One looking glass of heavy copper and brass constriktion, a lense for and aft by which means one may peere through and gaze across many miles. Given me by Sylvius Duquesne to while away my recovery from a bad fall, from my Myrkentown window I watched the Dagger tavern's, from my tavern room I may see Darkenhold's highest rooves. One evening I watched for an hour the journey of a motld grey mouse upon rooftops and through gutters and past windowsills and into the hungry maw of a cat, it was most edukashunal.

One drawn oak tree, set in dark ink upon heavy paper by the hand of Syl Duquesne. It is a likeness of the tree which grows in the orcherd given my sister and I by m'ser nadeyus'ty moya, and very fine.

Hrimfax, hah this is humor, of course he cannot be kept so restraind although I would like him better were that so. He is entrustd to my care by the General, Eriks Sleipner, for he will suffer no touch by mine. Perhaps the General returns to us soon. I hope for it.

An unsortment of spices each in their glass viles, each of exotic origin and no name which I can understand or properly repredoos upon a page. The scent of them is fine and interesting, some are for tea I think, I would not dare.

One eye patch, gilded with the Duke's own insignia. A rememberance of our journey to the lair of foul Ordmathus.

No wicked silvered serpents.

Inventory. This is the word employed by Bezalul when there must be an acounting of things important to our work. It is a good word a good process. There are also these things which are important to myself, and I move them now from one place to my home, where they must be stored with much care behind Von Dragon's seal. It is a good time for this inventorying, I think. This is mine.

When first I began to write these things, I did not know why, eksept it was a thing Quincy did, and so I wuold also. And for that Johan would write so, on maters both stranje and somtime chahming, and I did not care to feel his lesser. Not in this mater, not in any other, and so there was this book.

I have read back thruogh its pages this mohning. There are names that I had forgotten. I regret that laps loss omish .

For sake of this, I write now. For that I have seen such things, for that there are men and women who ort not be forgotten, I canot bear that death would be the end of them. Thorn. The General. Arin Kahrolinjuh. Even fell Michael Wren, who I think


I do not know what to think of him. Eksept that soon we must ride together, he and I, and he will surely find his death at journey's end. He must meet his god there, althogh of course it is no true god, and whatever it might be, it will savaj his life as he has so many others. And I shall lift no hand to save him, for that it is a just death, and Michael Wren is surely a man who must die, who canot be let to live, for he is not holy the monster that he clames, but nor is he the inoscent, and if he did not fall to his god it would be my own hand that slew him. I will not miss him.


I will not forget him.

Orver lies in ruin but it is not lost, for Koran has put rest to what fell forces romed there. Even Jorn lies ded at my own hand. What I will do now I know not.

I have no more stumak left for this and in any case it has servd its perpose, my writing is improved. I know not why, for I will have little use for it. I have grown weary and hateful of inc and parchment and empty words, and so here is an end to it all, I think. Let there be nothing left yet to read, and no more to write, for along with the inevetabel letters, I consine this book to the flaimes.

Terhill lies dead, and his men with him. Some of ours, also, we are but few now, althugh this may soon chaneg. That is my hope and I cannot kwe qeshtun the Dook of it, who rievuls me for silens.

Terhill asked what brings me here, as did the Dook before him, and likely Kehruk after him, if that one still lives. He had no answer, nor the others, I do not care or dare even to write it here, where another may some day read it, and in any case, it is too kump cum difficult to make words of.

I kept the boy from death, and fear he makes too much of it. He has gifen me his awnament, a tiny pendunt of a silver worm and a chain upon which to wear it.

I wished to qeshtun Terhill, to understand this revolt, but there was of course no time for such a thing. He was an egsel brily very good swordsman, and his life was wasted on this effort, he put me in mind of Galandry and Mannin and the others, long ago, I miss them still, I think, and should not.

I am very alone here and find it pleasant, there is not much chance for that in Myrken Wood. As if it were many years ago, and all we cared for was to fight and see if we lived to fight again. And yet I think often of Kwinsy and how she migt fare with Lenaw, and of Starr with his holdings, see, I have written it with both rs, he wuld be pleased. And also of little Flin, and of Koran, for who I now must greatly fear, and of Jo

But I want not to write of that, my eye grows tired, I will stop.

[Excerpt]


Dear Johan.

The Dook yet liffs, yet n

The Dook has wilfuly, kalusly, krooly deseevd m

Avoyd Orver for sivil war has broken out and all is in unre

We ride upon Orver this night, and may there gods save what beleevers lurk withi

The weather in Thessilane proves pleasant this month...

Weekneses off the Dragun.

Slope
The Dragun is slope. Beeing as grate off girth as he is smal off mind, the Dragun has not the wits to kompreehend smal detales, he wil not ges that the dart which has struk him is poisond until he findes himself neer to deth. He is forgetfool.

Greede
The Dragun is by naicher glutonus and when gripd by hunger can thingk off nuthing but its satisfakshun. So grate are its lusts that it wil heed not the hunter nor the wornings of its pray nor even its protestes nor wil it demunstrate holenes off mind. At such times it dus not relise the ekstent of its vulnrabiliti and is eesili slorterd.

