"The Raven’s Heart" by Vladimir Torin and Oleg Yakovlev, summary

This book is an epic fantasy about a massive war between the forces of light and armadas of the undead, created in 2010. The author’s world is torn apart by political intrigue, treacherous betrayals, and massive invasions. The text is replete with tightly intertwined plots. The destinies of crowned heads, powerful mages, and common mercenaries are decided on bloody battlefields and in cramped palace council chambers.

This work is the second book in the expansive fantasy series "The Chronicles of the Broken Mirror." It is preceded by the novel "Time of Troubles," and followed by "Where the False Faces Are" and other volumes revealing the fates of the continent’s inhabitants.

Shadow over the Kingdom of Ronstrad

The plot begins with a grim prophecy of a black raven and the arrival of the nature mage Cartnam the Nameless in the golden-domed city of Khian. A street incident turns tragic. A local thief sets a trap for the sorcerer, who loses his ancient staff and narrowly escapes execution. Under the harsh laws, the mage is immediately sent to the scaffold. Only magic saves the old man: a wooden block sprouts thick branches, shielding the prisoner from the axe. Cartnam takes a swift, ash-colored horse and gallops north to frosty Istar. In a tavern, he meets an old friend, the werewolf John Rryer, hiding from the warlocks of Umbrelstadt.

Meanwhile, crown secret agent Jack Carmali, nicknamed the Changeling, prevents the assassination of a Khian lord at a soiree in Gorten. Flawlessly executing his dangerous mission, the spy becomes enchanted by the young Lady Thea. Overcome by sudden feelings, he accidentally reveals his identity to her. Later, Jack tracks down the deranged escaped convict James Modlog, who is brutally murdering innocent citizens on dark streets.

In a gloomy basement, eerily furnished with dismembered corpses, Karmali engages the maniac in a knife fight and barely manages to stun him. The agent soon realizes the bitter truth: the Secret Guard handler has turned out to be a spy. The masked informant is Lord Tancred Bremer, plotting to destroy the king. Bremer paralyzes Jack with searing magic and cold-bloodedly throws the carriage carrying the crippled Changeling into a bottomless pit. The dying agent is found by a traveling circus.

Alliance with the Dwarves and the Orcish Invasion

Paladin Ildiar de Noth journeys to the subterranean dwarven kingdom of Ahan. Enlisting the aid of the stern warrior Dwynn Gareon, the knight descends into gigantic caverns, passes over deadly chasms, and appears before the High Council of Three. Ildiar asks the rulers of the dungeons to aid the kingdom of Ronstrad in repelling an undead attack. The dwarves, impressed by the envoy’s bravery, agree to provide gold and promise military support. The warriors of the underground world enter into an eternal pact with the humans.

A massive orc horde is gathering on the southeastern borders of Ronstrad. Stealthy scouts discover a massive camp where the green-skinned barbarians are forging weapons and training assault beasts. Led by Supreme Chieftain Gryshgan, the army attacks 16 watchtowers. The human garrison resists desperately, sorcerers unleash a wall of fire on the attackers and conjure deadly illusions. The odds are too great. Steppe shamans cast spells, inflaming the warriors’ rage and making them forget their pain. The outposts fall under the steppe warriors’ furious onslaught.

The remnants of the royal forces hastily retreat along icy paths into the mountains toward the Steel Caves. The exhausted humans are overtaken by an advance detachment of orcs, but are aided by heavily armored leidang dwarves and the enormous fire-breathing dragon Skyrran. Caught in a brutal pincer movement, the orcs suffer a crushing defeat and flee in panic, abandoning their wounded comrades.

The Dark Lord returns to power

The deposed Dark Lord Dekker emerges from a sealed stone crypt in the middle of dead Elagon. The powerful lich discovers that the undead army has been stolen by Corrin’s ally, the White Death. Burning with rage, Dekker discovers a forest warlock camp. The lord brutally tortures Corrin, impaling him with a spear made of gravedust, resurrecting and killing the traitor again to demonstrate his boundless power. Dekker reclaims sole control over the legions of the Damned. A vast armada of the undead, led by ruthless centurions, marches inexorably toward Eastern Daikan.

