She craned her neck and saw the shining, intense eyes of Argon. She was being carried, she realized, by Argon, Steffen by their side, the three of them walking openly through the gates of Silesia, past thousands of Empire soldiers, who parted ways for them and stood there, staring. They were surrounded by a white glow, and Gwendolyn could feel herself immersed in some sort of protective energy shield in Argon’s arms. She realized he was casting some sort of spell to keep all the soldiers at bay.
Gwen felt comforted, protected in Argon’s arms. Every muscle in her body ached, she was exhausted, and she didn’t know if she could walk if she tried. Her eyes fluttered as they went, and she watched the world pass by her in snippets. She saw a piece of a crumbling wall; a collapsed parapet; a burnt-out dwelling; a pile of rubble; she saw them cross through the courtyard, reach the farthest gates, at the edge of the Canyon; she saw them pass through these, too, the soldiers stepping aside.
They reached the Canyon’s edge, the platform covered in metal spikes, and as Argon stood there, it lowered, taking them back into the depths of lower Silesia.
As they entered the lower city, Gwendolyn saw dozens of faces, the concerned, kind faces of Silesian citizens, watching her pass as if she were a spectacle. They all stared back with looks of wonder and concern as she kept descending to the main square of the city.
As they reached it, hundreds of people crowded around them. She looked out and saw familiar faces—Kendrick, Srog, Godfrey, Brom, Kolk, Atme, dozens of Silver and Legion she recognized…. They gathered around her, distress in their faces in the early morning sun, as the mist swirled in from the Canyon and a cold breeze stung her. She closed her eyes, trying to make all this go away. She felt as if she were a thing on display, and felt crushed to the depths. She felt humiliated. And she felt she had let them all down.
They continued, past all the people, through the narrow alleyways of the lower city, through another arched entranceway, and finally into the small palace of lower Silesia. Gwen faded in and out of consciousness as they entered a magnificent red castle, going up a set of stairs, down a long corridor, and through another high arched doorway. Finally, a small door opened and they entered a room.
Gwendolyn membuka matanya, merasakan dunia bergerak di sekelilingnya, dan berjuang untuk mencari tahu di mana dia berada. Dia melihat, melewatinya, gerbang batu merah besar yang melengkung di Silesia, melihat ribuan tentara Kekaisaran mengawasinya dengan heran. Dia melihat Steffen, berjalan di sampingnya, dan dia melihat ketika langit, memantul ke atas dan ke bawah. Dia sadar sedang digendong. Bahwa dia ada dalam pelukan seseorang.
Dia menjulurkan lehernya dan melihat mata Argon yang bersinar dan intens. Dia sedang dibawa, dia sadar, oleh Argon, Steffen di sisi mereka, mereka bertiga berjalan secara terbuka melalui gerbang Silesia, melewati ribuan tentara Kekaisaran, yang berpisah untuk mereka dan berdiri di sana, menatap. Mereka dikelilingi oleh cahaya putih, dan Gwendolyn bisa merasakan dirinya tenggelam dalam semacam perisai energi pelindung di lengan Argon. Dia menyadari bahwa dia sedang menggunakan semacam mantra untuk menjaga semua tentara di teluk.
Gwen merasa nyaman, terlindungi dalam pelukan Argon. Setiap otot di tubuhnya sakit, dia kelelahan, dan dia tidak tahu apakah dia bisa berjalan jika dia mencoba. Matanya bergetar ketika mereka pergi, dan dia melihat dunia melewatinya dalam potongan. Dia melihat sepotong dinding yang runtuh; tembok pembatas yang runtuh; tempat tinggal yang terbakar; tumpukan puing; dia melihat mereka menyeberang melalui halaman, mencapai gerbang terjauh, di tepi Canyon; dia melihat mereka melewati ini juga, para prajurit melangkah ke samping.
Mereka mencapai tepi Canyon, platform tertutup paku logam, dan ketika Argon berdiri di sana, itu menurunkan, membawa mereka kembali ke kedalaman Silesia bawah.
Ketika mereka memasuki kota yang lebih rendah, Gwendolyn melihat lusinan wajah, wajah warga Silesia yang baik hati, memperhatikannya berlalu seolah dia tontonan. Mereka semua balas menatap dengan ekspresi heran dan khawatir saat dia terus turun ke alun-alun kota.
Ketika mereka sampai di sana, ratusan orang berkerumun di sekitar mereka. Dia melihat keluar dan melihat wajah-wajah yang dikenalnya — Kendrick, Srog, Godfrey, Brom, Kolk, Atme, lusinan Silver dan Legion yang dia kenal…. Mereka berkumpul di sekelilingnya, kesusahan di wajah mereka di bawah sinar matahari pagi, ketika kabut berputar dari Canyon dan angin dingin menyengatnya. Dia memejamkan matanya, mencoba untuk membuat semua ini pergi. Dia merasa seolah-olah dia adalah benda yang dipamerkan, dan merasa hancur sampai ke dasar. Dia merasa terhina. Dan dia merasa telah mengecewakan mereka semua.
Mereka melanjutkan, melewati semua orang, melalui gang-gang sempit di kota bawah, melalui pintu masuk melengkung yang lain, dan akhirnya ke istana kecil Silesia bawah. Gwen memudar keluar-masuk kesadaran ketika mereka memasuki sebuah kastil merah yang megah, naik satu set tangga, menyusuri koridor panjang, dan melalui pintu melengkung tinggi lainnya. Akhirnya, sebuah pintu kecil terbuka dan mereka memasuki sebuah ruangan.
