe had been having the dreams for almost a month now, and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhe still didn’t know why.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe dreams occurred with a frequency that was unsettling.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey always began with a black-cloaked figure that rose from a<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlake, a figure that might be Allanon, a lake that might be the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHadeshom. There was a shimmering of images in his dreams,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nan ethereal quality to the visions that made them difficult to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndecipher. The figure always spoke to him, always with the same<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwords. “Come to me; you are needed. The Four Lands are in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngravest danger; the magic is almost lost. Come now, Shannara<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nchild.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThere was more, although the rest varied. Sometimes there<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere images of a world born of some unspeakable nightmare.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSometimes there were images of the lost talismans-the Sword<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof Shannara and the Elf stones. Sometimes there was a call for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWren as well, little Wren, and sometimes a call for his uncle<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWalker Boh. They were to come as well. They were needed,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntoo.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe had decided quite deliberately after the first night that the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndreams were a side effect of his prolonged use of the wishsong.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe sang the old stories of the Warlock Lord and the Skull Bear-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ners, of Demons and Mord Wraiths, of Allanon and a world<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthreatened by evil, and it was natural that something of those<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstories and their images would carry over into his sleep. He had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntried to combat the effect by using the wishsong on lighter tell-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nings, but it hadn’t helped. The dreams persisted. He had re-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfrained from telling Coil, who would have simply used that as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na new excuse to advise him to stop invoking the magic of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwishsong and return to the Vale.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen, three nights ago, the dreams had stopped coming as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsuddenly as they had started. Now he was wondering why. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas wondering if perhaps he had mistaken their origin. He was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nconsidering the possibility that instead of being self-induced,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthey might have been sent.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nBut who would have sent them?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAllanon? Truly Allanon, who was three hundred years dead?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSomeone else?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSomething else? Something that had a reason of its own and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmeant him no good?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe shivered at the prospect, brushed the matter from his mind,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand went quickly back up the hallway to find Coll.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe crowd was even larger for the second telling, the walls<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlined with standing men who could not find chairs or benches<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto sit upon. The Blue Whisker was a large house, the front<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nserving room over a hundred feet across and open to the rafters<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nabove a stringing of oil lamps and fish netting that lent a sort of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nveiled appearance that was apparently designed to suggest inti-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmacy. Par couldn’t have tolerated much more intimacy, so close<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere the patrons of the ale house as they pressed up against the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nplatform, some actually sitting on it now as they drank. This<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas a different group than earlier, although the Valeman was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhard-pressed to say why. It had a different feel to it, as if there<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas something foreign in its makeup. Coil must have felt it, too.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe glanced over at Par several times as they prepared to per-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nform, and there was uneasiness mirrored in his dark eyes.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nA tall, black-bearded man wrapped in a dun-colored forest<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncloak waded through the crowd to the platform’s edge and eased<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhimself down between two other men. The two looked up as if<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthey intended to say something, then caught a close glimpse of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe other’s face and apparently thought better of it. Par watched<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmomentarily and looked away. Everything felt wrong.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil leaned over as a rhythmic clapping began. The crowd<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas growing restless. “Par, I don’t like this. There’s some-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthing . . .”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe didn’t finish. The owner of the ale house came up and told<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthem in no uncertain terms to begin before the crowd got out of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhand and started breaking things. Coil stepped away wordlessly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe lights dimmed, and Par started to sing. The story was the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\none about Allanon and the battle with the Jachyra. Coil began<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto speak, setting the stage, telling those gathered what sort of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nday it was, what the glen was like into which the Druid came<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith Brin Ohmsford and Rone Leah, how everything suddenly<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngrew hushed. Par created the images in the minds of his listen-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ners, instilling in them a sense of anxiety and expectation, trying<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nunsuccessfully not to experience the same feelings himself.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAt the rear of the room, men were moving to block the doors<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand windows, men suddenly shed of cloaks and dressed all in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nblack. Weapons glittered. There were patches of white on sleeves<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand breasts, insignia of some sort. Par squinted, Elven vision<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsharp.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nA wolf’s head.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe men in black were Seekers.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar’s voice faltered and the images shimmered and lost their<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhold. Men began to grumble and look about. Coil stopped his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnarration. There was movement everywhere. There was some-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\none in the darkness behind them. There was someone all about.