Here, in this very first paragraph, the expanse of Triock’s life grief unfurls like a banner. Lena dismisses him and wants to follow Covenant to certain death in Foul’s Creche. Triock, of course could stop her. But he can not refuse her. He loves her, and he knows that she has never felt that way about him. Her love, confused and tormented as it is, belongs to Covenant; the man who had raped her, gave her a child and sent a Ranyhyn to her every spring.Though his jaws ached with protests, Triock gave the orders which sent several of his comrades hurrying to collect supplies for Covenant, Foamfollower, and Lena. In that moment, the giving of those orders seemed to be the hardest thing he had ever done. The restraint which had allowed Covenant to live seven and forty years ago paled by comparison. The exertions which had brought Covenant to the Land now lost their meaning. Lena Atarian-daughter’s desire to accompany the Unbeliever turned all Triock’s long years of devotion to dust and loss, and all his lavish love had been wasted.
I fell into this chapter mesmerized. Written in the POV of Triock we finally get a glimpse at his suffering, determination, love for Lena, love for the Land, and his struggle with his Oath of Peace. Every part of him wants to kill the Unbeliever, yet he knows that Covenant is probably the Land’s last hope. So, he allows Lena to go with Covenant while he, with Yeurquin and Quirrel, go to find the Unfettered One in the mountains between the south plains and Garroting Deep. It is his hope the Unfettered one will know how to use his lomillialor rod to send a message to High Lord Mhoram in Revelstone. A very important message: Thomas Covenant was back in the Land and on his way to Foul’s Creche.
Their journey is hazardous and on the fourth day from Mithil Stonedown, while in the foothills before Doom’s Retreat they are attacked by kresh. Falling from a snow ledge, Yeurquin and Quirrel are both buried in the snow and Triock faces the first of the kresh alone. He loses his sword in the belly of the leader. So, he wields the lomillialor rod, it bursts into flame and fells the next kresh that attacks, and the next, and the next, and the next. The five remaining encircle him, then without warning a kresh slams into his back and he sees that Quirrel has recovered enough to throw javelins at them. Yeurquin recovers as well and they fell the rest of them. They move on, even though Yeurquin is wounded.
On the second day from their battle with the kresh they come to the Southron Wastes, where they see a great storm raging. With grim determination Triock leads his companions out onto the Wastes and into the core of the storm. They are also being pursued, for now Triock is known to the hordes of Lord Foul and they follow his lomillialor. Quirrel suggests that they must separate, to confuse their trail, Triock refuses, knowing that their pursuers follow the High Wood. The blizzard rages around them. In the fray, Triock and Quirrel lose Yeurquin. They search in the blinding wind and snow but cannot find him. Triock begins to despair, wandering aimlessly with Quirrel clinging to his cloak. At last he falls to his knees and Quirrel hits at the ice that has formed around his ears. She shouts to him that they are near the foothills of the mountains, and must find shelter.
He and Quirrel collapse in the snow in a valley protected by a cliff face. As he begins to lose consciousness he sees a Wraith come toward them. Then more come, dance around him and Quirrel, one of the Wraiths try to revive Quirrel, but fails, flaring brightly it moves away and the others follow. The Unfettered One comes then with more Wraiths, and placing his palm against Triock’s chest he strengthens him enough to regain his feet. Triock watches the Wraiths as the Unfettered One helps Quirrel regain consciousness. He and the Wraiths lead them to his cave. He offers them food and warmth, and they talk of the ill on the Land. Quirrel returns to the mouth of the ravine which hides the Unfettered One’s cave, to stand guard. Triock then begins to beseech the Unfettered One’s aid in the sending of the message to Revelstone. He is reluctant, cares nothing about what goes on outside his cave. Yet, Triock’s need and the need of the Land compels him and he finally agrees. Triock hands over the High Wood to the Unfettered One and he begins to seek out Mhoram through its power. As he is reaching for the High Lord, Yeurquin enters the cave, carrying Quirrel dead in his arms. The Unfettered One drops the High Wood, the Wraiths flee screaming, Triock gapes, stunned:
And so the Unfettered One meets his end and the message to Revelstone fails…Yeurquin laughed with a ragged, nauseating sound. In gleeful savagery, he dropped Quirrel to the floor and stepped past her. "We meet at last," he rasped to Triock. "I have labored for this encounter. I think I will make you pay for that labor."
"Yeurquin?" Staggering where he stood, Triock could see that the man should have been dead; the storm damage he had suffered was too great for anyone to survive. But some force animated him, some ferocity that relished his death kept him moving. He was an incarnated nightmare.
The next moment, the Unfettered One mastered his shock, rushed forward. Wielding the lomillialor before him like a weapon, he cried hoarsely, "Turiya Raver! Tree foe! I know you--I have seen you. Melenkurion abatha! Leave this place. Your touch desecrates the very Earth."
Yeurquin winced under the flick of the potent words. But they did not daunt him. "Better dead feet like mine than idiocy like yours," he smirked. "I think I will not leave this place until I have tasted your blood, Unfettered wastrel. You are so quick to give your life to nothing. Now you will give it to me."
The One did not flinch. "I will give you nothing but the lomillialor test of truth. Even you have cause to fear that, turiya Raver. The High Wood will burn you to the core."
"Fool!" the Raver laughed. "You have lived here so long that you have forgotten the meaning of power!"
Fearlessly, he started toward the two men.
With a sharp cry, Triock threw off his stunned dismay. Sweeping his sword from its scabbard, he sprang at the Raver.
Yeurquin knocked him effortlessly aside, sent him careening to smack his head against the wall. Then turiya closed with the Unfettered One.
Pain slammed through Triock, flooded his mind with blood. Gelid agony shrieked in his chest where the Raver had struck him. But for one moment, he resisted unconsciousness, lurched to his feet. In torment, he saw turiya and the Unfettered One fighting back and forth, both grasping the High Wood. Then the Raver howled triumphantly. Bolts of sick, red-green power shot up through the Unfettered One's arms and shattered his chest.
When Triock plunged into darkness, the Raver had already started to dismember his victim.
Excellent job!!
**speechless!** 
(WOW!)
