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Power sea He sees the Dark as a sea of power “You can see the power sea?”

Wise Bear barked a laugh “None can see it all Just feel stor Felt the stor, followed it here with Flies High Woreat stone head Vaelin recalled from his first visit here, the beardedhere?” Vaelin asked, watching him tentatively touch the tip of his staff to the stone face

“Storm came here before” Wise Bear lowered his staff to place a hand on the beardedhis eyes “Now just echo”

“Of what?”

“What ill be” The sha his wrinkled face

“I thought he , a chief,” Vaelin said but Wise Bear shook his head

“No, wise h to stop the city falling?”

“So can stop He build this place, sha”

Filled stone with power? Vaelin recalled Wisdoiven to her by the shade of Nersus Sil Nin, and she but a memory preserved in the stones in the Martishe and the Great Northern Forest “They could place their memories in stone?” he asked

Wise Bear nodded “More than” He raised his staff and swept it slowly around, tracking over the remnants of a city that must once have been wondrous “This place, filled with power”

Hethe ruins with a near-predatory intensity Vaelin followed hi Brother Harlick had fancied a library and onto what appeared to have been soht have stood ten feet high when intact, but the supporting pillars were shattered and the stone surface had tumbled to be cracked fro a spas to the centre where he touched his staff to the bare stone

“Soblack”

Vaelin found he didn’t like the confusion he saw on the sha hi black?” he prompted as the old man crouched to touch a tentative hand to the stone “Youthat had the power?”

“Black,” Wise Bear stated in an e “Gone now, far away Taken”

“By who?”

Wise Bear turned, o across ice to find hi next to hi the furs across them both “I doubt he relished the honour but there wasn’t anyone else halfway capable”

“The gold?” Vaelin enquired

“The first shipload should dock in Frostport within the ht I’m sure”

“He won’t be the first or the last to profit froainst hi the necessity for his next words However, she evidently read his intent and spoke first

“I’” She raised her head to press a kiss to his lips then settled back “How is Alornis?”

He recalled Alornis’s rigid face theback the tears, falling to ruin as she collapsed against hi His final gliuilty stain, her head on Lyrna’s shoulder as she turned her face, refusing to watch hiood service in the queen’s cause,” he told Dahrena “Her talents are even greater than we knew”