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil edged closer protectively.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen the lights rose again, and a wedge of the black-garbed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSeekers pushed forward from the front door. There were shouts<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand groans of protest, but the men making them were quick to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmove out of the way. The owner of the Blue Whisker tried to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nintervene, but was shoved aside.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe wedge of men came to a stop directly in front of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nplatform. Another group blocked the exits. They wore black<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfrom head to toe, their faces covered above their mouths, their<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwolf-head insignia gleaming. They were armed with short<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nswords, daggers, and truncheons, and their weapons were held<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nready. They were a mixed bunch, big and small, stiff and bent,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbut there was a feral look to all of them, as much in the way<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthey held themselves as in their eyes.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nTheir leader was a huge, rangy man with tremendously long<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\narms and a powerful frame. There was a craggy cast to his face<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhere the mask ended, and a half-beard of coarse reddish hair<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncovered his chin. His left arm was gloved to the elbow.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Your names?” he asked. His voice was soft, almost a whis-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nper.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar hesitated. “What is it that we have done?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Is your name Ohmsford?” The speaker was studying him<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nintently.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar nodded. “Yes. But we haven’t…”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“You are under arrest for violating Federation Supreme<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nLaw,” the soft voice announced. There was a grumbling<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsound from the patrons. “You have used magic in defiance<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof. . .”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“They was just telling stories!” a man called out from a few<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfeet away.. One of the Seekers lashed out swiftly with his trun-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncheon and the man collapsed in a heap.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“You have used magic in defiance of Federation dictates and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthereby endangered the public.” The speaker did not even bother<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto glance at the fallen man. “You will be taken …”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe never finished. An oil lamp dropped suddenly from the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncenter of the ceiling to the crowded ale house floor and exploded<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin a shower of flames. Men sprang to their feet, howling. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nspeaker and his companions turned in surprise. At the same<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmoment the tall, bearded man who had taken a seat on the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nplatform’s edge earlier came to his feet with a lunge, vaulted<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nseveral other astonished patrons, and slammed into the knot of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSeekers, spilling them to the floor. The tall man leaped onto the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstage in front of Par and Coil and threw off his shabby cloak to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nreveal a fully armed hunter dressed in forest green. One arm<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlifted, the hand clenched in a fist.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Free-born!” he shouted into the confusion.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt seemed that everything happened at once after that. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndecorative netting, somehow loosened, followed the oil lamp<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto the floor, and practically everyone gathered at the Blue<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhisker was suddenly entangled. Yells and curses rose from<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthose trapped. At the doors, green-clad men pounced on the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbewildered Seekers and hammered them to the floor. Oil<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlamps were smashed, and the room was plunged into dark-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nness.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe tall man moved past Par and Coil with a quickness they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwould not have believed possible. He caught the first of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSeekers blocking the back entrance with a sweep of one boot,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsnapping the man’s head back. A short sword and dagger ap-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npeared, and the remaining two went down as well.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“This way, quick now!” he called back to Par and Coll.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey came at once. A dark shape clawed at them as they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nrushed past, but Coil knocked the man from his feet into the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmass of struggling bodies. He reached back to be certain he had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnot lost his brother, his big hand closing on Par’s slender shoul-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nder. Par yelled in spite of himself. Coil always forgot how strong<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhe was.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey cleared the stage and reached the back hallway, the tall<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstranger several paces ahead. Someone tried to stop them, but<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe stranger ran right over him. The din from the room behind<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthem was deafening, and flames were scattered everywhere now,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlicking hungrily at the flooring and walls. The stranger led them<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nquickly down the hall and through the rear door into the alley-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway. Two more of the green-clad men waited. Wordlessly, they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsurrounded the brothers and rushed them clear of the ale house.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar glanced back. The flames were already leaping from the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwindows and crawling up toward the roof. The Blue Whisker<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhad seen its last night.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey slipped down the alleyway past startled faces and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwide eyes, turned into a passageway Par would have sworn<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhe had never seen before despite his many excursions out that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway, passed through a scattering of doors and anterooms and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfinally emerged into a new street entirely. No one spoke.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhen at last they were beyond the sound of the shouting and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe glow of the fire, the stranger slowed, motioned his two<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncompanions to take up watch and pulled Par and Coil into a<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshadowed alcove.