IDIOSI
The Dragun is abuv al els a fool O they com with tee I must stop

The aye has not yet reternd. It did not trubel Sha to see beneeth the pach, but then he is planeli no awdin awedena awe din airy, it is one word, man.

Sha. Or Shar, I am not sertin. I fear his wit, that he manipoolates me with grate skil. I fear for Kwinsy far mor, for it's she who is his konsern. It is troo that he watchd over her as she slept, but this meens nothing. Lamy mite haff dun as much herself, and that chernozhopyi has proovn herself nuthing but traitorus. I wil haff werds with her soon, and mor than werds, perhaps. Her thret is unforgivabl.

But she is les importunt than this Sha, who ses . That he watchs as she sleeps meens nothing, that she yet liffs meens nothing, but he asks the rite kweshtuns. He asks that wich one with troo konsern for her wud ask, he asks what I wud ask. He wud protekt her from himself, as I wud, O it seems that in so many ways we are alike. That, too, trubls me. He wud be her sword, with mye permishun, mine? He skairs knows me, and stil he ses

It sikens me, that his werds may yet prooff fals. He wud haff me play shield to his sword, I thingk, and we haff argyood lowdli. That was veri gud. But off al else, I wud ask Yoharn, if I kud. I wish moste that there was sumwun else, sumwun to ask, or that I mite onli know that he is trustwerthy, that after Jawn, he will gard her.

Piz`dyulina... Mo'i otpusk posh'el posrat. Prissat'? Pososi moyu konfetku.

Khue'vye den'ki nastali.


Our langwij has meny terms for the werd 'frend'. It wud seem stranje to one not born Dorntles, for that we are so kolde a peepul, I thingk. But it is so, and there is no explai eksplane eksplaining it, and even I feel the need off these meny werds. To Yoharn I wud say 'cholovik', which menes

O I kanut say it for he mite sumday see and in any kase it is riten alredy on his sord. It is a promis. To Kwinsee I wud say 'pahdru’ga ', which is for the sibling of the hart, rathr than the blud. It is a kloser bond than blud. For Leethul, 'druh', the dringking frend, the batul kompanon, the frend for lafftuh and bludshed, and long drunkn nites wen the fiting is done. It is what I wud say to Star, also.

No longr. I must admier Leethul's skil with those nives the more so, now that I haff felt one off them agenst my throte. And I haff made a hor off him, for he liffs only as long as he can make Kwinsee smile.

We haff pend, Kwinsy and I, a sine for The Room, for that they haff tawn awai its flor, and we wud not haff peepl fal to their deths.. It reeds

YU CUM IN, YU DIE. PLEES DU NOT

Kwinsy did not care for the dot, but I insistd, for that one must plase the wal betwene the werds els non wil reed it kurektly. She wud haff me rite one, also, but I thingk not for my penmunship is yet moste por. If any shud fal and die I shal pay Yoharn wel to rite one that may be more eesily red.

Leethul has reternd. I haff not yet spoken with him, and he shud be glad off this, for his absens was manda kataklis disas reegretabul. He kairs for her, as she dus he, I know this for she has tolde me it, and that marij shud never haff okerd. I fuly intend to giff him a broos by which to remember this fakt.

Stil, I am glad off his retern. He makes her to smile, even when she dus not smile with her lips, and even when she dus not wish to.

I haff alarmd Koran a litul, I thingk, which pleesus me very wel.

I haff desidud, after watching their spa yestereev, that I shal chalenj Yoharn to dyool. He has mail, and a fine sord, and also a sheeld, and that shud be sufishent. He wil aksept for that there is no uther way, and he wil fite until he falls of ekshorstun, and then perhaps he wil understand. And then I wil know if he can be tort, or that he must be sent away.

I canot see if the new aye groes. Perhaps it is yet very small.

Elil has given to me more of the poshun I had thought was useles, and I feel a fool, for it was ment for the skin, not the stumak. I am fawtunute that she yet had sum flasks remaining.

I hope that it werks swiftly on the suket. The aye may yet be restawd bfore Yoharn can notis the patch.

Koran has shaterd a wal off the tavern. I had not the chans to tel him that Jawn is now mye consern. I no longr haff the time for


There are othr things, soles. I hope I do not haff one.

The aye is gon. What remains is veri ugli. There is a thing that can be don, one may seve sufe sefur the musul at the ej of the aye's lid, so it will be always closd, but I trust neether the fizishuns nor my self, having alredi made ruin enuff when remooving the reel aye. It is the uglist thing I ever haff se It cud wel haff gon more poorli than it did, and in these past few days has begun even to leek less. We each off us spawt paches now, no dowt the town talks off this, too. I dred what wil com when he sees, but that is foolishnuss, for it may wel serff my ends and I dare not care for much els

Yoharn ses that after al we haff seen and don, it is foolish to thingk that lif ends with deth. But is that not the meening off lif and deth, off those werds? I recawl long ago, when our House still thought to prosper, we childrun, my brutha and I, were permitud to a slor ter ing, it is one werd. When they drugud in the pig, it skweeld and was alive, and then they smote it over the hed with a hammer, and it was no longr a pig, it was meat. They sed it was dead, and then we knew.