The elven ruler of Concra, Vital Estarion Moonlight, receives a harsh ultimatum from the supreme human mage, Tian. The humans had previously returned the sacred Chalice of Tyene to the elves, stealing the relic from dangerous ruins. Now Tian demands a favor in return — the immediate defense of Eastern Daikan. At the High Council, the arrogant elven lords flatly refuse to shed blood for the human race. Arguments erupt in the hall. Es-Kaint decides to fulfill his oath alone and set out on a military campaign alongside his personal guard and the fearless forces of Lord Mertinger. Unbeknownst to her stern father, Princess Allae Tael joins the campaign, hoping to reunite with her beloved.

Sea wanderings and the siege of Daikan

The former commander of the destroyed outpost, Lognir Arvest, along with the grumpy goblin Gark and a squad of surviving soldiers, reach the free corsair city of Sar-Itiad. The fugitives charter the vessel "Sea Serpent" from the red-haired captain Rif, after saving the life of one of his sailors in a brutal duel on deck. Lognir sets course for the ancient ruins of Tiriahad, hoping to find sacred artifacts of the deceased goddess Tyene there. Legends say these relics have the power to prevent the End Times.

In the vast seas, the Sea Serpent encounters a fierce storm, nearly destroying the vessel, and an orcish longship. Miraculously, the ship escapes a bloody battle. The pirates also daringly deceive a merchant guild patrol with the help of masterfully forged documents and the goblin’s acting talent. The black sailing ship stubbornly heads south, toward the dangerous unknown.

Legions of the undead begin a merciless assault on Eastern Daikan. Skeleton infantry advance, and warlocks hurl magical battering rams crafted from the ashes of the dead against the stone walls. Daikan’s defenders, led by Ildiar de Not, perish under the blows of possessed monsters and undead cavalry. Steel-clad elven cavalry and knights on snow-white griffins arrive to the city’s aid. The combined forces of light push back the armada of the Damned, breaking through the skeletal ranks.

During a fierce battle, a horde of orcs led by Gryshgan approaches Daikan. The barbarians planned to finish off the weakened victors, but they encounter the elven cavalry. The battle instantly turns into a horrific massacre. Princess Allae Tael is mortally wounded by an orcish arrow. Horrified, the elven sorceresses use time magic, slowing the girl’s death. Gryshgan orders a retreat, realizing the horrific losses of his warriors.

Rescuing the princess and exposing the traitors

A dryad from the ancient White Oak reveals to Lord Mertinger a way to save the princess. To heal her, he needs a man whom Allae Tael truly loves. This savior turns out to be Lognir Arvest. The elf vows to find the former centurion, even if it means searching the entire continent.

In the capital city of Gorten, Monarch Instreld V convenes the Crown Council. The King is suffering greatly from a sorcerous obsession; invisible whispers are slowly driving him mad. The royal jester, Chicot, takes the floor and denounces the Duke of Elagon, accusing him of cowardice and surrendering the city to the undead. The lord is immediately taken into custody. The jester then hints at Baron Tealsky’s open treason. The Baron loudly insults the King, and Ildiar de Not challenges the insolent man to a duel to the death.

Shiko reveals his true identity to the king. Hidden behind the fool’s mask is Richard Anecto, a legendary warrior, younger brother of the lord of Sar-Itiad, and a fearless slayer of demons. Instreld V is shocked, but gratefully accepts the support of the arriving dwarves and the loyal Richard.

The Dark Mages suffer significant losses in skirmishes with the priests. The Empire’s High Inquisitors track down and kill the necromancer Anin the Sinful, crucifying him on a wooden cross with blessed nails atop a deserted hill. Anin’s friend, the former paladin Dorian Twilight, is stripped of his magical powers with an artifact and captured. Black Lord Dekker, oblivious to the losses among his followers, indifferently leads his remaining troops south. He wishes to meet the advancing iron legions of the resurgent Dark Empire. The Orcs, meanwhile, are building secret underground bastions within the icy cliffs of the Drikha Ridge, preparing for new raids.

The story concludes with a conversation between the old mage and his young apprentice, Arit. The mentor confirms that all the bloody events described are true, and that the legendary sorcerer Tian and paladin Ildiar have been dead for 48 years.