A summary of "The Wormwood Wind" by Alexey Pekhov Automatic translate

The novel was created in 2006. The main narrative centers on the clash of fugitive assassins with the ancient forces of magic during a global war between the South and the Empire. The hidden truth about the origins of magic disrupts the conventional picture of the world, and the fates of the characters become intertwined with the plans of rebel mages, inevitably leading to tragic losses. The novel won the Silver Caduceus Award at the Star Bridge Fantasy Festival in 2006.

This book is the second installment in the "Wind and Sparks" series. The story is preceded by the novel "The Wind Seekers." The series also includes the following books: "Wind Reapers" and "Spark and Wind."

Within the walls of the Tower of the Walkers

The assassin Ness, nicknamed the Gray, and his wife Laen are held captive by the Empire’s mages. Their comrades, the northerner Ga-nor and the soldier Luk, are waiting in the reception room of the Tower of the Walkers along with the demon summoner Ghis. The former mercenaries have attracted the attention of the Tower’s leader, Ceira Asani. The Mother of the Walkers knows of the murder of a sorceress, which Ness and Laen committed many years ago. The mages possess the Gift of Light, while the necromancers of the kingdom of Sdis use dark magic.

Ceyra Asani interrogates the prisoners. The Tower Master is uncovering details of Laen’s recent encounter with the Forsworn named Typh. The Forsworn are eight renegades who have mastered both sides of the Gift and unleashed the Dark Rebellion centuries ago. Ceyra Asani chokes Ness with magic, forcing Laen to reveal the name of her mentor. Laen was trained by one of the Forsworn, Ginora, presumed dead in the Necromancer War. Ness dies of asphyxiation. Ceyra Asani’s apprentice, the young Healer Shen, brings the mercenary back to life.

During a lengthy conversation, Laen reveals secrets of the past to Ness. The great ancient mage, the Sculptor, wielded both light and darkness. Conspirators among the Walkers also mastered dark magic. A rebellion erupted. The Tower managed to fight back, and the surviving renegades fled. Ginora faked her death in the Erlika swamps, hid for many years, and accidentally found Laen, mutilated by peasants. She taught the girl magic.

Ceyra Asani imposes her will on Laen. The Mother of Walkers implants a binding weave into the captive’s "spark." Laen must travel to the Rainbow Valley to decipher Ginora’s protective spells. Shen is tasked with accompanying the mercenaries. The Tower’s leader gives the Healer artifacts — bone arrowheads and the "Gift Extinguisher" knife, capable of permanently killing any mage.

Siege of Alsgara

The cursed Typh lost her body in battle with Laen. Now the witch’s spirit resides in the physical form of the village idiot Pork. The cursed one infiltrates Alsgara, evading the guards and mages. She subjugates the local Sdis necromancers — Farid and Esmira — as well as their mort servants and she-zan warriors. Typh’s goal is to capture Laen and the healer Shen. Shen is needed as a vessel for the spirit, and Shen is needed to perform the ritual of transmigration.

A thousand-strong army led by another Damned One, Rowan, nicknamed Consumption, approaches Alsgar. The city bells ring out. The assault on the Outer Wall begins. Rowan uses the larvae of shoi-hash — terrible creatures of the Abyss. One of the creatures crashes onto the Harbor. Magister Ghis engages the demon. With the help of his apprentice, Ashan, the sorcerer draws magical figures in the sand. The trap engulfs the creature, but Ashan dies from the overload of energy flows.

Typh captures Shen on the street. The healer tries to resist, burning the Morts with a flash of light, but is struck in the head. The Cursed One summons a flying demon. On this creature, she carries her captive away through the air. The city’s defenders shoot down the flyer with a magical volley. Typh and Shen fall. A battle rages at the gates. Ga-nor and Luk fight the Sdis. Typh uses a unique weave, "Path of the Abyss." A section of the wall briefly shifts into another dimension. Rowan’s forces burst into the city. Alsgara is partially captured. Ga-nor and Luk are cut off from the Tower and flee Alsgara into the northern forests.

