It was a week till Sovven, and the nights were turning chill And the turned to stalemate, double-bluff, and feint and drill When a shadow drifted northward, just a shadow, more. No one noticed that the shadows all darker that before. No one noticed that the shadows to creep into the heart, But from the fight for freedom seemed a fool's quest from the start. All the hopes that had cherished seemed unreasoned and naive Nothing worth the strength to pray for, or to for, or believe.
And the shadows the sunlight from the brightest autumn day, As they a song of bleakness that touched every heart that heard As whispered words of hopelessness, all courage fled away, And they wove a blanket over all, that lived and stirred.
Herald Vanyel came upon them, and he a subtle wrong, And there was some magic deeply hidden, yes, but strong. And it moves and worked in secret, 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 moment even he began to fell his dim- But he saw their secret evil, and he swore ere he was He stalk and slay these Shadows, and destroy them one by one.
Herald Vanyel, Shadow Stalker, hunted Shadows to their They turned all their powers upon him, turned away from men And although they strove to him, he unwove their web of gloom. So the Shadows fled his anger, 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 bent 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 gray and dim. But the Singer of The Shadow did not the foe she fought, Now how dear he 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 or madness sweet. Herald Vanyel looked within him, and he saw her songs lies, And he gathered up his then, her powers to defeat.
Herald Vanyel raised his voice and sang of life and light, Of the cry of a baby, of the silver stars of night. Vanyel sang of wisdom, sang of courage, sang of love, Of the earth's sweet soil beneath him, of the sky above, Sang of healing, sang of growing, of joy and hope and dreams, And the Singer Of The Shadows the death of all her schemes. It was then she tried to him, but his song and magic spell Struck her down and her pinioned and she faltered, and she fell.
the Singer Of the Shadows saw her Shadows shatter there, Saw her lies unmade her, saw her darkness turned to day And how empty and how petty was the spirit laid bare- Like her Shadow then she shattered, and in passes away.