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAll were breathing heavily from the run. The stranger<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlooked at them in turn, grinning. “A little exercise is good<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor the digestion, they say. What do you think? Are you all<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nright?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe brothers both nodded. “Who are you?” asked Par.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe grin broadened. “Why, practically one of the family,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlad. Don’t you recognize me? Ah, you don’t, do you? But,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthen, why should you? After all, you and I have never<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmet. But the songs should remind you.” He closed his left<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhand into a fist, then thrust a single finger sharply at Par’s<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnose. “Remember now? “<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nMystified, Par looked at Coil, but his brother appeared as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nconfused as he was. “I don’t think . . .”he started.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Well, well, it doesn’t matter just at the moment. All in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngood time.” He bent close. ‘ ‘This is no longer safe country<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor you, lad. Certainly not here in Varfleet and probably not<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin all of Callahom. Maybe not anywhere. Do you know who<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat was back there? The ugly one with the whisper?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar tried to place the rangy speaker with the soft voice. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncouldn’t. He shook his head slowly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Rimmer Dall,” the stranger said, the smile gone now.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“First Seeker, the high mucky-muck himself. Sits on the Co-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nalition Council when he’s not out swatting flies. But you, he’s<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntaken a special interest if he’s come all the way to Varfleet to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\narrest you. That’s not part of his ordinary fly-swatting. That’s<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhunting bear. He thinks you are dangerous, lad-very dan-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngerous, indeed, or he wouldn’t have bothered coming all the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway here. Good thing I was looking out for you. I was, you<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nknow. Heard Rimmer Dall was going to come for you and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncame to make sure he didn’t get the job done. Mind now, he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwon’t give up. You slipped his grasp this time, but that will<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmake him just that much more determined. He’ll keep com-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ning for you.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe paused, gauging the effect of what he was saying. Par<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas staring at him speechlessly, so he went on. “That magic<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof yours, the singing, that’s real magic, isn’t it? I’ve seen<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nenough of the other kind to know. You could put that magic<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto good use, lad, if you had a mind to. It’s wasted in these<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nale houses and backstreets.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“What do you mean?” Coil asked, suddenly suspicious.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe stranger smiled, charming and guileless. “The Move-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nment has need of such magic,” he said softly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil snorted. “You’re one of the outlaws!”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe stranger executed a quick bow. “Yes, lad, I am proud<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto say I am. More important, I am free-bom and I do not<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\naccept Federation rule. No right-thinking man does.” He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbent close. “You don’t accept it yourself now, do you? Admit<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Hardly,” Coil answered defensively. “But I question<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhether the outlaws are any better.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘Harsh words, lad!” the other exclaimed. ‘ ‘A good thing for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyou I do not take ofiense easily.” He grinned roguishly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“What is it you want?” Par interrupted quickly, his mind<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nclear again. He had been thinking of Rimmer Dall. He knew<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe man’s reputation and he was frightened of the prospect<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof being hunted by him. “You want us to join you, is that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe stranger nodded. “You would find it worth your time, I<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthink.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nBut Par shook his head. It was one thing to accept the strang-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ner’s help in fleeing the Seekers. It was another to join the Move-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nment. The matter needed a great deal more thought. “I think<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwe had better decline for now,” he said evenly. “That is, if<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwe’re being given a choice.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Of course you are being given a choice!” The stranger<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nseemed offended.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Then we have to say no. But we thank you for the offer and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nespecially for your help back there.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe stranger studied him a moment, solemn again. “You are<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nquite welcome, believe me. I wish only the best for you. Par<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nOhmsford. Here, take this.” He removed from one hand a ring<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat was cast in silver and bore the insigne of a hawk. “My<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfriends know me by this. If you need a favor-or if you change<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyour mind-take this to Kiltan Forge at Reaver’s End at the north<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nedge of the city and ask for the Archer. Can you remember<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar hesitated, then took the ring, nodding. “Butwhy. . . ?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Because there is much between us, lad,” the other said<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsoftly, anticipating his question. One hand reached out to rest<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\non his shoulder. The eyes took in Coil as well. “There is<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhistory that binds us, a bond of such strength that it requires<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nI be there for you if I can. More, it requires that we stand<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntogether against what is threatening this land. Remember that,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntoo. One day, we will do so, I think-if we all manage to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstay alive until then.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe grinned at the brothers and they stared back silently. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstranger’s hand dropped away. “Time to go now. Quickly, too.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe street runs east to the river. You can go where you wish<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfrom there. But watch yourselves. Keep your backs well guarded.