St. James, Mot, and Valerius travel to Heremac while Sir Hamral and the rest of the group stay in Upchurch at Sir Aleck Rowland's manor-house. Sir Will Garnfellow soon arrives in Upchurch, citing a new-found desire to assist Aleck's cause. The fat knight wastes no time making himself at home.

As summer slowly gives way to autumn, Kirke and his fellows to the north lose ground before the rucks, while Gregory and the Seekers battle to a stalemate east of Heremac. Meanwhile, Sir Charles of the Axe wins an important victory near Antace, killing a son of Tereus in single combat—and then dragging the ruck-prince's mangled corpse behind his war-horse for the entire length of the battlefield. In Heremac, Tim suffers serious setbacks to his business, which benefits both Maggie and Roger. Meanwhile, Varick disappears.

Valerius grows very concerned about reports concerning a Bergenian monk from Abbermark named Brother Hugh. Brother Hugh arrived in Heremac while the consortes were engaged in the adventure of the Geaunt's Tower. According to the reports, the Bergenian carefully questioned several townsmen about the unfortunate incident in Maggie's cellar. In response, Valerius adopts the alias "Thaddeus."

The planned expedition into Lownell is unexpectedly delayed by Valerius, who instead calls upon his companions to accompany him on an important mission. St. James and Mot sign on immediately, and Ruik, Renton, Dale, Mendelor, and Friar Sidrach agree to travel from Upchurch to help. Valerius reveals that he must fulfil an obligation to the Vavasor, the mysterious man who has assisted in his arcane studies. The Vavasor has lately undergone a rather curious transformation: once a haughty and controlled man, he has degenerated into a disheveled and confused figure. Valerius suggests that the Vavasor has exhibited other, unexplained changes.

The Vavasor gives Valerius three numbered scrolls and instructs Valerius to read each scroll in sequence, after the task outlined in the previous scroll has been completed.

Valerius opens the first scroll, and reads:

I. Travel south toward the village of Tymgram. Before midday you will find an ash tree, and amongst its roots you will find a small, round rock. At precisely the hour of noon two ash branches will cast a shadow in the shape of an X upon the trail. Place the rock on the marked place and continue on to Tymgram.

Puzzled by the innocuous nature of this first request, the companions set out from Heremac. They startle a single crow on the side of the road—an event that Valerius interprets as an ominous sign.

The group continues south and soon meets a man dressed as an ecclesiastic and who introduces himself as Solon. Solon tells the party that he is selling indulgences sanctioned by the pope, and that these wondrous writs are able to cancel out sins completely. The unctuous man is persistent and makes such a compelling case that Valerius buys an indulgence for an unspecified sin. Before other party members can do likewise, Friar Sidrach intervenes. Appalled by both Solon's demeanor and his faulty theology, the friar engages Solon in sharply-worded debate. Rather than buy himself an indulgence, Friar Sidrach gives all of his coin to Solon—to pay for the pardoner's own sins. Rebuffed, Solon departs.

Soon after, the party finds an old, dead ash tree at the appointed place and time. Friar Sidrach and St. James both feel quite uneasy about this place—it is almost as if someone is watching. But no hidden spies are detected, and Valerius discerns no magical force at work. Nevertheless, the Friar reports that he senses an ominous, mocking presence. The party moves the rock to the marked place in the road and continues on to Tymgram. Friar Sidrach remains behind for a bit, but he sees nothing out of the ordinary. The friar seriously considers moving the stone somewhere else, and he seems to feel an unseen presence urging him to do so. Leaving the stone where it is, the friar continues on to rejoin his fellows.

Once in Tymgram, Valerius reads the second scroll:

II. Well done. Go the ale-house in Tymgram, and wait for the third man who enters the house after you. Extend hospitality to him for the entire night.

Inside the ale-house the consortes find an old, angry farmer, deep in his cups. The man blasphemes against the Church, and when Friar Sidrach steps in, the man recounts how his hatred of the Church came to be: one day he returned home only to find his beloved wife cuckolding him—with the village priest. This betrayal drove the farmer to renounce his farm and the Church. Friar Sidrach gently engages the man in talk, encouraging him to throw off his hate and return to the flock. The man, unable to refute the friar, leaves in a huff.

The first person to enter the ale-house is a grizzled serjeant. And then comes a merchant, followed immediately by his wife. The consortes debate whether the merchant's wife is the intended recipient of hospitality. But before the jests grow too crude, a third man enters and seems to fit the bill—he bears the tonsure and clothes of a Bergenian. The consortes invite him over to their table, and the stranger gladly joins the group. He introduces himself as George, a novitiate from the Abbey at Abbermark. George has been dispatched to Heremac on a mission from Abbot Thursten. George proves a gregarious, friendly fellow, eager to carouse with the consortes. They buy him several rounds of ale, and George enjoys the hospitality—perhaps a bit too much.

