Chapter 23

Camellia swears her oaths to me in Drognar and I tie us all together with the magic Magdalena has given me to keep track of each member of my house. I confront her in particular about forcing my hand with them and she admits to her own jealousy and pettiness, that she wants to form a family with me and Andstella as well. She gives me a journal on the magic of the heart that she has made herself immune to, alludes to maybe healing her of this one day. I collect my bloodletting dagger from Spindle (and his new apprentice-in-training) and we set out towards the Village of Lost People, led by a birch troll named Ghost. The village is awash in strange unweaving magic practiced by Tom, their leader. A combination of sleuthing and simple questions reveals his use of this horrible magic and the water of vitality and we execute him for these transgressions. My interactions with the Shard of the Empress get more mysterious and forcible in a frustrating and unsettling way.