Overview

In the ruined cathedral, Sybil, Rory, Maude, Benji, and Bartholomew seize the loom stone and decide the true final object is the spring. They demolish Aisling Cathedral to bury the spring, but as knights arrive, Benji betrays them, wounds Rory, shatters Bartholomew’s wing, disarms Maude, and demands Sybil become his queen. To spare Rory, Maude, and the gargoyle from execution, Sybil sacrifices herself and orders them to flee, as Benji claims he will rebuild faith around her as the last Diviner.

Full Summary

In the silent aftermath of Aisling’s death, the group stood on the chancel. Benji retrieved the loom stone from the abbess’s rubble, but Sybil insisted the true last object was the spring, not the stone. Bartholomew confirmed their resolve, and Rory affirmed he still wanted Aisling shuttered. Sybil asked for everyone’s help.

They set about destroying the cathedral: Rory used his coin, Sybil her hammer and chisel, Maude her axe, Bartholomew his claws, and Benji the inkwell’s corrosive ink and raw force. Benji shattered the rose window, but Sybil pushed them further, focused on breaking the cloister pillars to “bury the spring.” After relentless blows, Sybil’s hammer shattered, a thunderous crack split the structure, and Rory pulled her away as the cathedral collapsed.

The group fled to the orchard by the wall and watched Aisling Cathedral fall. As stillness settled, they heard approaching horses and recognized the knights’ purple banners. Without warning, Benji turned on them, driving his sword into Rory’s side, stealing Rory’s coin, and using it to blast Bartholomew, shattering his left wing and cracking his chest. Sybil screamed and tried to help Rory and the fallen gargoyle as Maude stood down under Benji’s threat.

Bartholomew briefly stirred, speaking in his fragmented way, but Benji loomed over Sybil with coin and sword, ordering her to come. Rory attacked to protect Sybil but was cut across the face and fell, bleeding. Benji laid out his plan: with the Omens gone, power and wealth would be redirected through the noble elders and knights; he had already redistributed the Omens’ hoards and would rebuild faith by centering it on Sybil as his queen, the last Diviner, regardless of the spring’s burial.

Rory defied Benji, and Benji threatened execution for Rory and Bartholomew as desecrators. He also severed himself from Maude, accusing her of keeping him a “boy-king,” prompting Maude to renounce her allegiance. Benji pressed Sybil: he would spare the others only if she came with him.

With the knighthood arriving, Sybil chose to protect the others. She put her throat to Benji’s sword, demanded he let them go first, and told Rory to take care of Bartholomew and himself. Benji blasted an opening in the wall with the coin and warned that if he saw Rory, Maude, or the gargoyle again, they would be executed. Maude dragged the wounded Rory away, and Bartholomew, devastated and shedding stone, had to be hauled after them, crying for “Bartholomew” as Sybil turned away in tears.

The knights entered the courtyard as Sybil stood alone. Benji claimed he had set her free and framed her as all-knowing, equating that to godhood, declaring his intent to enthrone her as his future queen and the figurehead of a new system of faith centered on the crown.

Who Appears

• Sybil — Diviner protagonist; leads the destruction of the cathedral, chooses to surrender to Benji to spare her companions, positioned by Benji as the “last Diviner.”
• Rory — Knight; helps bring down the cathedral, is stabbed and wounded by Benji, resists him, then is forced to flee under Maude’s aid.
• Bartholomew — Gargoyle and Sybil’s squire; helps demolish Aisling, is struck by Rory’s coin wielded by Benji, wing shattered and body fissured, emotionally distraught as he is dragged away.
• Maude — Knight; fights in the demolition, is disarmed by Benji, renounces her allegiance to him, and evacuates Rory and Bartholomew.
• Benedict “Benji” Castor — King; reveals his plan to redirect wealth and faith, betrays the group, wounds Rory and cripples Bartholomew, demands Sybil become his queen, and threatens execution.
• The Knights of Traum — Benji’s forces; arrive under purple banners to secure the scene and support Benji’s new order.