Contents
Chapter 27
Overview
Amiel narrates his northward journey with the wizard Fulvir, traveling by hazardous tree-binding to outpace the army. Avoiding besieged Carrasque, Fulvir seizes a deserted estate near Goltay and pursues a stealth potion, sending Amiel to forage rare ingredients. With goblins departing Goltay and kynd armies arriving, Fulvir sells taurine mixlings to the prince of Widmarch and celebrates news that war corvids’ songs confound goblins.
Summary
Amiel recounts traveling north with Fulvir after the Espalle household is packed onto carts drawn by taurine and canine mixlings. To spare a long march, Fulvir uses “tree binding,” forcing the group to pass through consenting oaks. Eight such passages leave everyone exhausted; one dog-man is injured when a tree rejects mastiffs. Fulvir refuses to approach besieged Carrasque, claiming a famed wizard might provoke the castle itself.
Shunning the city, they trek toward Goltay but stop short while goblins still occupy it. In Arlasque Woods they find a deserted estate occupied by refugees; Fulvir animates corpses to frighten them off without direct harm, securing quarters for the company, corvids, and gear.
From this base, Fulvir pursues an invisibility-adjacent potion and tasks Amiel and Vlano with foraging components. Amiel struggles to capture a leaf-mimicking mantis and gathers numerous lightning bugs. During the search, a mother bear with cubs ignores him, which Amiel interprets as post-invasion forbearance among beasts.
As days pass, Fulvir reports the goblins are leaving Goltay and that kynd armies are nearing. The force arrives on Ashers Eve; by the second of Ashers, Fulvir meets the prince of Widmarch, heir to Holt, and trades him bull-men.
Buoyed by news that his war corvids’ music unsettles goblins, Fulvir allows himself a celebratory draught, telling Amiel he celebrates “music,” proud that the birds’ songs aid the war effort.
Who Appears
- AmielNarrator; travels north via tree-binding, forages ingredients for Fulvir’s stealth potion, observes events near Goltay.
- FulvirAbrasive wizard; conducts tree-binding, seizes an estate by necromancy, develops stealth potion, sells bull-men, celebrates corvids’ effect.
- VlanoCompanion sent with Amiel to forage ingredients for Fulvir’s potion.
- Prince of WidmarchHeir to Holt; meets Fulvir in Goltay and buys taurine mixlings (bull-men).
- Dog-man mixlingMastiff-blooded porter injured when a rejecting oak ejects him during tree-binding.
- Refugees at the estateSquatters in Arlasque Woods driven off by Fulvir’s animated corpses, yielding lodgings to the party.