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThis matter isn’t finished.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘I know,” Par said and extended his hand. ‘ ‘Are you certain<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyou will not tell us your name?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe stranger hesitated. “Another day,” he said.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe gripped Par’s hand tightly, then Coil’s, then whistled his<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncompanions to him. He waved once, then melted into the shad-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nows and was gone.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar stared down momentarily at the ring, then glanced<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nquestioningly at Coll. Somewhere close at hand, the sound of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshouting started up.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I think the questions will have to wait,” said Coil.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar jammed the ring into his pocket. Wordlessly, they dis-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nappeared into the night.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was nearing midnight by the time Par and Coil reached<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe waterfront section of Varfleet, and it was there that they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfirst realized how ill-prepared they were to make their es-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncape from Rimmer Dall and his Federation Seekers. Neither<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhad expected that flight would prove necessary, so neither had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrought anything that a lengthy journey might require. They had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nno food, no blankets, no weapons save for the standard long<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nknives all Valemen wore, no camping gear or foul-weather<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nequipment, and worst of all, no money. The ale house keeper<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhadn’t paid them in a month. What money they had managed to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsave from the month before had been lost in the fire along with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neverything else they owned. They had only the clothes on their<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbacks and a growing fear that perhaps they should have stuck<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith the nameless stranger a bit longer.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe waterfront was a ramshackle mass of boathouses, piers,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmending shops, and storage sheds. Lights burned along its<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlength, and dockworkers and fishermen drank and joked in the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlight of oil lamps and pipes. Smoke rose out of tin stoves and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbarrels, and the smell of fish hung over everything.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘Maybe they’ve given up on us for the night,” Par suggested<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nat one point. “The Seekers, I mean. Maybe they won’t bother<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlooking anymore until morning-or maybe not at all.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil glanced at him and arched one eyebrow meaningfully.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Maybe cows can fly too.” He looked away. “We should have<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ninsisted we be paid more promptly for our work. Then we<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwouldn’t be in this fix.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar shrugged. “It wouldn’t have made any difference.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“It wouldn’t? We’d at least have some money!”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘Only if we’d thought to carry it with us to the performance.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHow likely is that?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil hunched his shoulders and screwed up his face. “That<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nale house keeper owes us.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey walked all the way to the south end of the docks without<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nspeaking further, stopped finally as the lighted waterfront gave<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway to darkness, and stood looking at each other. The night was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncooler now and their clothes were too thin to protect them. They<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere shivering, their hands jammed down in their pockets, their<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\narms clamped tightly against their sides. Insects buzzed about<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthem annoyingly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil sighed. “Do you have any idea where we’re going. Par?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDo you have some kind of plan in mind?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar took out his hands and rubbed them briskly. “I do. But<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nit requires a boat to get there.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“South, then-down the Mermidon?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“All the way.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil smiled, misunderstanding. He thought they were headed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nback to Shady Vale. Par decided it was best to leave him with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat impression.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Wait here,” Coil said suddenly and disappeared before Par<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncould object.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar stood alone in the dark at the end of the docks for what<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nseemed like an hour, but was probably closer to half that. He<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwalked over to a bench by a fishing shack and sat down, hunched<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nup against the night air. He was feeling a mix of things. He was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nangry, mostly-at the stranger for spiriting them away and then<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nabandoning them-all right, so Par had asked to have it that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway, that didn’t make him feel any better-at the Federation for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nchasing them out from the city like common thieves, and at<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhimself for being stupid enough to think he could get away with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nusing real magic when it was absolutely forbidden to do so. It<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas one thing to play around with the magics of sleight of hand<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand quick change; it was another altogether to employ the magic<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the wishsong. It was too obviously the real thing, and he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshould have known that sooner or later word of its use would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nget back to the authorities.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe put his legs out in front of him and crossed his boots.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWell, there was nothing to be done about it now. Coil and he<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwould simply have to start over again. It never occurred to him<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto quit. The stories were too important for that; it was his re-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsponsibility to see to it that they were not forgotten. He was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nconvinced that the magic was a gift he had received expressly<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor that purpose. It didn’t matter what the Federation said-that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmagic was outlawed and that it was a source of great harm to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe land and its people. What did the Federation know of magic?