The sun sat low on the horizon by the time that Jacaerys found his way onto a weather-beaten switchback trail that led down into the valley. He had stumbled his way down the mountain for what must have been at least an hour before that, carefully picking his way over cliffs and around great walls of soldier pines. At one point, he had tripped over a loose root and rolled a good hundred feet down the mountain. When at last the Godseer came to a stop at the mouth of an abandoned mine, he had pressed his hands against a dozen scrapes and at least one broken rib and given a silent prayer of gratitude that he still had the ability to heal.

For a time he had considered searching the mine itself for people, but the rotted logs that stood in support of the shaft every dozen steps seemed dozens of years old, at least. All the same he had trudged onward for a time, until not three hundred feet down he had found himself met with an impassable cave-in. So instead he had pulled out Lightwarden, though more for use as a torch than anything, and begun what he presumed would be a long trek to a potentially-abandoned village.

Perhaps another hour later, Jacaerys rounded a ridge and was able to spot a faint glow of chimney-smoke far off in the valley. Exuberant, he had taken the rest of the journey at a jog, even as the sun finally disappeared over the horizon. All the same, the first hazy light of dawn had broken by the time he managed to reach the end of the trail.

To describe the settlement as a "village" was perhaps being a bit too far to its occupants -- indeed, even "hamlet" was quite the stretch. Some few people were already out splitting firewood and drawing water from a well, but they turned to look with curiosity at the white-eyed man with the glowing mace. He recognized none, though his group had passed through the village... well, it must have only been a short time ago. Jacaerys stowed his weapon in the loop at his belt and approached the nearest man.

"You there!" he called genially, and was at least happy to see that they spoke the same language as he, "do you know where I might find the man Jace? A woodcutter here. My party passed through some nights past."

The man mulled on that for a few moments. "Sarah th'inkeep's wife had a grandad name of Jace, and his father before that. Might be more 'fore him. All long dead as 'f a few nights ago. And none've gone through here for months, 'n fewer come down that path." He pointed down to the trail leading into the mountains.

The Godseer took the information in stride, though he had no idea what it meant. "What of a priest named Jorehn? He came with my party, and remained here to prepare a nightfire whilst I journeyed into the mountains."

Another man chipped in from the well, stooping to place his bucket on the rough dirt road. "I know old Alandir kept a little flame going in the crypts. Said 't was ages old. Last I heard, he forgot to feed it and it went out." He pointed down to where a carved slab of a door led into the earth. "Thas a mighty fine weapon you got there, friend. Take care you keep it to yourself."

Inside the crypts, Jacaerys found himself the subject of an irritable old man, who raised a carved cane angrily and demanded to know who thought they would come marching into his chambers and if it was you again, Sarah, your boy's the same, let him rest and gain his strength. A glance at the eyes and the mace, however, and the man instead cowered on the opposite side of the small room into which the cellar door opened. "I tried t'keep that flame alive, I did, it died on its own, even ten-years-dead Olain couldn't have kept it better-fed, it just seemed to shrivel up and die! Please, Oraum, I am your humble servant, smite me not!"

Jacaerys had been blessed in many ways, but perhaps not in patience. "I am no god, old man. Do you know of the priest Jorehn? What's happened to this town in the last few days?"

At that, something seemed finally to click in the old man's head. "Perhaps, perhaps . . . Oh, indeed, as Olain himself saw in the withering flames. He waited for you, milord, but I can't say I've had the same patience." With no other explanation the man who must be Alandir led Jacaerys through a door and down a long, sloping passage. To each side lay stone coffins, recessed into the walls. And at the end of it was another chamber -- inside of this one, a few beds of wood and straw, a hearth of naught but ashes and an engraving set into the wall above it.

"The annals say that Jorehn built it in the town center, but my forebears had the good sense to move it down near to th'sick. Only it's been shriveling this last decade or two, and nothing old Olain nor I could do to stop it. Went out only a few nights past, I fear, and I thought you were Oraum himself come to smite me down for my impertinence." The man gave the Godseer a look that said that he was still not entirely sure that he [i]wasn't.[/i]

"Before you do anything, milord, please take a look at young Josep here, Sarah's boy. A snake had a few bites in him these last few days, and I fear he'll die before he fights that venom off. It's enough to kill a grown man, I should know, my uncle died from one of those damned adders when I was but a boy." And indeed, a small child lay drawn and shivering on one of the cots.

Jacaerys crossed the length of the room in a few quick steps, and lay his hand on the boy's forehead. He felt a feverish warmth there, but kept his palms pressed firmly against the child's visage. In a few moments, he felt the heat replaced with a warmth of another kind entirely, and the boy sighed contentedly in his sleep.

"Aye, milord, there are some of us, living in the shadow of that Tower as we do, who still remember the tales of the old days. We've a lichyard where the first plague victims are buried for the last fifteen centuries, and your friend Jorehn was given to the fire as he dictated." At that moment, Jacaerys determined that he need not look at the engraving upon the hearth to know what -- or [i]who[/i] -- it depicted.

"So if you've come back, Godseer, a mortal man again among us, tell me this -- [i]why are the fires going out?[/i]"