A summary of "Apple Blossom" by Alexey Pekhov Automatic translate

The novel, written in 2023, concludes the sweeping story of a fractured magical world. The book’s plot, building a chain of factual events, brings together the disparate storylines of tauvin warriors, tzamas necromancers, and hollows to a final confrontation with otherworldly entities. The author depicts the evolution of the characters, forced to make difficult moral decisions against the backdrop of a global catastrophe.

This work crowns the "Contemplator" series, set in the world of Lethos. It is the fourth book in the series, following the novels "Contemplator," "The Shadow of the Ingenium," and "Taloris."

The death of the capital and the awakening of forces

The darkness that erupted through the body of the dead sorceress Neysi transforms the capital of Trettini into a gigantic necropolis. Riona is consumed by slime and dust. Thousands of the dead lie in the streets. Theo and Laviani discover scorched wastelands where residential areas once stood. War is tearing down all barriers between the living and the dead. Theo, an acrobat infected with the blood of a shautt demon, watches the destruction. In the Cascade Palace, the scorched wizard Milvio guards Sharon. The girl is comatose, struggling with her gift of death. This gift threatens to consume her mind due to the abundance of corpses around her.

The blind noblewoman Blanca Erbeth masters the vision of the golden threads of the universe. She nurses the wounded youth Vir, transmitting life force to him through the weaves. Cultists, Muth Devo led by the fanatic Radi, find Blanca. They claim that Miri, one of the Six Creators of the world, has been reincarnated within her. At first, the woman resists this alien entity. Tensions mount when Shrev, the former leader of the Night Clan, finds them. Shrev attacks Vir. In the ensuing brutal battle, the youth utilizes all the combat talents of the Tauvin. The intervention of Blanca and the Devo allows the experienced assassin to be executed.

Sharon is awakened from her slumber by the dice. The artifact restores her sanity from the afterlife. The heroes realize the harsh truth: the darkness in Rion is feeding on the remnants of magic. The process strips Laviani and Vir of their painted talents. The only way to confront the enemy is to attack the entity. The heroes enter the lair through the mirror labyrinth of the old mage Marid. Inside, Blanca uses the statue of Arila. She draws the energy from the beast, and the darkness is temporarily defeated.

Battle of the Four Fields

Erego da Montag, the young Duke of Mountain, leads a vast army south. He is guided by the Shautt Mitten, whose body harbors an ancient enemy. Defenders of the Trettini-Iriast coalition hold their positions at the walls of the Lentre fortress. Fighting rages along the River Sitha. Davor archers rain deadly arrows upon Vir’s positions. The young man conserves his talents, skillfully wielding his shield. Soon, Fichsheis cavalrymen break through to the river, destroying entire battlefields of the defenders. The war grinds down men by the thousands. The reserves of both sides are rapidly depleted.

Sharon embraces her Tzamas nature, focusing her energies on salvation. She arrives at a military camp. She spends her days operating on the wounded, using necromancy to instantly fuse flesh. The Duke’s guards volunteer to march under her personal banner, bearing the image of a striped fish. The Pointer refuses to raise the dead for battle. She strives with all her might to preserve her humanity.

The outcome of the battle hangs in the balance. Sharon resorts to extreme measures. At the port of Riona, she subjugates the will of the fallen inhabitants. The dead masses obediently march into the Pearl Sea. Flesh fuses with bone, forming a colossal suspension bridge of amber and dust. A structure stretching for many kilometers connects the shores. The bridge allows the armies of Alagoria and Karif to arrive at the Four Fields right in the midst of the battle. Fresh cavalry strikes the flank of Montag’s troops. The offensive falters.

Sharud Towers

The conflict culminates in the capital of the Mountain Duchy, Sharud. Two towers, Kalav-im-tark, tower over the city, serving as a focus of ancient power. Erego da Montag has taken refuge in the right-hand stronghold, impervious to the magic of the Tzamas and Shautts. Blanca, having absorbed Miri’s memory, weaves an invisible web using the blood of the Devo Radi. The Servant sacrifices himself, transforming the whip into a glowing string. The string stretches across the chasm between the two towers.

Acrobat Theo Pruzhina demonstrates supreme circus skills. Balancing over a roaring waterfall, he crosses a thin copper rope into the enemy’s hideout. Astore penetrates. Shoutt illusions test everyone’s will. Laviani falls into the lair of spider-like demons, burning them with the remnants of the enemy’s magic. Theo opens a spatial passage for the remaining heroes. Inside, a labyrinth of time awaits the party. The rooms change shape, turning into forests, and scenes from bygone eras flicker outside the windows.

The elderly tauvin, Neko, joins the heroes. A battle ensues in the vast hall. The rotating ceiling beams are disorienting, but Blanca perceives them as a vast loom of the universe. The Duke reveals himself to be a powerful vessel for monstrous power, fueled by metal from the ancient staff of the sorceress Mali. Erego easily repels Vir and Neko’s attacks, using the deadly strings of his lute. The situation seems hopeless. Blanca falls into a deep trance. The woman weaves a vast pattern of probabilities, opening a dimensional door into the dark world of demons.

The Dawn of True Magic

Mitten begs Blanca for deliverance from the suffering of the other side. Lady Erbeth lies to the demon. She channels the pure light of the world of Suns and Moons into the dark fibers. The light burns away the Shautts. It burns them completely, erasing them from reality. Meanwhile, Milvio engages in a brutal duel with the Duke. Feniko’s steel fan breaks with a deafening clang from a direct hit from the string.

The sword’s fragments release hidden energy. A thousand years ago, the wizard Tion locked true magic within the blade, hiding it from the crumbling world. A stream of pure, crushing power erupts in all directions. The energy blinds those present and paralyzes Neko. The magic burns the alien entity from Erego da Montag’s body. An ordinary Laviani dagger, thrown by Milvio, pierces the duke, ending the long war forever.

The ancient staff’s shard loses its destructive power. Neko, tired of a thousand years of life, leaves to search for the long-dead Tion. She steps into the closing portal. The ancient tower of Kalav-im-tark ceases its mad rotation. True magic spreads across the continent like a gentle tidal wave. Theo heals Laviani’s mortal wounds. Jay plans to return to her native Pubir, and Vir and Blanca remain together. Astore plants an acorn in the forest, from which a new great tree of knowledge will grow.

Sometime later, a ferry carries the survivors across the frigid fjords. Theo, Sharon, and Milvio step onto the moorlands of Lethos. The old orchard near the lighthouse keeper’s house is lush with pale apple trees. Sharon’s adopted daughter, little Nailie, runs among the trees. The girl plucks a petal, which in her tiny palm turns into a ripe red apple. Milvio pronounces, "A wizard sees a wizard." For the first time in many centuries, a true sorceress has been born, endowed with the bright gift of creating life. The heroes prepare to protect the girl, teaching her the light, lest she repeat the dark mistakes of past eras. The cycle of deaths is complete.