This synopsis is intended to support the experience of reading the book by acting as a
memory refresher and using simplified descriptions to provide clarification of complex
scenes. It should not be used as a substitute for reading the book - you'll miss all the
fun that way!
They move to a different forge, and Elora spends the rest of the day making metal without the use of magic. When the work is finished, she and Torquil take the metal to the bazaar to sell it. Elora's heavy work clothes and the grime of the forge disguise the fact that she still has shining silver skin and hair.
The atmosphere is tense in the international bazaar. There are far fewer traders than usual, and those who are present seem anxious to leave. All fear that a Maizan conquest is imminent. Although there is some discussion of the Sacred Princess, no one seems to have any confidence in her.
A Cascani patrol is seen riding at high speed toward the bazaar. The bazaar's occupants assume that the riders have come to report the approach of the Maizan, and make panic-stricken preparations to flee. Elora is nearly trampled by a herd of escaped horses.
Hanray, the Cascani leader of the bazaar, tells Torquil that he needs to talk to him. Torquil agrees to convene the Nelwyn council, and invites Hanray to dinner.
She learns that the magic-rich city of Testeverde surrendered without a fight to a Maizan army, but that both city and army were then destroyed by a mysterious magical event. She hears that the Maizan have been closing the World Gates, and that Veil Folk are fleeing in large numbers. The Nelwyns are disturbed by this and debate what should be done about it.
Torquil catches Elora eavesdropping. She believes that she is the person who is supposed to solve this problem, but has no idea what she is supposed to do. Her conversation with Torquil becomes too loud, and the others realize that she is present. Elora goes back to bed and cries herself to sleep.
When she awakes, the elemental is in her room. It asks for her help, and leads her to a subterranean cave deep within the mountain, where she hears chanting and cries of anguish and rage. A group of sorcerers has captured a clutch of firedrakes, and is working further magic on them, killing them, to open up a World Gate. A sudden disruption to the spell would be deadly to all present.
Elora realizes that the fire elemental is an infant firedrake. She merges consciousness with it, and uses its abilities to subtly interfere with the concentration of the sorcerers, unobtrusively diminishing the power of their spell. The wards imprisoning the firedrakes have no power over Elora; she breaks the wards, setting the firedrakes free. But then her firedrake is speared, and she has no immunity from this physical assault. She is trapped in the firedrake's body.
The leader of the rite is Carig, a mad Rock Nelwyn outcast, who realizes that there is something special about his sole remaining prisoner. He announces his intention to construct a World Gate and summon a Great One, destroying the mountains of the Rock Nelwyns as a pleasant byproduct. He completes the World Gate using Elora's firedrake and the summoning begins.
Elora has a vision of herself dancing, and a shadowy, dancing male figure appears within the Gate. Carig is distracted when an arrow strikes him but does not penetrate his heavy clothing; Elora seizes this opportunity to wreck the Gate.
Elora reenters her own body, only to bump into a Daikini warrior she had seen at the bazaar. They are promptly assaulted by Carig, who is more than a match for them. After knocking the Daikini unconscious, Carig offers Elora - whom he recognizes - to the Summoned One as a bride. Elora escapes by passing into the stone of the mountain, a trick she learned from Thorn.
Elora enters a stream of molten rock that carries her to the earth's core. The firedrakes join her, thank her for rescuing them, and ask her to live with them. But she can not; she has other duties. When she declines, she is promptly propelled to the surface, where she falls into a shallow lake.
After some much-needed sleep, she takes off her wet clothing and spreads it out to dry. She gets some light clothing and a light meal from the magic pouches Thorn gave her. She has no idea where she is, other than being in a wilderness.
Unexpectedly, she steps in fresh troll dung, then comes face-to-face with the troll, which pursues her until she takes refuge in an abandoned brownie barrow. When she emerges later, the troll is gone and so are her clothes and gear.
