The burden of leadership isn't a light one, and First Haft Amorine is starting to break. Troy shows he does have leadership skills, and gives the responsibility of leading the eight eoward of volunteers who will turn and fight at Doriendor Corishev (which Calindrill translates to "masterplace" or "desolation of enemies").to Amorine, boosting her spirit and perhaps earning more of her loyalty, though it does seem to irk Quaan a little bit.
Quaan isn't quite so accepting and questions Troy why the whole eoward doesn't stop and fight instead of continuing on the harrowing (pun intended) march. Troy tells Quaan that the ruins can only hold for a couple days and that he must trust in his plans, though Troy himself is feeling inadequate and is hinging all his hopes on Mhoram.
At this point we're given a little history pre-Berek (P.B.?). Other than being responsible for the Colossus releasing its edict, the people's actions had other ramifications.
Troy, Mhoram, Callindrill, the Bloodguard, Amorine, and the eight Eoward stay at the ruins while Quaan takes the main body of the Warward off on the rest of the march (now, really, considering Troy doesn't tell his plan to anybody, what the heck would Quaan have done if Troy had died?)Every falling tree hammered home an ineluctable doom for the masterplace. As the trees died, the southern lands lost the watershed which had preserved them from the Gray Desert. Centuries after the ravage of the One Forest became irreversible, these lands turned to dry ruin.
Troy gives a speech to the eoward telling them that they're all going to be targets of Fleshharrower's army and magic in order to draw his army together for the surprise he's going to have waiting for him. Interestingly, Troy tells Amorine, "Make sure of your lines of retreat. I don't want people getting lost in this maze when it's time for us to pull out." *snicker*
Both sides hurl some insults at eachother, Troy almost gets hit by an arrow, then the Raver gets to work on making himself a new scepter to put his fragment of the stone on. After about a day, Fleshharrower has finished what he was doing and a tornado comes flying out of the southeast. This is no ordinary tornado, of course, but a Vortex of Trepidation. If the magic alone doesn't make you afraid, it also has some really ugly birds the size of kresh flying around in it.When he reached the east wall, and climbed up on some rubble to peer over it, he saw Fleshharrower's army. It approached like a great discoloration, a dark bruise, on the pale ground of the Wastes. Its front stretched away both north and south of the ruins. It was less than a league away. And it was immense beyond comprehension. Troy could not imagine how Lord Foul had been able to create such an army. It came forward until it reached the foot of the hill upon which Doriendor Corishev stood.
As he watched, Troy gripped the handle of his sword as if it were the only thing that kept him from panic. Several times, he reached up to adjust the sunglasses he no lodger possessed. The movement was like an involuntary prayer or appeal.
Once again, Troy has come up against something his mind couldn't calculate and predict. He's paralyzed for a few minutes, wants to cry to Elena, then realizes he forgot to tell anybody about his final plan. Completely immersed in fear, he pulls a Linden and hits Ruel in the back of the head with a rock and knocks Amorine down while running away. It's interesting to note that the thing he fears about Ruel and Amorine is their faith.
Ya think? Luckily, this brings Troy back around and he swipes the bird with his sword. Green blood from the bird pours down on top of his head, burning through his skull and into his brain, and he passes out.When he glanced behind him, his heart leaped. One of the birds glided effortlessly toward him, as if it were in total command of the wind. It had a clear approach to him. The ease of its movement thrilled him, and he poised himself to jump into its jaws.
But as it neared him, he saw that it carried Ruel's crumpled body in its mighty talons. He could see Ruel's flat, dispassionate features. The Bloodguard looked as if he had been betrayed.
Troy wakes up in darkness. Everything's quiet. He decides that he just has to use his old navigation skills until the sun comes up. Using the temparature of the different sides of the walls, he reasons that following the warmer side (facing the setting sun) will lead him west towards Mehryl (why he didn't bother just calling her...).
After stumbling around for a little bit, he hears several voices (ur-viles?) who have apparently seen him before he heard them. He wonders how they can see him so well, tries to fight, then takes off the way he came. They easily overtake him. While toying with him, they ask if he's dazzled by the sun. It's at this point that Troy realizes what's going on. The last bit of fight seems to go out of him, and he finally whistles for Mehryl.
He tries to get on the Ranyhyn, but ends up getting knocked down. All of Fleshharrower's minions but one go chasing after the Ranyhyn and leave Troy sitting there. The last one Troy kills by playing possum until it's close enough for him to strangle with Rue's cord. Then the cavalry arrives in the form of Mhoram and Amorine.
The sun is out and Troy can't see.
And that's a really good point about Troy's plan, too - what would have happened if he died? For a master tactician, he certainly makes a few blunders...
