‘And Asroth’s head? I thought you had a fever, or were going mad.’

‘Maybe I am,’ Olin said, ‘but I mean to end this, now. Asroth is encased within a layer of starstone rock, in the Great Hall of Drassil. Alive or dead, frozen or slain, no one knows, though many suspect he still lives. And that is why they are all here: Kadoshim, Ben-Elim. The Kadoshim have been seeking a way to free Asroth since the day of his entombment; he is their only hope of victory against the Ben-Elim, the only one strong enough to stand against them. And the Ben-Elim, they remain to guard him, to ensure that he never walks the earth again.’

‘Why haven’t they just killed him, then?’

‘Because Asroth is encased in starstone rock, and not just a small lump of it like we have discovered. It is the sum total of the Seven Treasures, all of them destroyed and melted to molten slag. Many words of power were worked into them, and they hold a residue of that power still.’

‘So how can you hope to kill him, then?’

‘Because this is starstone metal,’ Olin said, lifting the new blade. ‘The only thing on this earth that has the power to pierce Asroth’s tomb.’

Olin held Drem’s gaze, watched him as the implications of that settled in his mind.

‘With Asroth slain, the Kadoshim are finished, defeated for all time,’ Olin continued. ‘And the Ben-Elim, they would have no cause left to fight for. No reason to scour the land in search of Kadoshim, no reason to control and enslave the people of the Banished Lands. Their great lie would be cast into the light, revealed for what it is.’

‘And what is it?’ Drem asked.

‘An excuse, a ruse fashioned to take and maintain power. Nothing more.’

‘Are you sure about that?’ Drem asked, frowning.

‘With all that I am I believe it to be the truth,’ Olin answered.

Drem thought about that a while, following the implications and likely consequences of all his da was telling him. It felt like a great responsibility settling upon them, like the branches in the forest, bowed beneath the weight of snow.

‘There’s a lot to do, then,’ he said, as much to himself as to his da.

Olin laughed at that. ‘And you say I understate things.’

‘You’ll need a scabbard for that,’ Drem said, nodding at the starstone blade.

‘Aye. It’s next on my to-do list. You can help me.’ Olin stood, gripping Drem’s wrist and pulling him to his feet. ‘You should try it on,’ he said, pointing at Drem’s new sword.

‘Are you sure, Da? It doesn’t feel right. It’s yours.’

‘No. It’s yours. A gift from father to son. And besides, I’ve got myself a new sword now.’