Wrenogal: Act III, xii-xiv
xii
Why track him now? He’s finished. He cannot
do any more harm than he has now done.
I know you seek for vengeance, but take thought—
‘twas vengeance that made his ill overrun!
The Shroud so spoke to bold Nevgondian,
who chased, over the hill and plain, the man
who’d burned at heart and burned by Locrien,
and burned more now than when his fire began.
He had his lie to tell the Shroud. My charge,
my Aerandel has told me what to do.
I can’t refuse her order, tho so large
loom all the promises that come from you.
This lie appeased the Shroud, but he did hide
the true reasoning which he kept inside.
xiii
You idiot. You supine, vile fool.
You scarce of mind and full of vitriol.
Your cowardice has always been your tool
for getting out of trouble when you fall.
The Shroud so spoke to Erison. Whose sword
still blazed, and would do ‘til many weeks hence.
Who ran, and ran, and ran he knew not toward,
his feet as weary as his heart was tense.
Just whispers, now, now that the hood was gone.
It could not overtake his soul as then;
but had already greatly overrun
his mind, and would, by whispers, oft again.
You soul-forsaken sap, it spat. Just how
do you think to appease your village now?
xiv
And West they flew, two men and Shadow, too,
past all the hills of Dustan, to the sands
that start the desert, where few travel through
except in merchant shipping caravans.
And when they crossed the path those shipments made,
who else crossed, but the man who promised, false,
to take Wyveria in his parade,
that starts in Ryke and not ‘til Octave halts.
Just now that very man who tied his word
to such a lurid lie, a wagon rode,
who read his secret assassin’s record,
who said they’d failed, who wrote within their code:
“her guards knew that we came! Flee while you can!”
As Erison’s sword spied the caravan.