Elora finds the troll's den; near the entrance are the remains of a Daikini who ended up as a meal. She takes the Daikini's battle-ax and quietly makes her way inside. She gives up all thought of murder when she discovers that the den is inhabited by a despairing mother troll and three sick, hungry baby trolls. The mother troll is nervous, but does not attack or attempt to flee. Elora retrieves her magic pouches and sets about nursing the babies back to health. Finally, days later, the trolls are fully recovered and Elora is accepted as a member of the family. The next morning, she wakes up alone in the cave.
Elora's loud shout when she dived into the lava flow awakened Thorn miles away. Fearing that the Deceiver might also have heard it, he sent Rool and Bastian to find Elora and take her back to Torquil.
But Elora refuses to go back, saying it's time she took control of her own destiny, and she tricks Rool into revealing that Thorn is in Sandeni. She knows that the Maizan are between her and Thorn, but she sets out for Sandeni all the same. Although Rool and Bastian can detect nothing, she has the feeling that they are being followed.
Two High Elves, a goblin and two ogres are preparing to kill the wounded Daikini they hold prisoner. One of the ogres knocks Elora from her hidden perch, and the battle is on. When it is over, the Daikini has been rescued and their opponents have all been slain. But Bastian and Rool are hurt and the Daikini is dying. Although Elora cannot work magic, she has learned from Thorn and Torquil to draw forth the inborn power of all natural things. She decides to try to heal the Daikini.
By the time she succeeds, she is glowing. The ghosts of the villagers begin to appear in the mist; they too are suffering and in pain. To remind them of their former happiness, Elora begins to dance with the ghosts. By the time she finishes, the ghosts have been healed, the different races among them have reconciled, and the recovered Daikini is accompanying their dance on a drum. The valley is whole again.
As they travel, they realize that the Daikinis and Veil Folk are all fleeing the area. And the most probable cause is not fear of the Maizan, but the fear of a war between the High Elves and the entire Daikini Realm.
As they approach a hastily constructed fort crowded with nervous refugees, Elora disguises herself as a Highlander, whose costume covers all but her eyes and thus keeps her silver skin out of sight. She pretends to be Duguay's apprentice.
Elora is alarmed when she sees a recent proclamation from Mohdri, promising a huge reward for the "rescue and return" of "our beloved princess" Elora Danan. Her first impulse is to leave the fort behind as soon as possible, but changes her mind when she learns that Ryn Taksemanyin is a prisoner there, and is suffering from a madness that reduces him to the level of a beast. She is determined to help him.
Duguay, who has recognized Elora all along, becomes her accomplice. On the theory that anyone making a flagrant display of themselves will never be suspected of being a fugitive, he devises a costume for her consisting of flashy, skimpy clothing, hair dyed black, and colorful cosmetics on her face and the visible parts of her body. Thus outfitted, she is quite credible as the apprentice of an entertainer.
Elora soon has an admirer, an apprentice scribe named Luc-Jon. She is also joined by a wolfhound, whose race, it is said, was bred to fight the mighty dire wolves, or Malevoiy, who terrorized the earth in olden days. Elora realizes that the hound senses her identity and has pledged in its own way to defend her to the death.
Rool leads Elora to the barn where Ryn is heavily chained. When Elora attempts to heal him, she discovers that he is suffering under a curse that has essentially stolen his soul. Elora can only make a minor effort to heal his physical injuries. She asks Rool and Bastian to go to Sandeni to tell Thorn; reluctantly, they agree. They worry that Elora might get into trouble while they are gone.
As the days pass, Duguay teaches Elora to dance and sing in the daytime. In the evenings, he performs while she serves dinner; afterwards, she continues her attempts to heal Ryn.
Luc-Jon and the wolfhound persist in their attentions. One day Luc-Jon takes her to visit his master's library. After discussing Elora's interest in the books, they begin to kiss but are interrupted by the wolfhound's growl. Luc-Jon grabs a sword and they rush outside. Watched by tense sentries and a pack of displeased wolfhounds, a squad of Maizan soldiers is entering the fort.