Ness and Laen flee. They reach the Harbor. There, the fugitives encounter Typhus and the captive Shen. Laen fends off a magical attack from the Forsworn. Sorita’s assassin is forced to retreat. The mercenaries and the Healer find the smuggler Dazh. The captain takes them aboard the schooner Fireborn. The ship sets out into stormy seas.

Road through the Rude Plains

The ship drops the fugitives off in a hidden rocky cove. Ness, Laen, and Shen travel on foot through steppes overgrown with wormwood. They avoid the highways, fearing encounters with Nabatean patrols. Along the way, Laen forces Shen to practice his magical control. The Healer’s training is stagnant. The boy learns to kindle fire with the power of his mind, but suffers from severe magical fever after contact with the dark Gift.

On the sixth day of their journey, the party comes across the Flutes of Alistan — ancient singing stones. Here, a mounted Nabator patrol overtakes the fugitives. A firefight ensues. The mercenaries and Shen take up defensive positions on a stone platform. Ness strikes the enemies with a powerful bow. Shen is gravely wounded in the chest by a crossbow bolt. Laen pulls out the arrow, forcing the Healer to use magic to save his own life. Shen heals his punctured lung.

The Nabatorians attack from all sides. Laen uses Death combat magic. The slain riders rise from the grass and attack their former comrades. The enemy force retreats in panic. The magic completely exhausts Laen. The fugitives reach a deserted road. A temple priest named Lerek agrees to give them a ride in his cart. Along the way, the priest tells of the dead wandering through the villages. Soon, the companions reach a large crossroads near Bald Rock. Lerek rides on, while Ness, Laen, and Shen head toward the flickering lights of a nameless village.

Meeting with Leprosy and the tragic end

The inn is empty. A young servant tells the travelers about the estate of a nobleman named Alig, where they can find horses. That night, Ness is plagued by nightmares. He dreams of burning wormwood, a dead old woman, Laen falling into the abyss, and Tarot cards. In the morning, a gilded carriage pulls up to the inn. The oldest of the Damned, Talki, nicknamed Leprosy, emerges from it. Ness decides not to shoot the witch, fearing to endanger his wife.

The fugitives flee the village on foot. Three Sdis necromancers await them on the road. A magical battle ensues. The elderly sorcerer Hamzi stuns Ness with a blow from his heavy staff. The mercenary awakens in the underground prison of the Alig estate. In the next cell sit the swamp dweller Blazg Gbabak and the small Veya creature Yumi. Ness learns that Leprosy has moved her headquarters here.

The sorcerer leads Ness into the kitchen. Leprosy, Shen, and Laen are gathered there. The Cursed One easily reads the mages’ "sparks." The old woman reveals that she has removed Ceyra Asani’s controlling weave from Laen. Talki invites the captives to become her apprentices, promising to reveal the secrets of merging light and dark magic. She releases them to think until evening.

Meanwhile, Shen destroys the lock on his cell with fire magic. He frees Ness. Blasg Gbabak breaks down the bars. The fugitives escape into the estate’s courtyard. The outbuildings are ablaze. Ness and Shen split up to find Laen. The house is littered with the corpses of Sdis’s servants and necromancers. Ness saves the novice Rona from the maddened apostate Kira. The girl freezes Kira with an ice spell. Gbabak and Yumi take Rona to safety. The mercenary enters the dining room. The furniture is smashed, blood is everywhere. Talkie lies dead on the floor. The bone knife "Gift Extinguisher" is stabbed into her neck. The Sculptor’s ancient writings lie nearby. Someone has killed the most powerful witch.

Ness runs outside through the thick smoke from the burning fields. Veya Yumi shows him the way. A shocked Shen stands behind the barn. In the sagebrush, Ness finds Laen’s lifeless body. Her hands are burned to the bone. Shen is powerless — he can heal wounds, but he cannot bring back the dead. The mercenary realizes the meaning of his prophetic dreams. The cards had predicted disaster, and there was no salvation. Ness clutches his dead wife and weeps bitterly.

Typhus hides on the top of a nearby hill. The Damned One weeps in despair. Without Leprosy and a living Laen, she has no chance of regaining her true form. All plans have been ruined. Typhus vows revenge on the murderers for their shattered hopes. Thunder rumbles over the scorched earth, and the skies pour down freezing rain.