Though the logbook didn’t describe the Lord Ruler’s entire journey, some of the marvels it did include-the ice fields to the north, the great black lake, and the Terris waterfalls-sounded amazing. To experience that much snow day after day, to be in danger of having it fall upon you in great crushing avalanches… A part of her wished that she could visit such places, no matter how dangerous. She had seen snow on some distant peaks, but she had rarely seen it fall-and even then it was usually just an icy slush. Despite the chill evening, she could barely imagine a place like the one the Lord Ruler described. She wound her way up the path toward the mansion. The sun was low in the sky, and it was beginning to get chilly. The gardens of Mansion Renoux extended before her, the cultured pathways, broad-limbed trees, and quiet stream creating her favorite reading spot. She’d finished the entire newest portion of the logbook in one sitting, a feat that surprised even her. Sazed must not have finished the last part yet. She turned it over, rereading the last few lines. The back page of the booklet, however, was empty. Such are my fears as I scribble with an ice-crusted pen on the eve before the world is reborn. Is this a burden that any man should bear? Is this a temptation any man could resist? I feel strong now, but what will happen when I touch that power? I will save the world, certainly-but will I try to take it as well? “He will take upon himself authority that no mortal should hold.” Yet, the philosophers warned me that if I am self-serving with the power, my selfishness will taint it. I will have the ability to fulfill any wish of my heart. They hint, however, that I will have the power to destroy it as well. The Terris prophecies say that I will have the power to save the world. If men read these words, let them know that power is a heavy burden. I am tired of being loved and hated for what a bunch of old men say I will eventually do. I am so tired of being the Hero of Ages, tired of entering cities to find either armed hostility or fanatic adoration. It sounds nice-more desirable, even, than a warm sun and a windless sky. What will it be like, when this is all over? I will be just a regular man again. Braches has told of such places, islands to the south where great mountains create fire. When this is finished, I think I should like to live where it is warm all year. However, men like Rashek must be contained-he irrationally believes that all people outside of Terris have oppressed him. These Terrismen could be very dangerous, I think. I have not seen such a feat of strength in all my days. Yesterday, one of the packmen lifted a boulder of enormous size, then tossed it out of our way with an almost casual throw. I fear his words, for I see some truth in them. He thinks that Terrismen deserve far more-he keeps saying that his people should be “dominant” because of their supernatural powers. He thinks that we have turned his people into little more than slaves. Unleashed, he spoke at great length regarding his hatred of Khlennium and my people. He did not want to speak to me, of course, but I forced him. I am here by providence of Terris prophecies-these men will not disobey their own religion simply because one of their number has taken a dislike to me. Before he was stabbed, Fedik feared that the Terrismen would abandon us up here in the ice. The other packmen look to him for leadership, though I don’t think he has complete control over them. They won’t talk about their powers, however-and I am sure that Rashek is to blame. Perhaps they have “saved up” heat from their bodies for later use? The Terrismen don’t seem to mind the cold-something about their strange metabolisms gives them a supernatural ability to resist the elements. It is fortunate that we brought them, for no regular packmen would have survived the trip. I fear for Fedik-he hasn’t been quite the same since the creature made of mist attacked him, and I worry that he will wander off a cliffside or slip through one of the many icy rifts in the ground. I swear that the rocks themselves are made of ice, and the snow is deep enough in places that we have to dig our way through. I can feel it somehow, feel it up there…pulsing, in my mind. It will take a few more hours of hiking to reach it, but I know that it is the right place. This page is complete! This page contains all the knowledge we have on the subject at this time.We can see the cavern from our camp.
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