Elora talks to Ryn's guards, edging up to Ryn's cage so that she can try to talk to him. Not only does she fail to get through to him, she is attacked by small energy bolts that come out of his body. Immediately afterward, she must fend off the advances of a Maizan soldier. Soon an exaggerated version of the way she rebuffed him is circulating through the fort, and everyone is having a good laugh at the expense of the Maizan.
At dinner, Elora is disturbed by all the fear and tension among the people, and impulsively decides to inspire them. She sings an old song of freedom and the need to resist tyranny, and earns thunderous applause. When Duguay tells her that the Maizan left the room halfway through her performance, she fears for Ryn's safety and rushes outside. She is startled to see that a roof has been damaged, as if a dragon landed there to listen to her song.
The Maizan are racing for the gate of the fort, taking Ryn with them and setting fires as they go to impede pursuit. Elora is unable to stop them. Hours later, when the fires are out and the questions of the authorities have been answered, Elora sits outside looking at the night sky. Suddenly, a voice behind her says, "Elora Danan, you're dead!"
Khory has brought official dispatches with her. It is now known that the spell that destroyed Testeverde came from beyond the Veil as retaliation for its surrender to the Maizan, who are bent on driving the Veil Folk out of the world. Caught between the ambitions of the Maizan and the High Elves, the Republic of Sandeni has decided to make every effort to maintain its independence. The defensive effort will be concentrated at the capitol city, also called Sandeni, and outposts like this fort will have to fend for themselves. Khory will go after Ryn; Elora is to go downriver, under guard, to join Thorn in the city of Sandeni. Elora is not pleased with this plan.
Khory leaves immediately. The next morning as Elora prepares to leave with her escort, she discovers that her mount is Windfleet, a horse that Thorn healed and freed several years earlier. Duguay joins the group. Luc-Jon gives Elora a book from his master's library as a gift, and they enjoy a parting kiss. As the group starts to leave, the wolfhound pack creates a disturbance, frightening the horses of the guards and allowing Elora and Duguay to flee on horseback. No one knows how important Elora is, so they are not pursued.
Elora makes contact with Rool and Bastian, who lead them to a tor that was once the site of a World Gate. Although most of the magic has faded from this region there is still a residual, and it is a prime moment for spellcasting. The Maizan are at work casting an evil spell to make sure the tor can never again be used as a World Gate. Khory arrived ahead of Elora's party and has already eliminated some of the Maizan soldiers.
The tor is sacred to the fairies, who are making a frenzied effort to disrupt the spell. They are attacking everyone who sets foot on the tor, and Elora must evade them before she can make her own effort to halt the evil sorcery. Finally she reaches the top of the tor, and simply walks through a magical force field that the fairies are slowly destroying with suicide attacks. Inside she finds the unconscious Ryn and the Maizani sorceress who stole his soul. All the energies of the sorceress are bent on maintaining the force field. Elora tells her that she can not win, and persuades her to surrender. Elora then breaks the force field.
The king of the fairies, Tyrrel, comes forward to confront them. Saying that justice must be served, he casts a spell to transform both women into fairies. Elora is immune to magic, and quickly reverts to her natural form. Tyrrel recognizes her, and swears allegiance to her on behalf of all of Lesser Faery.
They realize that the still-sleeping Ryn has been freed from the spell and is himself again. The journey to Sandeni resumes.
Elora wants Rool to bring to her all the information he can find about the prophecies for her own birth. He consents, but asks in return that she leave Duguay. He distrusts Duguay because neither of them can look him in the eye, and they don't know what his nature is. Elora says that she can't do this.
They travel for days, earning money by performing along the way. While riding one day, Elora's spirit suddenly leaves her body, and she finds herself flying through the sky in dragon form. She meets another dragon, and they fly playfully together until they find themselves back at the fairies' tor. She recognizes that the other dragon is Kieron Dineer, who was slain in Angwyn. "You're dead," says Elora. "Join me," says Kieron. Suddenly fearful, Elora resists, and is saved by Duguay's voice calling to her.
