A Torch Against the Night

Two weeks after escaping Serra, Elias reaches the River Taius with his horse, Trera, who refuses to cross into the Forest of Dusk. Shaeva appears and claims that the forest is her domain, a connection to the Waiting Place, and demands payment for his passage. For his toll, she tasks Elias with helping Tristas find peace. When Elias approaches, however, Tristas attacks him and flees.

He watches her draw fire from the forest’s sentient trees to sustain herself, which weakens her. She reveals she is a jinn, a being of fire, who was betrayed by her own kind and cursed to remain in the forest. Shaeva agrees to help Elias, magically transporting him to the outskirts of Kauf Prison, but she warns him of the dark fate that awaits him there.

Three weeks after leaving Serra, Helene and Harper arrive in the capital city of Antium. They are met by a disrespectful Black Guard escort led by Captain Sergius, but Helene asserts her authority by striking him. In the crowded streets, she glimpses Cook. At the palace, they are greeted by the Commandant, Keris Veturia, who informs Helene that Emperor Marcus is waiting and mentions the ongoing purges of Scholars.

Marcus greets Helene with hostility and assaults her.