It was just a till Sovven, and the nights were turning chill And the battle to stalemate, double-bluff, and feint and drill When a shadow northward, just a shadow, nothing more. No one noticed the shadows grew all darker that before. No one noticed that the seemed to creep into the heart, But from the fight for freedom seemed a fool's quest from the start. All the hopes that they had cherished seemed unreasoned and Nothing worth the strength to pray for, or to for, or believe.
And the shadows stole the sunlight the brightest autumn day, As they sang a song of bleakness that touched every that heard As whispered words of hopelessness, all courage fled away, And wove a smothering blanket over all, that lived and stirred.
Herald Vanyel came upon them, and he sensed a wrong, And there was some magic working; hidden, yes, but strong. And it moves and in secret, like poison in the vein a poison meant to weaken, this was magic meant to drain. Herald Vanyel saw the Shadows, and they turned their on him For one even he began to fell his spirit dim- But he saw their secret evil, and he ere he was done He would stalk and slay these Shadows, and them one by one.
Vanyel, Shadow Stalker, hunted Shadows to their doom They turned all their powers him, turned away from other men And although strove to take him, he unwove their web of gloom. So the fled his anger, their creator sought again.
Herald Vanyel faces the Singer who had them into life And she sang to him of grief and that cut him like a knife. And she to him of self-hate, and she wove a net of pain With her songs of woe and hopelessness to be Vanyel's bane. "So now what is there to strive for?" was the song she to him. And the shadow came upon his heart, the world grew and dim. But the Singer of The Shadow did not the foe she fought, Now how he held his duty, nor by what pain power was bought.
Herald Vanyel upon her, and he saw through her disguise And she strove then to seduce him into death or sweet. Herald Vanyel within him, and he saw her songs were lies, And he gathered up his magic then, her to defeat.
Herald Vanyel his golden voice and sang of life and light, Of the first cry of a baby, of the stars of night. Vanyel sang of wisdom, sang of courage, sang of love, Of the earth's sweet soil him, of the vaulting sky above, Sang of healing, of growing, sang of joy and hope and dreams, And the Singer Of The Shadows the death of all her schemes. It was she tried to flee him, but his song and magic spell Struck her and held her pinioned and she faltered, and she fell.
Then the Singer Of the Shadows saw her Shadows there, Saw her lies unmade her, saw her darkness turned to day And how empty and how petty was the spirit then laid Like her Shadow then she shattered, and in silence away.