Contents
Twenty-Two
Overview
Past midnight at The Briars, the group smokes and continues reading Enoch Crane’s journal. Colin explains Crane’s bespoke magic, the “Other Face,” and the dragon King Sorrow, detailing shocking rites used to breach reality. A mysterious figure passes outside, unsettling them. The scene closes with Gwen pressing Arthur to attempt summoning, escalating the group toward a dangerous decision.
Summary
Past midnight, the friends lounge in a smoky room with MTV on, the window open to vent the haze. Colin reads from Enoch Crane’s journal while Van jokes about Crane’s crimes and appetite. The group debates whether Crane burned a neighbor’s house, with Colin saying Crane blamed King Sorrow.
Colin outlines Crane’s descriptions of King Sorrow as a dragon—“proud worm,” “cunning serpent,” sired by Father Ruin. He explains that Crane’s magic is unique and personalized: fasting, ingesting binder weed cakes, and consulting the “Other Face,” a reflective counterpart that teaches sorcery and claims reality is a protective cage against the Long Dark’s beings.
Colin recounts the summoning method: Crane collaborated with the Cobbett sisters, each breaking reality in a distinct way—one carrying a dead crow until it flew, the other narrating to eggs until the last cracked to reveal an eyeball—while Crane opened his chest, removed a kidney, and ate it as an offering. These acts combined to dim the world and bring King Sorrow to bargain.
Amid this eerie lore, Allie spots a man walking through the backyard at two in the morning. Van calls out; the figure slips around the house and vanishes from view. Although unsettled, the group’s attention drifts back to the journal and the TV’s noise.
As the discussion circles back to possibility and risk, Gwen frames their hours of talk into a challenge: should they try summoning King Sorrow themselves? She directs the question to Arthur, pressing him toward a decision and shifting the group from speculation to the brink of action.
Who Appears
- ColinReads Crane’s journal; explains the “Other Face,” the Long Dark, and the King Sorrow summoning rites.
- GwenPushes the group toward action, directly asking Arthur to attempt summoning King Sorrow.
- ArthurListener and decision point; becomes the focus when asked to sanction a summoning.
- AllieKeeps watch at the window; spots a man crossing the backyard, heightening unease.
- VanJokes, smokes, questions Crane’s deeds; calls out to the backyard stranger.
- DonnaAsks practical questions about summoning and the late-night intruder.