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