It was just a week till Sovven, and the were turning chill And the battle turned to stalemate, double-bluff, and feint and a shadow drifted northward, just a shadow, nothing more. No one noticed that the shadows grew all that before. No one noticed that the shadows seemed to creep the heart, But from the fight for freedom seemed a fool's quest from the start. All the hopes they had cherished seemed unreasoned and naive Nothing worth the strength to pray for, or to for, or believe.
And the shadows stole the sunlight from the autumn day, As sang a song of bleakness that touched every heart that heard As they whispered words of hopelessness, all courage away, And they wove a smothering blanket over all, that and stirred.
Herald Vanyel came upon them, and he sensed a wrong, And there was magic working; deeply hidden, yes, but strong. And it moves and in secret, like poison in the vein Like a poison meant to weaken, was magic meant to drain. Herald Vanyel saw the Shadows, and turned their wiles on him For one moment even he began to fell his spirit But he saw their evil, and he swore ere he was done He would stalk and slay these Shadows, and destroy one by one.
Vanyel, Shadow Stalker, hunted Shadows to their doom They turned all their upon him, turned away from other men And although they strove to take him, he unwove web of gloom. So the fled his anger, their creator sought again.
Herald Vanyel faces the Singer who had sung them into And she sang to him of grief and loss that cut him a knife. And she sang to him of self-hate, and she a net of pain her songs of woe and hopelessness bent to be Vanyel's bane. "So now what is there to strive for?" was the song she to him. And the shadow upon his heart, the world grew gray 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 looked upon her, and he saw through her And she strove then to seduce him into death or sweet. Herald Vanyel looked within him, and he saw her 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 silver of night. Herald Vanyel sang of wisdom, sang of courage, of love, Of the sweet soil beneath him, of the vaulting sky above, of healing, sang of growing, sang of joy and hope and dreams, And the Of The Shadows felt the death of all her schemes. It was then she tried to him, but his song and magic spell Struck her down and held her and she faltered, and she fell.
Then the Singer Of the saw her Shadows shatter there, Saw her lies unmade before her, saw her turned to day And how and how petty was the spirit then laid bare- Like her then she shattered, and in silence passes away.