"♪ I feel it running through my veins ♪" "♪ And I need that fire ♪" "♪ Just to know that I'm awake ♪" "So, if Amberle fails the trial, the Ellcrys will kill her?" "If she succumbs to her fear, yes." "And we will lose any hope of saving this world from the Dagda Mor." "Great." "Okay, then." "Unh!" "Get up, Amberle." "Look, I didn't mean to hurt you." " Why are you lying?" " I'm not." "You never loved me." "You have feelings for him." "Words aren't enough, Amberle." "You need to prove your commitment to the quest." "I'll do whatever it takes." "Prove it." "Kill me." "What?" "There will be no mercy beyond these walls." "The Demons feed on weakness." "And you?" "You're as weak as they come." "If you're going to survive, you have to harden your heart." "Now kill me!" "Please don't make me do this!" "The quest is more important than any one life!" "You can't let your emotions get in the way." "Now stand and fight me, or die with everyone else." "You're weak." "Unh!" "Is this your usual grave look or should I be worried?" "She's losing the fight." "You neglected your oath while the world burned." "You're no hero." "The Ellcrys knows the truth." "Congratulations, Amberle." "You passed the test." "Now, don't let anything distract you." "Not fear." "Not love." "The fate of the world depends on it." "Where's the Bloodfire?" "The Ellcrys has chosen Amberle to carry its seed to the Bloodfire." "As the tree has entrusted her with its life, so now must we place our lives in her hands." "My dear child, I am so sorry that the burden falls on your shoulders." "Come, now." "We have no time to waste." "_" "_" "_" "_" "_" "_" "What are you?" "This is what I saw in my vision on a stained-glass window." "Do you recognize it?" "Doesn't the codex have a map or something?" "The Safehold is referred to only once in the codex, stating that it lies beyond the Wilderun, in the Old World." "I don't know about the rest of them, but I have had enough of this magician's cryptic pronouncements." "You know nothing of the world of magic." " Allanon, wha..." " Is just a man." "Beneath the cloak and the furrowed brow, he is the same enemy that we have spent our entire lives fighting." "I am not your enemy, Prince." "Sending a young girl out into the wilderness with no map and no protection..." "That is a bad plan." "The Ellcrys has spoken." "That ends the debate." "Do you remember the summer you sent" "Aine, Arion and me to the Fort in Drey Wood?" "We met an Elf there named Rin Katsin." "He told us stories of his adventures beyond the ancient Elvin sentinels, inside the Wilderun." "Send word to Drey Wood." "I want Rin Katsin brought there immediately." "Crispin..." "You will escort Amberle, Wil, and Allanon to meet him." "You'll leave at first light." "Yes, Your Grace." "No mention of this plan can leave this room." "The Dagda Mor still has his traitor within these walls." "Amberle, wait." "Are you okay?" "Well, I nearly died for the privilege of going on a quest to save the Four Lands." "I don't know where I'm headed, but I suspect it'll be someplace full of Demons." "So no, Wil, I'm not okay." "Well, it's a good thing I'm coming with you." "I can annoy the Demons to death." "This is no time for jokes." "Whatever is going on, you can tell me." "I don't need you to hold my hand, and I don't need your emotions getting in the way of what we have to do." "All right, you're gonna sneak into the palace, find the half-breed, and snag the Stones." "If I get caught," "I'll spend the rest of my life in a jail cell." "Yeah?" "It'll be a lot worse for you if you come back empty-handed." "Now, go!" "Don't even think about double-crossing me." "Thanks for coming." "I just had to see him one last time." "Of course." "I'm so sorry about Jace, Catania." " About all of this." " I know." "I just can't believe you're leaving again." "Losing you once was bad enough." "I'm going to come back." "Hey, what happened to you in there?" "I saw Lorin." "It was so real, I could touch him, and smell him." "He said I never loved him." "That I was a coward." "No, you're none of those things, Amberle." "It was just an illusion." "A way for the Ellcrys to test you." "I know... but it was right." "I didn't love Lorin." "And I was scared." "We all are." "Commander