Covenant thinks back to when he refused Mhoram’s summons to the Land in TPTP – refused on behalf of an endangered little girl. He remember’s Mhoram’s words:I was wrong….I should’ve listened to Mhoram.
Now Covenant realizes:Unbeliever, I release you. You turn from us to save life in your own world. We will not be undone by such motives. And if darkness should fall upon us, still the beauty of the Land endures – for you will not forget. Go in Peace.
Covenant falls back into his diamondraught induced stupor, and continues to dream of the death of Hamako. The next morning he awakens to find himself lying at the base of Landsdrop. As his companions also begin to stir, Pitchwife renders one of the best songs of the entire Chronicles, in eulogy and respect for the end of the Waynhim.I should’ve understood…..I should’ve given Seadreamer some kind of caamora. Should’ve found some way to save Hamako. Forget the risk. Mhoram took a terrible risk when he let me go. But anything worth saving won’t be destroyed by choices like that.
The First and Mistweave are comforted by Pitchwife’s song, but Honninscrave is not consoled. Covenant thinks again of Seadreamer, who died in vain, andMy heart has rooms that sigh with dust
And ashes in the hearth.
They must be cleaned and blown away
By daylight’s breath.
But I cannot assay the task,
For even dust to me is dear;
For dust and ashes still recall,
My love was here.
I know not how to say Farewell,
When Farewell is the word
That stays alone for me to say
Or will be heard.
But I cannot speak out that word
Or ever let my loved one go:
How can I bear it that these rooms
Are empty so?
I sit among the dust and hope
That dust will cover me.
I stir the ashes in the hearth,
Though cold they be.
I cannot bear to close the door,
To seal my loneliness away
While dust and ashes yet remain
Of my love’s day.
The Unbeliever was bitterly afraid that his own death would have more in common with Seadreamer’s than with Hamako’s.
Spoiler
This is the first real clue we get from SRD that Covenant will not survive.
Linden recounts to Covenant her nightmare their first night on Starfare’s Gem – the dream in which she tried to stop the flow of blood from Covenant’s knife wound. They discuss Covenant’s attempt to explain the Land on Kevin’s Watch those many days ago. Covenant knows that something else is bothering Linden, which she finally reveals:We’re getting close to it. This - …it’s unnatural. A reaction to something on the other side….If you want my guess, I’d say there’s been a desert sun for two days now.
Thus we encounter the Physician's Plight. Every physician encounters patients that for whatever reason cannot be saved. But the desire to save them burns still.Linden: “I could’ve saved Hamako. I could’ve saved them all. You were so close to erupting. I could’ve taken your wild magic and torn out that croyel’s heart. I’m no danger to the Arch of Time. None of them had to die.”
Covenant: “Why didn’t you?”
Linden: “I was watching you! Watching you tear your arm apart. I couldn’t think of anything else.”
Covenant: “I’m glad you didn’t – never mind what it would’ve done to me. I’m glad you didn’t for his sake. You let him achieve the meaning of his own life.”
Linden: “He died! He saved your life at least twice, and he spent his own life serving the Land you claim to care so much about, and the people that adopted him were nearly wiped off of the face of the Earth, and he died!”
Covenant: “I’m not glad he died. I’m glad he found an answer.”
Linden: “I’m sorry. I just don’t understand. Killing people is wrong. But dear Christ! Saving them has got to be better than letting them die.”
Covenant: “Linden. Hamako didn’t want to be saved. For the opposite reason that your father didn’t want to be saved. And he won.”
Linden: “I know, I know. I just don’t understand it.”
The next morning the travelers look out over the Sunbane-wracked Land for the first time since the first entered the Sarangrave many months ago. As Linden has speculated, a desert sun has been in effect, but now before their eyes, a fertile sun rises, and immediately green growth begins. Knowing that he, Linden, Cail, Vain and Findail are safe, Covenant orders the Giants to have stone underfoot at the rising of the sun from this point on and they begin their descent into the Land.
With the First hacking their way through the dense growth, the company made surprising good time for two days. On the morning of the third day, however, a surprise awaits: a sun of pestilence rises over them. Covenant is well aware that any decrease in the number of days in the Sunbane cycle means that the power of the Sunbane is increasing. But with this comes another, more dreaded memory:
Linden goes on to say:“Linden.” He grabbed at her wrist, yanked her hand away.
Her dismay slapped at him. “The sun of pestilence.” Her voice came twisted and harsh from her knotted throat. “Have you forgotten what it’s like? We don’t have any voure.”
Linden instructs the Giants to soak green wood in vitrim and use them as torches to give some protection from the massive insects. The First marks a subtle difference in the Chosen:“You don’t understand. You don’t feel it. It was never like this – I can’t remember – You don’t feel it. It’s hideous. You can’t fight it.”
The company travels through the sun of pestilence for two days, and on the third day, a desert sun rises, andCovenant was Giantfriend and ring-wielder; but it was Linden’s percipience upon which the company depended now for survival.
The First at last sees something of Seadreamer’s horror:(E)verything that the fertile sun had produced and the sun of pestilence had blighted might as well have been made of wax.
This sun also lasts a mere two days, and is followed by another sun of pestilence. Following the desert sun, there is no vegetation to rot, but by evening the company encounter huge scorpions and stag beetles as big as wolves.Ah, Cable Seadreamer! There is no cause for wonder that you lacked voice to utter such visions. The wonder is that you endured to bear them at all – and that you bore them in loneliness.
After one more day of pestilence, the morning brings a sun of rain. The company tie themselves together with rope, and continue their journey. The downpour is deafening, and soon Covenant cannot see Pitchwife at the end of the rope in front of him. But after a while Covenant is knocked down by an unknown force into the mud. Cail helps him to his feet, and we learn the source of the attack:
“Here are Durris and Fole of the Haruchai! They have come with others of our people to oppose the Clave!”
Rain pounded at Covenant; wind reeled through him. “Where’s Sunder?…..Where’s Hollian?”
Blurred in the fury of the torrents, two more figures became discernible. One of them seemed to hold out an object toward Covenant.
From it, a white light sprang through the storm, piercing the darkness. Incandescence shone from a clear gem which had been forged into a long dagger, at the cross where blade and hilt came together. Its heat sizzled the rain; but the light itself burned as if no rain could touch it.
The Krill of Loric.
It illuminated all the faces around Covenant: Cail and his kinfolk, Durris and Fole; Mistweave flanked by Vain and Findail; Pitchwife; the First and Honninscrave crowding forward with Linden between them. And the two people who had brought the Krill.
Sunder, son of Nassic, Graveler from Mithil Stonedown.
Hollian Amith-daughter, eh-Brand.
