WoG Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Breaking the Old Ways

Pikarn and Rikis Choerkin, aboard the Singing Dolphin with Captain Bour, sail up the Sobuno River toward Berul Island, leveraging favorable winds and oarsmen to make swift progress past deserted Broldun towns—Kibit, Enslak, Oriko, and Mesang—where Shadows and Taken are scarce. Five days from Ulmun Island, they reach terrain signaling proximity to the Harumin River, their route to Berul. Pikarn shares a colorful tale with Rikis about his past romantic escapade with Oldenu Broldun, revealing a scandal that led to a blood price and his ostracism from Broldun territory, blending humor with lingering regret. Upon reaching Berul, Oldenu, still formidable and sharp-tongued, greets Pikarn with a punch, reigniting their playful yet tense chemistry. She confirms Berul’s safety due to shallow waters and reveals her recent scouting of Istinjoln, where the Celestial Gate persists, spewing Shadows of Man. Skeptical of Pikarn’s half-formed plan to seize Istinjoln with Colok allies, Oldenu nonetheless offers hospitality, leading them to her fortified settlement of stone buildings. As Pikarn navigates Oldenu’s barbs and Rikis’s teasing, their mission gains traction with her knowledge, setting the stage for a perilous push toward Istinjoln to confront the demonic gate, tempered by the unresolved history between Pikarn and Oldenu.

• WoG Chapter 15 — Out of the Valley
• WoG Chapter 17 — Ironwing's Pouch
• Whispers of Ghosts — Main Chapter Listing