Chapter 21

In the comfort of his own room, Uriel relaxed on his bed and thought about the strange turn of events that had taken place over the last month.¹

What drove Uriel to start reading The Black Lodge back on the day of Khresnhet? Perhaps it was the months he had spent confined in the Towers. Maybe the loss of Khyrhyelle. Possibly his frustration at not knowing what his role was in this world and not being able to do anything about it anyway.

Whether the reasons were all or none of those, the result was the same. As soon as he opened the cover, The Black Lodge immediately engrossed him. The book constantly beckoned to him and this quickly led to a dilemma. He was extremely paranoid of being found with it by Xenyssa or worse still Arhyvhynne. It finally drove him to read it in covert fashion. Unable to sleep because of the terrible nightmares he suffered (which he refused to attribute to the book), he would wait until the middle of the night and steal into the library and devour its contents. The secret knowledge contained within the black leather volume kindled a strong desire in Uriel. Though he was unable to put it down and spent as much time as he dared with the treatise, it was still a painstaking process. It was very difficult material and Uriel could only read short sections before he was forced to take a break. He would have to reread passages many times, sometimes spending as much as an entire night on one.

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¹The Khaballean year consisted of ten months, each month comprised of five weeks and each week, ten days. The year began at the beginning of spring, which lasted two months. Summer and autumn followed, three months and two months respectively. Winter ended the year and was three months long. The major festivals were held at the beginning of each season; the minor ones halfway between each season.