Tilton... we have a situation in the sanctuary." "Went." "We need to get Amberle back to the palace." "Let's go!" "Bandon?" "What are you doing out here?" "I wanted to see the sky." "When I was a kid..." "I dreamed of coming to Arborlon and seeing the royal palace." "Now I'm here..." "All you want to do is go home." "I have no home." "If you let me bandage your wrists," " they'll heal faster." " Don't touch me!" "Does something happen when people touch you?" "I see things." "Like what?" "Their death." "Is that what you meant about Amberle?" "Before she entered the Ellcrys, you said something terrible would happen if I didn't go with her." "When you touched Amberle, did you see anything like this?" "Yeah, this symbol." "It was in the room where they died." "They?" " You mean Amberle and Allanon?" " No." "Amberle and another girl." "A Human." "Hey, short tips." "Long time no see." "I've received word from the Fort Commander at Drey Wood." "Rin Katsin has been summoned." "He'll be there in less than two days' time." "Thank you, Arion." "Please pass that on to Allanon." "About what I said earlier, I..." "Yes, I've been thinking about that." "And I've come to a decision." "Even if we defeat this Demon horde..." "I will not abdicate." "If this crisis has taught me anything, it is that you are not yet ready to be king." "I apologize for what I said earlier, but... but please, Father, do not let that overshadow" " my accomplishments..." " Accomplishments?" "What would they be?" "I deserve the crown." "No one deserves the crown." "Your brother understood that." "Why can't you?" "It is hard to compete with the ghost of a brother whose stature increases in your mind with every passing year." "My decision is made." "We have a problem." "You have exactly five seconds before I call the guards." "Please don't." "Give me one good reason not to." "Cephalo saw you use the Stones." "He sent me here to steal them." "I said a good reason." "Will, he'll kill me if I don't." "You really expect me to believe your own father would do that." "Cephalo is not my father." "I'm his property." "He bought me when I was a little girl." "I spent the days learning how to steal and my nights fending off his men." "So, yeah... he would kill me." "I'm sorry." "Nobody deserves that." "But I can't give you the Stones." "Look, I don't want the Stones." "I just want your help." "I want to get away from him." "And I want a new life... just like you." "Look, my new life could be very, very short." "I'm in way over my head." "But what you did at the camp, jumping in front of that Demon." "I've never seen anyone do something so brave before." "That princess is lucky to have you." "Amberle and I aren't together." "In fact, she wants nothing to do with me." "Well..." "If I had someone like you," "I would never let him go." "♪ I might be yours, as yours... ♪" "Nice try." "But I'm not falling for your little ro..." "I get why you don't trust me." "But I am sorry." "Apology accepted." "Went was killed by one of the Dagda Mor's Demons, probably the same one that murdered the Chosen and gave away our position in Wing Hove." "Yeah, but it's after me, isn't it?" "You are the only thing standing between the Dagda Mor and its freedom." "Well, then we should leave for Drey Wood tonight," " under cover of darkness." " No." "We cannot depart until we have found this Demon and destroyed it." "Otherwise, it'll keep informing the Dagda Mor of your movements." "And if it comes for me, what then?" "As long as you remain within the palace," "Wil and I will take guard of you, at all times." "Speaking of Wil, where is he exactly?" "I'll never call you short tips again." "Ooh, sorry!" "Are you okay?" "You're gonna die." "Excuse me?" "Don't go upstairs." "It's not safe." "You don't understand!" "You've got to listen to me!" "Listen to me!" " What is it?" " Eretria?" "Oh!" "Hey!" "Wait, you can't go up there!" "Stop that Rover!" "There's nowhere to run, Eretria." "Oh!" "Don't let her escape." "The cloak's a nice touch, Rover, but your boots gave you away." "Excellent work, Commander Tilton." "Thank you, Your Grace." "Prince Ander assisted with the apprehension." "If by assisted you mean got his ass kicked, yeah, he was a big help." "Rover, do you