THE COVENANT OF THE CHOSEN

Sagiron, Arhim, Roy, Nasihra and Ikhira enter Telkheron with Roy's father Markhen, where they meet the council. The council accuses them of destabilizing their security and threatens to hand them over to the enemy who makes clear it wants the Journal above all, but they do a trick by hiding the Journal in the archives, making the council's efforts futile. As revenge, they are imprisoned in dungeons until the paration congress assembles.

They address the council, and manage to get their approval for their ambiguous mission and give them access to the wind riders, messengers, and they craft letters to be sent across Yanakhon for many old and also new faces.

Merkhat (Sagiron's friend) and the other relegated villagers passing through the Black Pass are ambushed in their prison wagons by rasacks, and manage to escape. With friends and family at home, they return to Silvon through a long journey. Merkhat and his friends sneak in, but meusar detectives ambush them and imprison them, and Merkhat is being questioned, revealing to be Sagiron's friend. Rabat, the village robber whose Sagiron had saved from miscarriage of justice and hanging during the village chief's murder investigation, makes a scene and opens the gate for the villagers, who storm in, saving Merkhat. They take over the village, imprisoning the Perilleans remaining and celebrate their victory, maybe too openly.

The Perilleans respond by sending a strike team and Merkhat's girlfriend dies as they sneak in through Merkhat's own secret route and take over the village, led by the ex-village captain. However, Elyara's rogue band, the new Silvon Guard, attacks the village, slaying the Perilleans. News of their friends' movements are exchanged, and Sagiron is not seen as a savior but the coward who let the snitch live and caused the massacre back at the Bearhill.

News of siege at Blackwater emerge, explaining why Silvon is vacant of soldiers. They prepare and fortify their village anyway, and huddle for winter, blissfully unaware of what's happening in the outside world, practicing for the coming.

Back at Telkheron, one by one, those called travel to Telkheron. Rambor, a pirate chief, appears, revealing more details about the Arkman, and combined with the information they got from Arhim's father, they go on a trip to track him down, and find him stuck on a skerry. Not knowing their intentions, he puts up a fight, but is too weak to resist and they bring him back to Telkheron just before winter hits. The Arkman, Horadriam's his real name, reveals them the whole story.

Soon, Halin, a temple knight, Yahamat's old friend enters, followed by the master of the School Guild of Harachim, Barakhat, and Yuliwin, a captain from the Silver City arrive, each going through a scrutiny. When everyone was thought to be present, one uninvited guest arrives, a stranger from the north, Ravin, riding a huge arkhenbird, a crow-like creature.

A total of twelve Chosen gathers in Telkheron, and they are initiated to the Secret. Together they practice using it and the thunderblade, and also experiment with lightning during a storm. However, the enemy is gathering an army, and to save their own, the Telkheron council decides to hand them over regardless of the paration high council's decision, forcing the Chosen to flee Telkheron through the hidden harbor. As the enemy doesn't believe the Telkheron troops, they are forced to face the enemy, but the battle turns upside down, and the Telkheron troops besiege the enemy troops into the harbor town of Telkhen.

Knowing the enemy troops mostly consist of forced slave conscripts, they craft a plan using the shipload of stolen spirits, setting a bait to the enemy, who greedily grabs it, allowing them to infiltrate the town unnoticed, hiding in barrels amongst the cargo. As the town garrison indulges itself on shipload of the strong spirits, the Chosen set out to gather the troops, who slowly become aware of what's happening, partly encouraged by the smuggled spirits, however, the enemy mercenaries keep harsh discipline, and they get surrounded.

During their time hiding in the barrels, Ravin had however jumped aside, grabbing the thunderblade which Sagiron could not take in the barrel, and appears from the sky, blasting the enemy forces with it, turning the tides. They climb a bell tower and announce their cause, and the battle ends as the slave conscripts turn loyal to the Chosen, and the remaining enemies flee the port-town. They face the Telkheron forces, who, after some discord, accept their actions.

Victory celebration falls short as the enemy fleet appears sooner than anticipated. The Chosen embark on their journey back to their homelands to gather people for the rebellion and oncoming war. Sagiron and the friends read about a treasure related to the thunderblades and the Secret. They figure out a plan to steal an enemy flagship and flee with it, drawing the fleet after them, because the enemy was after them and the Journal.

Brief synopsis of

The Covenant of the Chosen