Trull Sengar, a Tiste Edur, is on his way back to his village. He has been to the sea shore to look for jade washed up on the beach, and has instead found a fleet of Letharri ships harvesting seals on Edur lands. Thsi is a source of food and skins for clothing for the Edur, and is against the treaties between the Letharii Empire and the Edur.
We get to meet Trull's family - his three brothers and his parents, and the beautiful betrothed girl of his eldest brother, whom his youngest brother lusts after. We even get to meet a couple of important slaves - born Letharii, now held by the Edur.
We learn that the Warlock King of the Edur wants the four Sengar brothers for a special mission, which he has not yet described to their father.
We get to go to a meeting of the Edur, where the warlock King says he will take care of the Letharii ships by a new magical means.
We see the slaves at their own meeting, where a slave named Feather Witch casts the prophetic tiles, and where a small dragonlike creature attacks, and might have infected the blood of a Sengar slave named Udinaas.
We learn that the Warlock King wishes to send the Sengar brothers and two companions on a quest out in the icy wastes for a precious gift he has seen in a vision.
_________________ Our lives are the songs that sing the universe into existence.~David Zindell
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