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThose on the Coalition Council lacked any practical experience.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey had simply decided that something needed to be done to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\naddress the concerns of those who claimed parts of the Four<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nLands were sickening and men were being turned into some-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthing like the dark creatures of Jair Ohmsford’s time, creatures<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfrom some nether existence that defied understanding, beings<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat drew their power from the night and from magics lost since<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe time of the Druids.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey even had names, these creatures. They were called<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nShadowen.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSuddenly, unpleasantly, Par thought again of the dreams and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof the dark thing within them that had summoned him.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe was aware then that the night had gone still; the voices of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe fishermen and dockworkers, the buzz of the insects, and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neven the rustle of the night wind had disappeared. He could hear<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe sound of his own pulse in his ears, and a whisper of some-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthing else . . .<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen a splash of water brought him to his feet with a start.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil appeared, clambering out of the Mermidon at the river’s<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nedge a dozen feet away, shedding water as he came. He was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnaked. Par recovered his composure and stared at him in dis-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbelief.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Shades, you frightened me! What were you doing?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“What does it look like I was doing?” Coil grinned. “I was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nout swimming!”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat he was really doing, Par discovered after applying a bit<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmore pressure, was appropriating a fishing skiff owned by the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nkeeper of the Blue Whisker. The keeper had mentioned it to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil once or twice when bragging about his fishing skills. Coil<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhad remembered it when Par had mentioned needing a boat,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nremembered as well the description of the boat shed where the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nman said it was kept, and gone off to find it. He’d simply swum<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nup to where it was stored, snapped the lock on the shed, slipped<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe mooring lines and towed it away.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘It’s the least he owes us after the kind of business we brought<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin,” he said defensively as he brushed himself dry and dressed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar didn’t argue the point. They needed a boat worse than<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe ale house keeper, and this was probably their only chance<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto find one. Assuming the Seekers were still scouring the city<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor them, their only other alternative was to strike out on foot<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ninto the Runne Mountains-an undertaking that would require<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmore than a week. A ride down the Mermidon was a journey of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nonly a few days. It wasn’t as if they were stealing the boat, after<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nall. He caught himself. Well, maybe it was. But they would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nreturn it or provide proper compensation when they could.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe skiff was only a dozen feet in length, but it was equipped<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith oars, fishing gear, some cooking and camping equipment,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na pair of blankets, and a canvas tarp. They boarded and pushed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\noff into the night, letting the current carry them out from the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nshore and sweep them away.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey rode the river south for the remainder of the night, using<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe oars to keep it in mid-channel, listening to the night sounds,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwatching the shoreline, and trying to stay awake. As they trav-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neled, Coil offered his theory on what they should do next. It was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nimpossible, of course, to go back into Callahom any time in the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nimmediate future. The Federation would be looking for them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt would be dangerous, in fact, to travel to any of the major<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSouthland cities because the Federation authorities stationed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere would be alerted as well. It was best that they simply return<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto the Vale. They could still tell the stories-not right away<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nperhaps, but in a month or so after the Federation had stopped<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlooking for them. Then, later, they could travel to some of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsmaller hamlets, the more isolated communities, places the Fed-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neration seldom visited. It would all work out fine.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar let him ramble. He was willing to bet that Coil didn’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbelieve a word of it; and even if he did, there was no point in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\narguing about it now.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey pulled into shore at sunrise and made camp in a grove<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof shade trees at the base of a windswept bluff, sleeping until<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnoon, then rising to catch and eat fish. They were back on the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nriver by early afternoon and continued on until well after sunset.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nAgain they pulled into shore and made camp. It was starting to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nrain, and they put up the canvas to provide shelter. They made<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\na small fire, pulled the blankets close, and sat silently facing the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nriver, watching the raindrops swell its flow and form intricate<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npatterns on its shimmering surface.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey spoke then for a while about how things had changed<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin the Four Lands since the time of Jair Ohmsford.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThree hundred years ago, the Federation governed only the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndeep Southland cities, adopting a strict policy of isolationism.