have a name?" "Does it matter?" "We all look the same to you, anyway." "You'll address the king with the respect he deserves." "He's not my king, Elf." "Her name is Eretria." "I met her on the road." "She tried to rob me." "You will be charged with the murder of the royal gardener and the attempted assassination of the princess, Amberle." "Do you understand?" "Are you insane?" "I didn't kill anyone." "Besides me and Allanon, there were two other witnesses." "Look, I'm a lot of things, but I'm not a killer." "Then what are you doing in Arborlon?" "She came for the Elfstones." "But I wouldn't put anything past her at this point." "An Elvin court will decide your fate." "If you are guilty, the penalty will be death." "Take her to the cells." "Amberle, please!" "I didn't do this!" "I didn't do this!" "No!" "I need to talk to her." "It's important." "You've got 30 seconds." " Where are they?" " Wil, I didn't..." "The Stones, Eretria, now!" "Right hand pocket." "Liar and thief wasn't good enough, huh?" "You had to add murderer to your list of accomplishments." "No." "No, when Amberle recognized me," "I took off, but I didn't try to kill her." "Save it." "Amberle was right about you all along." "You only give a damn about yourself." "Think about it, Wil." "Why would I come all the way here to kill Amberle when I had a million chances out there in the woods?" "How does murdering her even help me?" "If someone's really trying to kill her, then they're still out there." "Time's up!" "My father's sword." "The Elvin people... were deprived of a great king when he was taken from us." "May it protect you on your journey." "I miss him every day." "Me too." "Now more than ever." "You remind me of him so much." "He was just like you." "Headstrong, but selfless... and very brave." "Arborlon could not have chosen a finer protector." "You come back to us." "I will." "Is something bothering you?" "I don't understand why we can't leave immediately now that the murderer has been caught." "I'm not so sure that's the case." "Why am I not surprised you're taking the Rover's side?" "I have no love for Eretria, but she only came for the Elfstones." "How was she able to steal the Stones in the first place?" "She attacked me in my room." "We struggled and she knocked me out." "Oh, I take it back, then." "She sounds totally trustworthy." "Look, she could have killed us in the woods or the Rover camp." "Why come all the way here to do it?" "Maybe she has a flair for the dramatic." "But it doesn't matter." "Allanon and I saw her with our own eyes." "Well, our eyes aren't impervious to deception." "That's Druid-speak for "Maybe you should reconsider."" "I know you hate Eretria, but you can't let your feelings cloud your judgment." "If you have doubts that Eretria did it, why didn't you tell her?" "For the same reason you didn't tell her her that you slept with the Rover girl." "It does not serve our mission." "You seriously have to stop with the mind reading." "There is a powerful Demon inside this palace." "Up 'til now, it's been successful cloaking itself from me." "If we can convince it that we've let our guard down..." "It might strike again." "And this time, we'll be ready." "But we still don't know what this Demon looks like." "Wait, maybe Bandon could help." "The boy?" "How?" "He told me when he touches people, he sees their death." "He's a seer." "That is a powerful and dangerous gift." "Do you think he could see a dead person's final moments?" "Why did you bring me here?" "Wil told me about your gift." "Seeing death is no gift." "You are a seer, Bandon." "You don't just see death." "You see possibilities." "Your parents didn't understand that, but I do." "My mentor, Bremen, was a seer." "I watched as he walked the perilous ledge between darkness and light." "Allanon!" "I tried to stop her." "Please, let the Chosen rest in peace." "My plan is to save the Ellcrys, and there will be no peace until that is done." "Lorin pledged himself to protect the tree." "Let him help us." "All we need are his last moments." "Look for the face of the killer." "Unh!" "What did you see?" "It was her." "You killed him." "What?" "She had the knife... and silver eyes." "It wasn't the princess that you saw." "It was a Changeling." "The