Sacrifice

Muldran's journal notes:

"That was almost a disaster. I'd only popped out to find a few reagents - but once more, creatures from the desert nearly made me dessert! Fortunately, Tim was on hand with his bow. Managed to disturb a few Solen nests as well. Nasty case of poisoning, but again, once I'd explained things to Tim - about how magic needs absolute concentration to succeed - I'd already recovered.

A short stroll later, and we were walking through Vesper. It had been quite some time since I'd been home - and the place was quiet. I didn't feel homesick. Funny, that. It's been so long, yet - nothing. I think the Library - the Shadow Court - is now more of a home than ever before.

Passing through Vesper rapdily, we found our way to the Shrine of Sacrifice with only a few brushes with demonic trees. I did point out to Tim that the Shadow Court was originally founded in that area; I'd have to take him there, to the coast, sometime. The shrine of Sacrifice was as beautiful as ever. As Tim went forward to the shrine, I was thinking back to my shrine trip, and suddenly remembered Humility.

As I did so, a great pain swept through me, and I staggered, sitting heavily down on the ground. I saw Tim was having his own troubles with the shrine. It seemed worse than ever before, he was struggling to control the threads within him, and the mantra seemed to cause him pain. Pulling myself to my feet, I sang a song that I'd sung him on the start of the journey, the song my mother sang to me when referring to the shrine of Sacrifice.

"The crow flies near!
The crow flies far!
And where it lands,
It sayeth..."

Cah! The word rocketed out of Tim, and he repeated it twice more. Slowly his shaking subsided and he got to his feet. As I stepped forward to him, another wave of pain hit me - something outside, something in Magincia was very wrong. Asking Tim's permission, I summoned a gate to take us to Rhovanion, to speak with the Court.