by Greg Weisman
He glanced over at Drella, and thought she looked a bit older than she had when she had first blossomed. She was certainly a bit taller, her pretty, twinkling eyes now at a level with his. He looked at Hackle, who had gained so much confidence since they had first met. He looked at Makasa, no longer an island among those who cared most about her. He looked at Murky, who was currently tangled up in his nets and determined to untangle himself without any help. “There are all kinds of families,” his father had once said. Aram knew this crew was one kind of family. Aram knew this crew was his family, as certainly as the people he still cherished back in Lakeshire were his family, too.
He thought about the path his life had taken since leaving Lakeshire all those months ago. It had hardly been straight. Often, in fact, it seemed to be spiraling out of control. Yet every step he’d taken had led inevitably toward more friends, new wonders, and a greater understanding of the world around him. And what he understood most clearly now was that it was all connected. One thing led to another. His mother had nudged him toward his father. His father had introduced him to his sister Makasa. His journey with Makasa had led them to Murky. Even their encounters with Malus had brought him in contact with Hackle and with Thalyss, who had literally placed Taryndrella’s acorn in his hand. And who knows? Maybe Drella would lead him to Silverlaine.
Thalyss Greyoak’s words resonated for Aram, now more than ever: “There is a harmony to nature, a way and a flow. Like the path of a river, like the path through the soil that a stem takes to find the sun. Do you think it is any different for beings such as we four travelers? I am not talking of guarantees. A river may be dammed. A stem may be chewed away by aphids or grasshoppers. And a traveler may be diverted in any number of ways. But the flow exists, and we are without a doubt a part of its whole.”
Five travelers instead of four now, but otherwise these words seemed as true as ever—maybe truer. So first, before Aram did anything else, he knew with certainty that he must help his dryad friend become all that she was meant to be. He believed—quest or no quest, shards or no shards, Blade or no Blade—that such a path was one his father would have chosen for him. Not a straight path, certainly. Not a straight line. But a winding way and a spiral flow that would ultimately connect with all that Aram was meant to see and experience, ultimately bringing him to the desired end. Assuming there was an end—or even should be. And this rambling chain of thought gave Aramar Thorne peace.
Seeing a way clear, Aram stepped over to Murky and yanked on one end of the murloc’s net with a slight spiral motion. His small green friend instantly tumbled free.
“How about another reading lesson?” he asked, to the applause of Hackle, Murky, and Drella. Makasa nodded her approval. And Aramar Thorne nodded back.
And somewhere, Aram thought, Greydon Thorne is nodding down on me as well.
In Outland, the prisoner wasn’t nodding, though nothing would have given him more pleasure than to nod off and dream. But this week, the dreadlord had given the order that the Burning Legion’s prisoner not be allowed to sleep. Thus, every time he had begun to nod off, a blasted imp would poke him in the ribs with a red-hot brand. The prisoner thought the searing pain of the brand was less of a torture than the forced wakefulness.
But it changed nothing. By his own calculations, the prisoner had spent nearly two months chained in this deep, dank, dark dungeon. Highlord Xaraax had been trying to break his spirit all that time. In fact, Xaraax had—in one way or another—been trying to break his spirit for over twenty years.
Clearly, however, Greydon Thorne was not an easy man to break.
So many people helped me complete this story. More than I could possibly list. But this, at least, is a start …
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Trent Kaniuga for bringing Aram’s art to life in this book. Not to mention the work of Charnas, Sprocket, and others.
At Blizzard, I’d like to thank the since-departed James Waugh, who’s gone on to far, far better things in a galaxy far, far away. In addition, thanks to Sean Copeland, Cate Gary, Brianne M Loftis, Justin Parker, Byron Parnell, Robert Simpson, Justin Thavirat, and Jeffrey Wong. Special props to Chelsea Monroe-Cassel for her Dragonbreath Chili recipe, which can be found in World of Warcraft: The Official Cookbook.
At Scholastic, my thanks go out once again to Samantha Schutz and to my new editor, Adam Staffaroni, who always has my back. Thanks also to Gayley Avery, Rick DeMonico, Lindsey Johnson, Danielle Klimashowsky, Susan Lee, Charisse Meloto, Monica Palenzuela, Maria Passalacqua, and Lizette Serrano. For producing the audiobook version of the previous novel, I’d like to thank Melissa Reilly Ellard, our wonderful narrator Ramón de Ocampo, and the folks at Deyan Audio.
At the Gotham Group: Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Julie Kane-Ritsch, Peter McHugh, Julie Nelson, Joey Villareal, Tony Gil, Heather Horn, Matt Schichtman, and Hannah Shtein.
It’s also become a bit of a tradition for me to thank the folks at my day job for putting up with certain … distractions. And, boy, did I have a lot of day jobs this time out. At Shimmer and Shine, Andrew Blanchette, Farnaz Esanaashari, Dustin Ferrer, Rich Fogel, Michelle Lamoreaux, Robert Lamoreaux, Dave Palmer, and Cisco Paredes. On Mecha-Nation, Victor Cook, Greg Guler, Chris Hamilton, and Fred Schaefer. At Young Justice, Sam Aides, Brent Anthony, Jay Bastian, Christopher Berkeley, Phil Bourassa, Jonathan Callan, Mae Catt, Marlene Corpuz, Peter David, Nicole Dubuc, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Rich Fogel, Auriane Gamelin, Paul Giacoppo, Tiffany Grant, Julie Haro, Vinton Heuck, Kevin Hopps, Brian Jones, Curtis Koller, Leanne Moreau, Bobbie Page, Francisco Paredes, Tom Pugsley, Sam Register, Andrew Robinson, Jamie Thomason, Michael Vogel, Mel Zwyer, and especially my producing partner, Brandon Vietti. Thanks also to my Rain of the Ghosts AudioPlay producing partner, Curtis Koller.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank my entire family for their support. My in-laws, Zelda & Jordan Goodman, and Danielle & Brad Strong. My nieces and nephews, Julia, Jacob, Lilah, Casey, and Dash. My siblings, Jon & Dana Weisman, and Robyn & Gwin Spencer-Weisman. My cousin Brindell Gottlieb. My parents, Sheila & Wally Weisman. My wife, Beth, and my amazing (and very grown-up) kids, Erin and Benny. I love you all.
Greg Weisman has been a storyteller all his life. He’s best known as the creator of Disney’s Gargoyles and as a writer-producer on multiple animated series, including Gargoyles, W.I.T.C.H., The Spectacular Spider-Man, Star Wars Rebels, and Young Justice. In addition to writing the first two books in the World of Warcraft: Traveler series, he’s written several comic book titles—including Captain Atom, Gargoyles, Young Justice, Star Wars Kanan, Mythic Legions, Mecha-Nation, and Starbrand & Nightmask—plus two young adult novels, Rain of the Ghosts and Spirits of Ash and Foam.