“I see. How much did you tell her?”

“Nothing, really. She already knew what a dra’gorgos was. I did get some history from her, though. Nhandi was the last Hierophant, and supposedly the island was struck with a huge black wave that killed thousands. Kordira’s theory is that it was a gigantic tidal wave. Anyway, Nhandi had an Aurënfaie lover, a wizard, who somehow betrayed her and was executed. Which may explain the skull in the cave.”

“But not the vision I had,” said Thero. “I saw Rhazat with the man she called Khazireen in the cave where the seal was. If he was her accomplice, then why wasn’t he sealed up with her?”

“Maybe someone killed him before they sealed her in,” said Alec.

Thero nodded. “Punishment for his perfidy. Mika had a vision of the two of them being celebrated in Menosi. It seems she might have ruled for some time with him as consort.”

“And now he’s caught yearning for his lost Black Pearl for all eternity,” said Micum.

“His lost Black Pearl—Black Pearl, Black Pearl.” Seregil paced across the tent and back. “I asked Kordira what Nhandi had looked like. She was also called Nhandi the Lovely and Kordira’s theory is that Nhandi would have looked like our modern-day Plenimarans, since they are direct descendants who didn’t mix blood much. Her exact words were, ‘If you want to know what the Hierophants and their people looked like, look to us.’ ”

“Rhazat looks a lot like Kordira,” said Alec.

“Either of whom would be worthy of the love name Black Pearl,” Seregil pointed out. “Micum told me about the strange word Mika heard in the cave when Rhazat was torturing him.”

“Eshrlee,” said Thero.

“No, Thero, it’s es rili, old Aurënfaie for ‘my skin.’ ”

“What does that mean?” asked Alec.

“I don’t know.” Thero picked up the golden arm ring. “I’m hoping this can tell us something, if anything is left after so many years.”

He sat down cross-legged on the carpet and took out his crystal wand. Holding it and the arm ring between his joined palms, he closed his eyes and went completely still. Seregil could hardly see him breathe.

The arm ring was made from gold mined in the north of Kouros and cast by an Aurënfaie woman with grey eyes and silver hair. It was given to Nhandi, daughter of Kala, by her lover, Khazireen í Alos, on the occasion of her twentieth birthday. Nhandi was a beautiful young woman with black hair and eyes the color of the evening sky. She wore it for 414 days.