The Hero and the Crown

Aerin ascends the stairs for what feels like eons, completely alone. Eventually, she feels a presence and realizes that “[e]vil was with her; red evil shone in her eyes, rode on her shoulders, harried her heels; waited in the dark doorways where she would not look, fell like ash and rose like smoke from the torches” (181). The surka rash on her chest reawakens and begins to spread, becoming her only point of focus in the haze. She finally reaches a shadowy hallway and runs, feeling like something is pursuing her.

She reaches a door and leans against it, thinking of Luthe. The doors suddenly explode with a terrible roar. Wind tosses her around but subsides when she manages to draw Gonturan. She sees Agsded on the other side of the room; he bears an uncanny resemblance to her appearance as it was before Maur’s attack. When he laughs, he sounds just like her, but when he speaks, his voice is vastly different. He tries to persuade her that she should not try to defend those who have never defended her. He insults her, her kingdom, and Talat, and she tries to fight back, but she is unable to pierce through his words.