Now these korpsus walk Myrken ground, and other things besides, and Helldunbrand will not die altho he has been slane twice, it is a horer, and for these resones he wud haff me put fathe in soles and after lif and al such nonsuns? No. I say this, that pig's carcus moofd when kikd with mye foot, and it is so with al these majikd things. The maje kiks with his majik and the ded meat moofs, even por Helldunbrand.

In any case, it is a terribul thort, this sole. I kanut riteli imajin it, that I am simpli a shape that houses anutha thing intiri, that I am not I, I am not substens but just

I kanut imajin it. Bekus it is wrong

He pases and pases and pases as ever and ses God in hevn is it reeli that importunt to yu. I fling the coins at his feet hand him fer pament and say Poslushay ty, mudak now the book is ferly mine and then he has fer lowd a vois and he runs to his room and feches it and I am most glad for al has sukseeded wel. He pases and pases sum mor and ses Dos this reeli meen so much and I say Na khu'yu vertet off cors it dos for I haff paid for it you see, and he ses veri lowdli Dos this reeli meen so much that youd haff me this dam angri and I say that I wil haff it now and hold out my hand to him and he walks to the harth and and

Ni khuya! Da ty sovsem okuel!! HE BERND IT!!!

I rite this by fierlite and but porlie, for I must soon remoof this aye, having no ferther need off it. Awlred Orlread It has festerd too long, and then I supose I shal adupt a pach as do Kwincee and the uthers. What a stranje kumpanee we must maik. This much is for serten: I shal never gro more practisd with a bo. It kanut be done with but the singul aye, this I no wel.

Thawn's bodi has been put into the grownd, it is the sekund I haff bereed in this last yeer. I wept not, for wuns that is begun it is not eesli stopd, and in any case, metal kanut. Nor did I weep for Shernevoe, I thingk, for I recawl littul save for the chil walk, and Flin's chiler tuch, and then I thingk I did for his kindnes but then he was no frend, althoe I lovd him wel, long ago. But that was a childe's foolishnes, for all that I was a woman grone.

I wish veri much that Jawn wud share his fait, for they are much simila, altho Jawn does not shar his charm.

As for that one, he wil finde that my deth goes not unpunishd. They al shal. Amungst the Lansers, Koler is named the Century-Killer, I haff seen it riten. He has no luff for maijs.


I haff riten more than I ekspektd to. I am impashent, for there is much yet to do, and I ride from here kum dawn. Stil, I no not what to do off Yoharn, who prooffs as stuborn as ever. I must put him from me befor al is konclooded. It wil not be eesile don the aye panes I must stop

[A page has been torn free, inexpertly; a ragged edge of paper is left at the book's spine.]

All the werld has gon mad. The veri erth seems craiz oh hecomsI musd stop

I shud haff left long ago, and we stil cud. I cud ask a dor off Koran, and we three cud leve, for even Kwincy cud be managed, I thingk. She thinks that Yoharn is not cursd as we are, for that he came off that plase, and not off Amaisinia. But what life wud that be for she and I, who no nun there and haff no plais in it? That is a foolish qweshtun, for the ansa wud be that it wud be life, wich is mor than we may haff here, if things kontinew as they haff.

But I do not wish to run, altho I shorely shud. I shud tel him off the things I haff seen here, off the dogman Melbree whos hand I shuk altho it was strainj. And off the skie, when we went to Tredwel's aid, for it was fer wundrus a site, the likes off which I thingk never to see agen. I must tel him that grait awbs of polishd stone flote in the skie amungst the stars, and that the stars themselfs are hooj and bern more britely than any flame. I wish that my riteing were betr so that I mite rite with the lovlines that such things warent. I haff seen no mor beootiful site than that, save for one off which I shal not rite.

It has been a beter life than I had ever ekspekted. Jawn may do his werst and I wil haff no regeret. I am not afrade.

I haff been reeding and I haff been riteing, all off which is mor werk than I trooly cair for. But stil he wil not giff me the rest off the book, which he has torn into severel porshuns, for fear that I will not reed it properlie. And no mater that his noshun of proper is imprakticul and waistful and in every way FOOLISH. Stil he wil not giff to me the rest of the book, even tho it was he who wud haff me reed it! I do not cair to reed the hole of his book if it shud be that the tail ends porlie. I do not see why one canut simply reed the end, so as to no that the tail is satisfaktory bfor spending meni days in its reeding.

He ses that this is sakrilej. I say that this is a stranje sort of relijun but abowt as sensibul as moste of them. And now the kruglyj durak has lefft, flush with angr, and I am alone with the skribeing he has werkd upon for these last days.

It is my rekuning that I am his bettr, in the hideing of dokumnts. Wen he realizes wut has okerd, he wil retern the rest off his book to me and repent off his folie.

It wil be most eduekashunal.