Overview

Six, the gargoyle, and the knighthood caravan travel toward the Fervent Peaks, planning to use a public ceremony as cover to bait the Ardent Oarsman. Along the road, Maude shares her history with Benedict Castor’s line and Rory, revealing the painful ruse she played in publicly denouncing Benji’s grandfather. The caravan is attacked by mountain sprites; Six frees Benji from trapped armor by splitting rock with her hammer and chisel, and the gargoyle flies them to safety as the knights kill a sprite. Afterward, Maude arranges for Six’s armor to be forged from her wax mold and shows unguarded kindness.

Full Summary

In a cart with the gargoyle, Six leaves the Seacht and heads along the holloway road toward the Fervent Peaks. Maude briefs Six on the terrain and the hamlet village clustered around the Tenor River’s plateau, noting that folk seldom climb higher. Six describes her recurring dream of the Ardent Oarsman’s stone oar by a basin surrounded by seven jagged peaks. They discuss the Omens’ secrecy and agree to leverage Benji’s inaugural hamlet ceremony as a distraction to lay out pilfered spring water and watch for the Ardent Oarsman.

Rory rides up, exchanging barbed words with Six that hint at their unresolved tension from the armor fitting. After he rides on, Six asks Maude about her bond with Benji and Rory. Maude explains her background: raised among Bauer hunters famed for slaughtering sprites, knighted under Benedict Castor the First, and mentored into targeting the Omens and Aisling’s corruption. She recounts publicly denouncing Benedict at the abbess’s demand to preserve her cover, knowing it would let her continue the longer campaign; she calls it “throwing the first stone.” She also describes taking in an 11-year-old Rory as her squire, protecting him from class prejudice and hardening him into the knight he became.

As the caravan follows the Tenor upstream, the Fervent Peaks appear, resembling a seven-fingered hand. A deafening call reveals a mountain sprite—an enormous boar-like creature camouflaged as a hill. Maude orders the knights to spread out and use whips to drive it off. Six and the gargoyle are thrown from their cart when the horse bolts; the sprite devours the horse and cart in a single bite. The knights regroup and harry the sprite, while Six and the gargoyle take cover.

Benji falls from his saddle unnoticed and becomes trapped when his bent greave lodges between rocks. Six and the gargoyle try to free him as another mountain sprite rises nearby and stalks toward them. With the knights too far to intervene in time, Six refuses to run. She uses her hammer and chisel to split the trapped rock with a thunderous crack, freeing Benji’s leg.

The gargoyle grabs both Six and Benji and flies them over the charging knights. The knights cut down the approaching sprite, and the land falls quiet. Benji thanks Six, recognizing her bravery; Six sees he truly thought he might die. They briefly question the necessity of killing sprites, noting the nobles of the Peaks refuse to share their shale-rich lands, despite sprites feeding on shale. Six echoes a heretical maxim about history being written by the beneficiaries, but their exchange is cut short as knights crowd in to check on Benji.

Rory shoves through the group, visibly shaken at finding Benji and Six safe, then abruptly leaves. Maude confirms Benji is unhurt and praises Six and the gargoyle. While salvaging debris, the gargoyle recovers Six’s boots and Maude retrieves the waxed Diviner dress mold. Maude arranges to send the mold ahead to Petula Hall for armor fabrication, complimenting Six’s strong measurements without backhandedness. Six, initially defensive, recognizes genuine kindness in Maude’s eyes and accepts the plan to outfit her properly before further dangers.

Who Appears

• Six — Diviner protagonist; plans to bait the Ardent Oarsman, saves Benedict Castor by splitting rock with hammer and chisel, reflects on kindness from Maude.
• The Gargoyle — stone companion; rides in the cart, humorously observes events, flies Six and Benji to safety during the sprite attack.
• Maude Bauer — knight and mentor; shares backstory (publicly denounced Benedict Castor the First to preserve her cover), reveals she made Rory her squire, commands knights against sprites, salvages Six’s wax mold and arranges armor.
• Benedict “Benji” Castor — young king; falls and is trapped during the attack, nearly killed by a sprite, freed by Six and flown out by the gargoyle, expresses gratitude and wrestles with the ethics of killing sprites.
• Rory — knight; trades tense banter with Six early, later rushes in visibly distressed for Benji’s safety and departs abruptly.
• Mountain sprites — boar-like, hill-camouflaged creatures; attack the caravan, one devours the cart and horse, another threatens Benji before being slain by the knights.
• The Knights of the Knighthood — Benji’s company; execute whip tactics to drive off and kill sprites, rally around their king after the attack.