Changeling is an ancient Demon, a shape shifter that can inhabit the form of any being it chooses." "That explains how it's been able to hide in the palace." "That thing killed Lorin." "The Ellcrys was trying to warn me, and I ran." "If you hadn't run, you'd be dead by now and all hope would be lost." "Now, the Demon does not know that we are aware of its existence." "That could work to our advantage." "The Changeling wants me." " That's why it's still here." " If you are considering offering yourself as bait..." "think again." "What if we use a decoy?" "Someone with nothing to lose." "Eretria will never help us." "She will, if it's in her own self-interest." "Good, now go convince her." "Wil!" "The Human girl I saw with Amberle in my vision... was the Rover." "Come to check out the view?" "There may be a way to win your freedom." "So, you figured out I'm not the one who attacked you." "Way to go." "We need your help to catch the real murderer." "A Demon." "And you want to use me as bait." "It's either that or face an Elvin court." "And before you play "Little Miss Innocent,"" "let's not forget that you broke into the palace, assaulted Wil and stole the Elfstones." ""Assaulted"?" "Is that what he told you?" "The details aren't important." "He said you broke into his room." "That he struggled, but you knocked him out." "That's one way to put it." "But you should know that the struggle was mutual and lasted about an hour." "Well, he said you two weren't together." "And he's absolutely right." "Are you going to help or not?" "You'll be safe in here." "Now what?" "We wait." "The princess didn't seem very happy to hear about us." "There is no "us."" "Wow." "You're such a guy." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Seduce the girl, then drop her?" "Me?" "Seduce you?" " Yeah." " That's..." "Oh, that's..." "You've got to be kidding me." "No, I call it like I see it." "You can't make me regret what happened any more than I already do." "Well, I guess you're really out of luck now." "That princess won't want a Rover's sloppy seconds." "A patrol just found the body of a Blackwatch Guard hidden near the North Wall." "He's been dead a couple of days." "If the Changeling's been hiding in the Blackwatch, it might know we're using a decoy." "We have to warn Amberle!" "Open the doors!" "Open up!" "Amberle, are you okay?" "I'm fine, why?" "You're not safe here." "It's okay." "What's going on?" "Why aren't you with Eretria?" "Because it's you I'm after!" "Amberle!" " Halt!" " Stand down!" "Burn the Demon and seal its ashes in this." "Yes, sir." "If we're done here, I'll just take my things and go." "I'm afraid not." "Commander Tilton, take the prisoner back to her cell." "What are you doing?" "I don't make deals with Rovers." "Oh, I knew an Elvin bitch wouldn't keep her word." "Let her go." "This has gone far enough." "You need to tell us what you know, Princess." "Amberle..." "You saw Eretria in your vision." "What are you talking about?" "Bandon told me when he touched you, he saw you and Eretria together." "But I'm guessing you already knew that, mind reader." "I was hoping you were going to tell me of your own volition." "Yes, she was in my vision." "But I didn't know what it meant." "I thought it might be a warning, and when she showed up and attacked me, that confirmed it." "You need to start trusting the Ellcrys, otherwise the three of you will not make it to Safehold." ""Three"?" "Princess, Rover, Elf, and Druid makes four." "Allanon wasn't in my vision." "If the Dagda Mor sends more Demons, we must be ready for them here." "That is why you three... must travel to Safehold together." "Do you recognize this?" "Go to hell." "Oh, we might get there soon enough." ""We"?" "I'm not going anywhere with you." "Much as I'd love to see you rot in that cell, the Ellcrys says you're part of the quest." "What the hell is an Ellcrys?" "Lover boy can fill you in." "We can't do this without you." "You are a Shannara, Wil." "Never forget that." "When you learn how to unlock the power of the Elfstones, the Demons won't stand a chance." "Yeah." "It's not the Demons I'm worried about." "I don't know about you, but..." "I'm feeling great about this plan." "Move out!" "Don't worry." "Daddy's coming."