A night of poisoned spores leaves Sebastian and Halen reeling—but morning brings a greater threat. Surrounded by elven archers, Wyn must abandon the path or face exile from his own people. As tempers rise, Apple asks one simple question that may save an entire Simiah temple. Then, beside a fire on a road shaped by the forest itself, Sebastian reveals a secret buried beneath Glarus—and a Valcour legacy older and darker than he ever imagined.