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Coalition Council provided its leadership even then, a body<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof men selected by the cities as representatives to its govern-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nment. But it was the Federation armies that gradually came to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndominate the Council, and in time the policy of isolationism<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ngave way to one of expansion. It was time to extend its sphere<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof influence, the Federation determined-to push back its fron-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntiers and offer a choice of leadership to the remainder of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nSouthland. It was logical that the Southland should be united<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nunder a single government, and who better to do that than the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFederation?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThat was the way it started. The Federation began a push<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnorth, gobbling up bits and pieces of the Southland as it went.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nA hundred years after the death of Jair Ohmsford, everything<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsouth of Callahom was Federation governed. The other races,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Elves, the Trolls, the Dwarves, and even the Gnomes cast<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnervous glances south. Before long, Callahom agreed to be-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncome a protectorate, its Kings long dead, its cities feuding and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndivided, and the last buffer between the Federation and the other<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlands disappeared.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIt was about this same time that the rumors of the Shadowen<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbegan to surface. It was said that the magic of the old days was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nat fault, magic that had taken seed in the earth and nurtured<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere for decades and was now coming to life. The magic took<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmany forms, sometimes as nothing more than a cold wind,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsometimes as something vaguely human. It was labeled, in any<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncase, as Shadowen. The Shadowen sickened the land and its<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlife, turning pockets of it into quagmires of decay and lifeless-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nness. They attacked mortal creatures, man or beast, and, when<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthey were sufficiently weakened, took them over completely,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstealing into their bodies and residing there, hidden wraiths.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThey needed the life of others for their own sustenance. That<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas how they survived.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Federation lent credibility to those rumors by proclaim-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ning that such creatures might indeed exist and only it was strong<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nenough to protect against them.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nNo one argued that the magic might not be at fault or that the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nShadowen or whatever it was that was causing the problem had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnothing to do with magic at all. It was easier simply to accept<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe explanation offered. After all, there hadn’t been any magic<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nin the land since the passing of the Druids. The Ohmsfords told<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntheir stories, of course, but only a few heard and fewer still<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbelieved. Most thought the Druids just a legend. When Calla-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhom agreed to become a protectorate and the city ofTyrsis was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\noccupied, the Sword of Shannara disappeared. No one thought<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmuch of it. No one knew how it happened, and no one much<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncared. The Sword hadn’t even been seen for over two hundred<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyears. There was only the vault that was said to contain it, the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nblade set in a block of Tre-Stone, there in the center of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPeople’s Park-and then one day that was gone as well.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Elfstones disappeared not long after. There was no rec-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nord of what became of them. Not even the Ohmsfords knew.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThen the Elves began to disappear as well, entire communi-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nties, whole cities at a time, until even Arborion was gone.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFinally, there were no more Elves at all; it was as if they had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnever been. The Wesdand was deserted, save for a few hunters<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand trappers from the other lands and the wandering bands of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nRovers. The Rovers, unwelcome anyplace else, had always been<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthere, but even the Rovers claimed to know nothing of what had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbecome of the Elves. The Federation quickly took advantage of<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe situation. The Wesdand, it declared, was the seeding ground<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfor the magic that was at the root of die problems in die Four<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nLands. It was the Elves, after all, who introduced magic into<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Lands years earlier. It was the Elves who first practiced it.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe magic had consumed them-an object lesson on what would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhappen to all those who tried to do likewise.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe Federation emphasized the point by forbidding the prac-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntice of magic in any form. The Wesdand was made a protector-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nate, albeit an unoccupied one since the Federation lacked enough<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nsoldiers to patrol so vast a territory unaided, but one dial would<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbe cleansed eventually, it was promised, of the ill effects of any<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlingering magic.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nShortly after that, the Federation declared war on the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDwarves. It did so ostensibly because die Dwarves had pro-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nvoked it, aldrough it was never made clear in what way. The<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nresult was practically a forgone conclusion. The Federation had<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe largest, most thoroughly equipped and best trained army in<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Four Lands by this time, and the Dwarves had no standing<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\narmy at all. The Dwarves no longer had the Elves as allies, as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthey had all those years previous, and the Gnomes and Trolls<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhad never been friends. Nevertheless, the war lasted nearly five<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyears. The Dwarves knew die mountainous Eastiand far better<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthan the Federation, and even though Culhaven fell almost im-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmediately, the Dwarves continued to fight in the high country<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nuntil eventually they were starved into submission. They were<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nbrought down out of the mountains and sent south to the Fed-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neration mines. Most died there. After seeing what happened to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Dwarves, the Gnome tribes fell quickly into line. The Fed-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neration declared the Easdand a protectorate as well.