The pillars of creation

The chanting suddenly halted. Rather than sit in the single empty spot remaining in the circle of Sisters, as Jennsen had expected, Sister Perdita stood behind her and spoke short, sharp words in the strange language.

At points in the long, singsong speech, Sister Perdita stressed a wordGrushdeva-and cast her arm out over Jennsen's head, flinging out dust. The dust ignited with a roaring whoosh that made Jennsen jump each time she did it, the harsh light bathing the Sisters briefly in the light of the rolling flame.

As the fire ascended, the seven Sisters spoke as if with one voice. "Tu vash misht. Tu vask misht. Grushdeva du kalt misht.»

Not only were those words she knew, but Jennsen realized that the voice was speaking the words in her head along with the Sisters. It was both frightening and comforting to have the voice back. The anxiety when the voice had gone strangely silent had been unbearable.

"Tu vash misht. Tu vask misht. Grushdeva du kalt misht.

Jennsen was lulled by the sound of the chanting, and as it went on, calmed, too. She thought about what it was that had brought her to this point, about the terror her life had been, from the time when she was six and she fled the People's Palace with her mother, to all the times that Lord Rahl had come close and they'd run for their lives, to that awful rainy night when Lord Rahl's men were in her house. Jennsen felt tears coursing down her cheeks as she thought about her mother there on the floor dying. As she thought about Sebastian fighting valiantly. As she thought about her mother's last words, and having to run and leave her mother there on the bloody floor. Jennsen cried out with the terrible anguish of it.

"Tu vash misht. Tu vask misht. Grushdeva du kalt misht.

Jennsen cried in racking sobs. She missed her mother. She was afraid for Sebastian. She felt so terribly alone in the world. She had seen so many people die. She wanted it to end. She wanted it to stop.

"Tu vash misht. Tu vask misht. Grushdeva du kalt misht.»

When she looked up, through her watery vision, she saw something dark sitting in the spot before her that had moments before been empty. Its eyes glowed like the candlelight. Jennsen stared into those eyes, as if staring into the voice itself.

"Tu vash misht, Jennsen. Tu vask misht, Jennsen, " the voice before her and in her head said in a low, growling voice. "Open yourself to me, Jennsen. Open yourself for me, Jennsen."

Jennsen could not move in the glowing glare of those eyes. That was the voice, only not in her head. It was the voice in front of her.

Sister Perdita, behind her, cast out her dust again, and this time, when it ignited, it lit the person sitting there with the glowing eyes.

It was her mother.

"Jennsen," her mother cooed. "Surangie.

"What?" Jennsen whimpered in shock.

" Surrender.»

Tears flooded forth in an uncontrollable torrent. "Mama! Oh, Mama!"

Jennsen started to rise, started to go to her mother, but Sister Perdita pressed down on her shoulders, keeping her in place.

As the rolling flames lifted and evaporated, as the light faded, her mother vanished into the darkness, and before her was the thing with the glowing candlelight eyes.

"Grushdeva du kalt misht, " the voice growled.

"What?" Jennsen wept.

"Vengeance is through me," the voice growled in translation. "Surangie, Jennsen. Surrender, and vengeance will be yours."

"Yes!" Jennsen wailed in inconsolable agony. "Yes! I surrender to vengeance!"

The thing grinned, like a door to the underworld opening.

It rose up, a wavering shadow, leaning forward toward her. Moonlight glistened on knotted muscles as it stretched out, coming toward her, almost catlike, smiling, showing those heart-stopping fangs.

Jennsen was beyond knowing what to do, except that she had had all she could take, and wanted it to end. She could take none of it any longer. She wanted to kill Richard Rahl. She wanted vengeance. She wanted her mother back.

The thing was right before her, shimmering power and form that was there, but not, partly in this world and partly in another.

Jennsen saw then, beyond the thing, beyond the ring of Sisters and sparkling white sand and candles, huge shapes out in the shadows-things on four legs. There were hundreds of them, their eyes all glowing yellow in the darkness, breath steaming up from snarls. They looked like they could have come from another world, but were most definitely now wholly in this one.

"Jennsen," the voice hovering close over her whispered, "Jennsen," it cooed, "Jennsen." It smiled a smile as dark as Emperor Jagang's eyes, as dark as a moonless night.

"What. ." She whispered through her tears. "What are those things out there?"

"Why, the hounds of vengeance," the voice whispered intimately. "Embrace me, and I shall unleash them."

Her eyes widened. "What?"

"Surrender to me, Jennsen. Embrace me, and I shall unleash the hounds in your name."