Atheline became quiet.
The Sovereign of Death had still been involved, he knew that. The memories inside Doom Cave had shown enough to confirm Death wasn't innocent.
But perhaps they'd misunderstood what they'd been watching.
He suddenly stood.
"Bring me everything concerning the beginning of the Sovereign War."
Zelpher sighed.
"That's several hundred records."
"Good."
"That wasn't enthusiasm."
"I know."
Hours became another day.
They stopped reading histories as complete narratives; instead, he made them dismantle the histories. They went through dates, names, battles, locations, and sovereigns.
They looked at the order in which each Sovereign entered the war, the order in which they died, which records mentioned the World Tree, which mentioned Fire, which mentioned Death, and which had been copied under Klaith's supervision.
That was when the pattern emerged.
Atheline stood before an enormous board covered in writing. Lilith came beside him.
"Fire disappears."
