Midnight Tides/Chapter 24

Epigraph

Five wings will buy you a grovel, There at the Errant's grubby toes The eternal domicile crouching low In a swamp of old where rivers ran out And royal blood runs in the clearest stream Around the stumps of rotted trees Where forests once stood in majesty Five roads from the Empty Hold Will lay you flat on your back With altar knives and silver chased The buried rivers gnawing the roots All aswirl in eager caverns beneath Where kingly bones rock and clatter In the silts, and five are the paths To and from this chambered soul For all you lost hearts bleeding out Into the wilderness. Day of the Domicile Fintrothas (The Obscure)

Letheras

Hannan Mosag's demon travels on a furtive mission to find the Heart of Power that lays underneath Letheras.

Selush fixes Shurq Elalle and then says good bye to them both. Shurq sees the Tiste Edur's arriving fleet, and briefly speak of Gerun Eberict.

The King of Letheras sleeps on his throne, his court around him. The court is concerned it will be their last day, and Brys Beddict is reassured he will not be killed. Gerun Eberict speaks briefly to the court and then says he has other business to attend to.

Bugg stands on the city wall looking out on the approaching Edur. An artist paints an interpretation of the impeding conquest. Bugg briefly speaks with the Errant, and then he crosses path with Iron Bars and the Crimson Guard, who he sends to kill the god of the Jheck.

Trull Sengar, Rhulad, and the Warlock King enter the city. The Edur forces chart a path to the Eternal Domicile. Udinaas is sent to safety to be with Uruth.

Hull Beddict is hoping to find Tehol, for forgiveness. However he thinks Brys' death will be unavoidable, and that the city will fall quickly.

Udinaas is waiting with Uruth and Mayen, when he feels the Wyval awakening.

B'nagga leads the Jheck into the city, hoping to find their god. They wish to slaughter the Edur and forge their own empire.

Moroch Nevath holds a bridge along with other Letherii soldiers. Rhulad approaches them.

Bugg and the Crimson Guard near the temple. Bugg and the Errant wait outside as the Crimson Guard enter and begin battle with The Pack.

On the bridge, Rhulad accepts the Finadd's challenge and they kill each other in a duel. Nevath takes some solace in knowing Rhulad has yet to meet the King's Champion. When Rhulad comes back to life he is screaming in horror and pain for Udinaas.

Uruth hears her sons screams, and looks for Udinaas, but he is gone. Mayen sees her opportunity and flees into the city. Uruth orders soldiers to find Udinaas--she believes the slave has betrayed them.

Kettle hears battle, and thinks of the Five Tarthenal Gods. Then Azath prisoner helping Kettle drags her down to a bank of a swamp, before Sheltatha Lore then drags him into the water. Kettle takes the two swords and waits.

The Wyval leads Udinaas through the city--his master needs him.

Iron Bars and the others defeat the Pack, and then the Errant heals them. They speak briefly but B'nagga finds them and attacks them. Iron Bars kills the Soletaken and impresses the Errant.  They are sent then to find the Tarthenal, but only Iron Bars. The others will go to their ship.

Inside the palace, Brys notices the howling has stopped.

And deep underneath the ground...Mosag's demon grows near.

Ceda Kuru Qan tells his friend Bugg that it is time.

Bugg stops then, and calls to the Jaghut Huntress and says it is time for her to repay her favour.

The demon then tries to seize the power, but it is an illusion and is trapped in ice.

Far above this underground chamber is Settle Lake, and on its shore is a young pair of sometimes lovers. Ursto Hoobutt says he will marry Pinosel when the lake freezes over, and then all of it sudden it does. So he agrees.