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He cocked his head ‘Well, the answer to that, Chosen One, depends in part on your own knowledge Of the goddess’s warren-your Elder warren fragment that is the Whirlwind’

‘Kurald Emurlahn’

He nodded ‘Indeed And what do you know of the events that saw it torn apart?’

‘Little, except that its true rulers had ceased to exist, thus leaving it vulnerable The relevant fact is this, however: the Whirlwind is the largest frag Bidithal would see hih Priest What he does not understand is that there is no such role to be taken I ale mortal manifestation of the Whirlwind Goddess Bidithal would enfold Rashan into the Whirlwind, or, conversely, use the Whirlwind to cleanse the Shadow Realm of its false rulers’ She paused, and Heboric sensed her shrug ‘Those false rulers once co for a singular confrontation Yet what each of us seeks froe, then, is to cajole all those disparate motives into one, mutually triumphant effect’

‘That,’ Heboric breathed, ‘is quite a challenge, lass’

‘And so I need you, Ghost Hands I need the secret you possess-’

‘Of L’oric I can say nothing-’

‘Not that secret, old man No, the secret I seek lies in your hands ’

He started ‘My hands?’

‘That giant of jade you touched-it is defeating the otataral Destroying it I need to discover how I need an answer to otataral, Heboric’

‘But Kurald Emurlahn is Elder, Sha’ik-the Adjunct’s sword-’

‘Will annihilate the advantage I possess in ate the Whirlith her sword… so she will not even try! No, instead she will challenge es Remove them from the field She will seek to isolate me-’