Gaborn considered. “There are forcibles hidden here in the garden,” Gaborn said with a sigh. “I’ll dig them up. Raj Ahten believes I already have them, that I’ve already used them. By the time he returns, I shall have done it. He may become the Sum. of All Men, but I shall be the sum of all his nightmares.

“You know much about ancient lore,” Gaborn said. “Can he do it? Can he become the Sum of All Men?”

“Not of all men,” Binnesman said. “He craves power, the guarantee of a continued existence. I do not know much of the Runelords’ arts, but I know this: If he seeks to become the Sum of All Men, perhaps he should go to the source, learn how it is done.”

“What do you mean?” Gaborn asked.

“We Earth Wardens live a long time. Lives given in service are usually long, and lives given in service to the land can be longest of all. Yet when I was young, four hundred years ago, I once met a man of the South. I met him at an old inn near Danvers Landing. He seemed only a young Runelord, some traveling noble. But a hundred and eighty years ago, he came north and visited Castle Sylvarresta for the summer. At least I believe it was him. There had been trouble that year to the north with reavers and with robbers. He put an end to them both. Then he went south again.”

“Daylan Hammer? You are telling me that Daylan Hammer still lives? The Sum of All Men? After sixteen hundred years?”

“I am telling you that he may live,” Binnesman said. He shook his head thoughtfully. “I could be mistaken. I’ve never told this tale to anyone. Perhaps it is unwise to tell you now.”

“Why?”

“He did not seem to be a happy man. If he has secrets, they should remain with him.”

“Is happiness everything?” Gaborn asked.

“Yes, ultimately I believe it is,” Binnesman said. “It should be the goal of your existence, to live life in peace and joy.”

Gaborn considered. “Am I wrong to fight Raj Ahten using his own tactics? To fight him at all.”

“To fight him is dangerous,” Binnesman said. “Not just dangerous for you, dangerous for the whole world. If he would join your cause, I would rejoice. But he will oppose you, and it is not for me to say whether you should fight him. It shall be your task to gather the seeds of humanity. You must decide which to save, which to toss aside.

“You have already begun your task.” He waved to the manor house, where Borenson and Myrrima cooked in the dining hall.