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThere remained a few pockets of isolated resistance. There<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwere still a handful of Dwarves and a scattering of Gnome tribes<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthat refused to recognize Federation rule and continued to fight<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nfrom the deep wilderness areas north and east. But they were<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntoo few to make any difference.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nTo mark its unification of the greater portion of the Four Lands<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand to honor those who had worked to achieve it, the Federation<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nconstructed a monument at the north edge of the Rainbow Lake<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwhere the Mermidon poured through the Runne. The monument<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas constructed entirely of black granite, broad and square at<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nits base, curved inward as it rose over two hundred feet above<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe cliffs, a monolithic tower that could be seen for miles in all<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndirections. The tower was called Southwatch.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThat was almost a hundred years ago, and now only the Trolls<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nremained a free people, still entrenched deep within the moun-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntains of the Northland, the Chamals, and the Kershalt. That was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndangerous, hostile country, a natural fortress, and no one from<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Federation wanted much to do with it. The decision was<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmade to leave it alone as long as the Trolls did not interfere with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe other lands. The Trolls, very much a reclusive people for<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe whole of their history, were happy to oblige.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“It’s all so different now,” Par concluded wistfully as they<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ncontinued to sit within their shelter and watch the rain fall into<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Mermidon. “No more Druids, no Paranor, no magic-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nexcept the fake kind and the little we know. No Elves. Whatever<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhappened to them do you think?” He paused, but Coil didn’t<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nhave anything to say. “No monarchies, no Leah, no Buckhan-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nnahs, no Legion Free Corps, no Callahom for all intents and<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npurposes.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“No freedom,” Coil finished darkly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“No freedom,” Par echoed.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nHe rocked back, drawing his legs tight against his chest. “I<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwish I knew how the Elfstones disappeared. And the Sword.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nWhat happened to the Sword of Shannara?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil shrugged. “Same thing that happens to everything even-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntually. It got lost.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“What do you mean? How could they let it get lost?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘No one was taking care of it.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nPar thought about that. It made sense. No one bothered much<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwith the magic after Allanon died, after the Druids were gone.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe magic was simply ignored, a relic from another time, a<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthing feared and misunderstood for the most part. It was easier<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto forget about it, and so they did. They all did. He had to<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ninclude the Ohmsfords as well-otherwise they would still have<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nthe Elfstones. All that was left of their magic was the wishsong.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“We know the stories, the tales of what it was like; we have<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nall that history, and we still don’t know anything,” he said softly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“We know the Federation doesn’t want us talking about it,”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil offered archly. “We know that.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n‘ ‘There are times that I wonder what difference it makes any-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nway. ” Par’s face twisted into a grimace.’ ‘After all, people come<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto hear us and the day after, who remembers? Anyone besides<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nus? And what if they do? It’s all ancient history-not even that<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nto some. To some, it’s legend and myth, a lot of nonsense.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Not to everyone,” Coil said quietly.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“What’s the use of having the wishsong, if the telling of the<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nstories isn’t going to make any difference? Maybe the stranger<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas right. Maybe there are better uses for the magic.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Like aiding the outlaws in their fight against the Federation?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nLike getting yourself killed?” Coil shook his head. “That’s as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\npointless as not using it at all.”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThere was a sudden splash from somewhere out in me river,<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nand the brothers turned as one to seek out its source. But there<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nwas only the churning of rain-swollen waters and nothing else.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n” Everything seems pointless.” Par kicked at the earth in front<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nof him. “What are we doing, Coil? Chased out of Varfleet as<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nmuch as if we were outlaws ourselves, forced to take that boat<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nlike thieves, made to run for home like dogs with our tails be-<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ntween our legs.” He paused, looking over at his brother.’ ‘Why<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\ndo you think we still have use of the magic?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCoil’s blocky face shifted slightly toward Par’s. “What do<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nyou mean?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Why do we have it? Why hasn’t it disappeared along with<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\neverything else? Do you think there’s a reason?”<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Read the full book by downloading it below.<\/p>\n

DOWNLOAD EPUB<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book Preview T he old man sat alone in the shadow of the Dragon’s Teeth and watched the coming darkness chase the day- light west. The day had been cool, unusually so for midsummer, and the night promised to be chill. Scattered clouds masked the sky, casting their silhouettes upon the earth, drifting in the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1839,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[96],"class_list":["post-1840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-terry-brooks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/epub-book.com\/download\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}