Chapter Fifteen: The Archival Con

Eliles, nine days before the Eve of Snows, shifts her focus from feral children’s screams to Guntar’s death, seeking answers in Istinjoln’s kitchens. Amid rumors of Colok wars, lavish Eve preparations, and Lord Priest Dunkol’s debauchery, she gleans no clear link to Guntar’s scroll. Ignoring Dareun’s warnings, she targets the library, using feral magic to seduce Rovol into copying Guntar’s message to Ulrikt. The scroll reveals a failed ritual at the Crack of Burdenis’ Fire-Lion Gate, where Shadows and Taken overwhelmed priests, breaching a celestial gate despite Codex-guided efforts and artifacts from catacombs, with Wakened Dead blocking further aid. Eliles, puzzled by the gate and Shadows, debates showing Dareun but opts to hide the scroll, wary of its dangers as she nears her escape, finding petty joy in Rovol’s memory wipe.

Chapter 14 — The Baroque Pearl
Chapter 16 — Lesser Theologians