In the course of the night, George reveals several things: Brother Hugh is widely considered to be a very clever man, a former soldier and sometimes scholar, a man who performs many special services for the Abbot. Upon some prodding from Valerius, George tells what little he knows concerning an incident that occurred at his Abbey in the recent past—some sort of mysterious disaster that resulted in a building being burnt to the ground. St. James discovers that George is bearing a book and a letter.

The consortes and a very drunken George retire for the evening. And although the party assigns guards to stay up and look after George, the men on the last shift fall asleep while on watch. In the morning everyone is troubled by half-remembered, disturbing dreams. St. James and Friar Sidrach are able to recall an identical scene of standing in an open field encircled by a gigantic serpent, so large that its yawning mouth nearly touched its writhing tail. As the serpent slowly circled the field, its coils drew tighter and tighter. The consortes learn that George woke before everyone else and made an early start for Heremac. Valerius opens the last scroll and reads:

III. Well done. Return to Heremac by the same route from which you came. Whatsoever that you find of value upon the road is mine.

Valerius, filled with a dreadful inkling of what will come, urges his companions to quickly ready themselves to leave Tymgram. After travelling for a few hours in a cold, miserable drizzle, Mendelor spies an animal thrashing deep in the woods. Noxumbra identifies the animal as a pony carrying an empty saddle and loaded saddlebags. After tracking down the beast, Mendelor discovers that one of its legs has been badly broken. Friar Sidrach offers up a prayer that heals the pony, and Mendelor follows the tracks backwards.

Further down the trail, Valerius finds his fears realized: the cold body of George lies twisted on the stones beneath an old, dead ash tree, his neck broken. Mendelor discovers that the pony probably broke its leg on the very same stone that had been placed by the consortes in the middle of the trail the day before.

Sickened by this ghastly turn of events, the consortes debate what to do. Searching George's body they discover a sack with the book and the letter. Both objects are sealed with wax and bear the mark of Abbot Thursten. The party members consider opening the goods then and there, and also debate burying George's body on the side of the road. Friar Sidrach shivers and again senses an unseen, mocking presence nearby. In the end the companions decide to bear George's body as far as the next village, Raim.

In Raim George is given a Pentian burial and the party again considers what to do with the book and the letter. Valerius notes that the final scroll does not stipulate that the items have to be delivered to the Vavasor within a specific timeframe, or ever, for that matter. Friar Sidrach prays to the Five, and asks whether the book and the letter should be opened. The friar receives a bit of Pentian scripture in answer: "Knowledge does not bring wisdom, always."

Valerius decides to open the letter, but to leave the book sealed. The letter is from Abbot Thursten.

My Dear Brother Peter,

I am deeply distressed about the recent calamity in your fair town. You are quite right to be concerned, and I have asked my monks to offer special prayers for your plight. As Brother Hugh told you, we have experienced a similar incident even within the walls of my own Abbey, and not too long ago, I fear. Nowhere is inviolate, and we must remain ever vigilant against such corruption—after all, did not the Worms dare to steal even within sight of the Citie itself, in order to destroy Canem and Larith? To aid you in your struggle, I have entrusted young George here with a peculiar book from our own library. I must caution you, Brother Peter, that this work contains such unspeakable passages that we keep the book under lock and key, and I would urge you not to allow any of your subordinates free access to its cursed pages, lest they succumb to temptation. George is a good and loyal lad, and is completely trustworthy with this charge, as he is unable to read. The book is a transcript of an interrogation carried out over a hundred years ago, and should prove helpful to your attempts to ferret out the blight that has taken hold in Heremac. My prayers are with you, dear Peter. Please be very careful: the snares of the Pit are everywhere, it seems.

Abbot Thursten.
Abbey of St. Rosemund,
Abbermark

Valerius, St. James, and Mot take the book and the letter and slip into Heremac in disguise. They reach the Vavasor's house, only to find the place in disarray, squalid and stinking of human waste. The Vavasor himself appears filthy and distracted, but almost giddy to see the book. The Vavasor tells Valerius that the book contains many secrets—including details that could allow one to conjure an elemental.

Valerius, distressed by the recent turn of events, considers challenging the Vavasor for the book—a prospect that seems to fill the Vavasor with a weird, manic glee. After several tense minutes, in which the pupil and the master exchange grim stares, Valerius hands over the book—and the Vavasor assures Valerius that he be will allowed to read its contents . . . in time.