Chapter Seventeen: Ironwing's Pouch[edit | edit source]

Reeling from the Nînik Pass ambush, Kinesee and Meliu, escorted by Morik and a bolstered Helmveline force, arrive in Molikîn to meet King Sînhôlar the Ironwing and Queen Nîsenî at the First Throne. Kinesee, grieving Maro’s death, proposes Helmveline match the Silone’s 4,000 warriors for a southern expedition to rescue Rinold and meet Solineus’s river trade route from Mulshahar, leveraging her father’s Emudar diaspora and trade ambitions. Meliu, tormented by her perceived failure to save Maro, presents her ancient map, aligning its Tomarok plains with Helmveline’s charts pointing to the Mûulbon Delta. The Ironwing, wary of Black Waters cult violence, Ôgrihîn raids, and Malstefnê incursions, initially offers 1,000 warriors, but Nîsenî pushes for 2,000. Suspecting the ambush targeted Kinesee due to a prophecy linked to the Heretics of Rin and Black Waters, Sînhôlar doubles the commitment to 8,000, including Tûrûrôt’s forces, to secure Tomarok and counter its cult significance, revealed as Ulrikt’s mysterious directive to Meliu. Kinesee, navigating Meliu’s connection to Tomarok and her own distrust, secures the Ironwing’s pledge to parade the army through Rôemhîik’s gates, bolstering the wall’s defense. However, she proposes convincing the Helelindin to allow pilgrims to the Twenty-Second Foundation, potentially uniting the Eight Kingdoms against the Malstefnê, a daunting task that tests her resolve as she balances triumph with the looming northern threat and Maro’s sacrifice.

WoG Chapter 16 — Breaking the Old Ways
WoG Chapter 18 — Slave's Understanding
Whispers of Ghosts — Main Chapter Listing