The expedition party divides to carry out its assignments

The expedition party’s division converts Tyrus’s secret preparations into separate, concrete missions. Annon asks each companion to accept a charge that will aid their journey into the Scourgelands, and the assignments expose both the group’s shared purpose and the fractures within it: the prince, Khiara, and Erasmus agree to travel, while Paedrin and Hettie accept tasks that sharpen their personal conflict rather than resolve it.

The assignments

Annon tells the others that Tyrus shared information with him that he has not disclosed to them, and that it must remain secret for now. He frames the assignments as practical steps toward the Scourgelands journey, then asks whether they will take up their charges. The plan is not explained in full; its immediate force lies in the trust Annon asks the group to place in information they cannot yet share.

The prince is the first to answer, saying that he will go to Stonehollow. Annon then asks Khiara and Erasmus to accompany him to the oracle of Basilides, a temple the Arch-Rike has built away from Kenatos as a refuge should the city fall. Still under construction and hidden in the mountains, the temple cannot yet be approached directly: they must first discover its location. Khiara glances furtively toward the prince before agreeing, while Erasmus weighs the peril against his own appetite for a long gamble.

Erasmus describes himself as having lost the ducats he accumulated through betting and as likely wanted in Havenrook, Kenatos, and Alkire; knowledge of the treaty of Wayland, he adds, may make him wanted there too. He recalls that the previous party to enter the Scourgelands died, and considers the same fate likely for most of the present company. Yet he also reasons that Tyrus has improved their odds, and that Basilides may provide information useful to their survival. The risk is not diminished, but it is precisely the scale of the gamble that persuades him to join Annon’s mission.

Paedrin and Hettie choose their charges

Annon turns last to Paedrin and Hettie, a choice Paedrin has been dreading. Before Hettie can answer, Paedrin steps forward and declares the Arch-Rike his enemy, vowing to do what he can to break the ruler’s influence over the people. He then reveals what he had not previously told the others: while Paedrin was imprisoned in the Arch-Rike’s dungeon, the Arch-Rike brought Master Shivu to disavow him. Paedrin understood from Master Shivu’s eyes that the apparent rejection concealed an attempt to communicate without words. Master Shivu told him the story of Cruw Reon, giving him information meant to aid the expedition and, Paedrin hopes, lead to the restoration of the Shatalin temple.

Paedrin accepts his charge gladly, but adds that he will go alone. He does not look at Hettie, unwilling to see her response. Annon studies the pair without objecting, then asks Hettie directly whether she is sure. Her answer makes clear that her mission is distinct from Paedrin’s: she says she does not care where he goes, but that Tyrus charged her to steal the blade, and she accepts. Paedrin turns on her with anger and accuses her of having stolen enough. Hettie answers with a gracious bow and identifies herself as Romani, exposing the contempt beneath their exchange as a conflict over identity and judgment as well as a disagreement over the mission.

A rendezvous beyond the Arch-Rike’s reach

The division raises an immediate logistical problem: where can the separated companions meet again after completing their tasks? Annon first proposes Canton Vaud, the seat of the Druidecht hierarchy, currently in Silvandom. Paedrin rejects the suggestion because the Arch-Rike has spies there and already knew that Annon had left that morning. Their enemy’s reach makes a familiar political center unsafe, forcing the group to choose a less obvious meeting place.

Annon proposes the other Dryad tree, the one he saved. Khiara knows its location, and the prince says she has already explained it to him; he adds that the tree is guarded and agrees to the choice. Annon tells Paedrin and Hettie that it lies in the forest west of Silvandom, where the Bhikhu are guarding it. He will have spirits watch for the travelers, and Nizeera can guide them there. The rendezvous is therefore not simply a point on a map: it depends on guardians, spirit assistance, and the group’s ability to remain beyond the Arch-Rike’s surveillance.

The meaning of separation

Annon’s warning that there is safety in numbers makes the division an acknowledged danger, not a clean partition of responsibilities. He hopes the companions will be ready to challenge the Scourgelands when they reunite, but cautions them to stay watchful because the Arch-Rike is unlikely to respond peacefully after his defeat that day. The proposed reunion site gives the party a shared future objective even as the assignments pull its members apart.

The scene ends with the consequences of the day still uncertain. Hettie asks her brother whether Tyrus is dead, her voice having lost its earlier edge. Annon cannot say: Tyrus is clever, but the Kishion who attacked him seemed unstoppable, and Annon cannot see how he could have survived. That unanswered question shadows the new plan. The party accepts its separate duties without knowing whether the person who set them in motion is alive, and without knowing whether their separate routes will bring them safely back together.