Elora awakens in a bed at Black-Eyed Susan's tavern in Sandeni. She avoids answering Duguay's questions about what happened on the road. At night, they earn their keep with dance performances.
As she goes out, her attention is caught by an odd island that is shunned by the other passersby. It appears to be abandoned, and the sole bridge leading to it is guarded by nothing but a thin silver chain and a pair of stone gargoyles, which are emitting a faint warning signal. Her curious inspection is interrupted by Rool and Franjean, who tell her to move away immediately. The island is home to the embassies of the Veil Folk, and has wards on it so that Daikinis can't bear to go near. Elora's nearness amounts to a public announcement of her identity. It is believed that the island was once home to a World Gate, which is now useless because Sandeni is currently almost totally devoid of natural magic energy. The Veil Folk rarely come there, and sorcerers find it difficult to use their abilities in the Sandeni region.
Elora visits the professor, who tells her that the book is an encyclopedia of those who inhabit the Third Circle. He is impressed that she can see some of the pictures; most people would see nothing but blank pages. Only a sorcerer can use the magic sigils.
Afterward, Elora is joined by Duguay, and they go sight-seeing. While riding a trolley car, they befriend the crewmen, Tam and Rico, and a constable, Renny Garedo.
That night, a controversial song that Elora sings results in some unruly university students being ejected from the tavern, as well as an argument between Elora and Duguay. Elora goes walking with Tam, who attended the performance. At the trolley terminal, their increasing romantic impulses are interrupted by the insults of the students, followed by an assault from assassins armed with crossbows. Elora and Tam defeat their attackers with some unexpected assistance from Renny, Khory, the brownies and the eagles, but Tam is gravely wounded by a poisoned crossbow bolt. As Elora tries to heal him, she suddenly finds herself back at the fairies' tor with Kieron Dineer. He tries to get her to kill him, but once again she is called back by the sound of Duguay's voice.
When she comes to herself Duguay isn't there, but Tam has been healed. She asks the others how they knew she was in trouble. She is answered by the voice of Thorn Drumheller, who says that little happens in Sandeni that he doesn't know about. Reunited at last, they share a tearful embrace.
An early, bitter winter arrives, the result of the continuing weather disruption caused by the enchantment of Angwyn. As the days pass, Elora wrestles with the questions of who the Deceiver is, who she is, and what she needs to do to fulfill her destiny. In the daytime, in addition to hours of research at the university library, she trains with Khory, and one day finally defeats her. In the evenings, she performs at the tavern. Sometimes late at night she deliberately dances herself into exhaustion, with Duguay watching. He desires her but makes no move to take her. When Elora goes to bed, she often dreams of Kieron Dineer; always, he wants her to kill him.
Then one day there is a disturbance in the streets. The Maizan have come to Sandeni.
While discussing the Twelve Great Realms with the professor (who knows her identity), Elora admits that she doesn't even know or understand what all of them are. Everyone knows that three Realms of the Flesh are Daikini, Lesser Faery and Greater Faery; after some research, she and the professor identify the fourth Realm of the Flesh as the Malevoiy, an ancient and greatly feared race that now resides completely beyond the Veil.
In addition, they discover information on an entity called the Lord of the Dance. They are unable to determine if he is benevolent or destructive. His sigil is the same one Elora saw during Carig's summoning spell.
Duguay comes to the door, and Elora locks eyes with him.
At the banquet, Duguay and Elora perform a spectacular dance. Anakerie and Thorn, who have been quietly signalling their affection for each other with glances, recognize the dance as a sort of duel. Elora allows Duguay to "win," but then reasserts herself by singing the story of her own life, with a passionate declaration of freedom at the end. Soon everyone but the Maizan are singing along - including Anakerie, almost silently.
Afterward, all go outside at the Chancellor's request. Anakerie and Elora share a cloak. At the Chancellor's signal, thousands of torches are lit as a symbol of unity, stretching for miles across the top and bottom of the cliff. The crowd spontaneously begins to sing Elora's freedom song. The Chancellor tells Anakerie that the people have spoken. She replies that everyone has dreams, but in the morning they must deal with reality.
It is a Wild Hunt of the High Elves. They have come for Elora.
A ferocious battle breaks out. After a great deal of fighting, the elves capture Elora using a tanglefoot web. They attempt to snap a magical slave ring around her neck, but are prevented by Thorn and Khory.
With the elves defeated, the group learns from Anakerie that the Deceiver himself has come to Sandeni, and is working to achieve his own goals while the government is distracted by the official delegation. He spent the last three years driving the magic out of the world in order to gather it to himself, and now has sufficient power to open the dormant World Gate hidden in Sandeni.
When the Maizan put a spell on Ryn, Anakerie learned that he was her long-lost twin brother. Their mother was a Wyr who used a shapeshifting spell to take on Daikini form and marry the King of Angwyn. Now the twins are reunited at last, and Ryn is wounded. Anakerie intends to take him to safety and can not participate in the battle between Elora and the Deceiver.
The others race back to the top of the cliff to intercept the Deceiver. When they reach the island where the Gate is located, the guardian gargoyles have already been shattered. They locate the Gate, a circular pit with stairs along the side. The Deceiver has been there before them.
Elora, Thorn, Khory and Duguay will enter the Gate. Elora orders the others to remain behind. Duguay says that he has what he wants and is in the place he wants to be.
Because Sandeni is so weak in magic, Thorn can not open the Gate alone. Elora adds her power to his, and the key to the Gate appears.
Elora returns to her companions on the other side of the Gate. Duguay states that Elora is destined to be his partner; Thorn disagrees. Elora and Duguay begin to dance; with Elora leading they pass through the Gate, immediately followed by the horrified Thorn and Khory.
They emerge in the realm of the dragons. The Deceiver has been here ahead of them, and the dragons have been frozen by the same spell that immobilized Angwyn.
Elora and Duguay begin a passionate dance that ranges across the landscape. Kieron Dineer and Calan Dineer speak to Elora, and tell her that all things have their allotted span. The dragons are doomed, and Elora must serve her own purpose.
Meanwhile, Thorn and Khory confront the Deceiver. After their attacks against the Deceiver fail, the Deceiver calls to Elora, interrupting her dance with Duguay. The Deceiver begins the Spell of Dissolution. Elora and Duguay resume their dance, this time with the Deceiver between them. The Deceiver must concentrate on the spell and has to dance along.
The previous dance prepared for the opening of another World Gate leading to the realm of Duguay, Lord of the Dance. It is Elora's intention to enter this realm forever as Duguay's partner, taking the Deceiver with them as an eternal prisoner.
Duguay has other plans. He prefers to take the Deceiver as his partner, and releases Elora. As she watches them move away, there is a sudden disruption in the dance. The Deceiver's mask has been stripped away, and the face that is revealed is an older version of Elora's.
Elora tries to deny that she could be the Deceiver. The Deceiver claims to be the Sacred Princess, and declares her intention of destroying the dragons. She claims that destroying the Twelve Realms' capacity for imagination and dreams will leave the inhabitants peaceful and manageable, fulfilling her destiny.
The Deceiver removes Duguay from the scene by striking him with magic and absorbing his spirit, then prepares to do the same to Elora, the dragons, Thorn and Khory. In this realm, imagination can become reality. Elora imagines a spear and hurls it at the frozen form of Calan Dineer. When it strikes him, all the dragons cry "Freedom!" and die. The Deceiver melts away, defeated but not destroyed.
Thorn is deeply stricken both by the sight of the Deceiver's true face and by Elora's destruction of the dragons. But then he sees Elora walking toward him, a dragon's egg in each arm. The past is gone, but there is still hope for the future.