Drum Into Silence

Drum Into Silence (2002) is the third novel in the Drums of Chaos series, following Drum Calls. In the previous novel, the three Mages attack Ellar in the Vale of Caeffordian and Cymel yields wholly to the Flow, blowing away the Mages and becoming the White bird. She takes Lyanz, Amhar, Talgryf, and the bodies of her father and Elizeth to her home. At Ellar's Tower, she finds Breith and tries to return to her own self, but can't. Terrified, she flies away. In this novel, Breith calls to Cymel, but she starts to fly away. He grabs at her, but only clutches some long black hairs and a leather clasp, a tie that Cymel used to hold back her hair. Breith hauls the bodies, both dead and alive, into the entryway of the Tower. He wraps the dead in sheets and carries them into the cellar. Then he carries the sleepers upstairs to the dusty, cobwebby beds and quickly falls asleep in his own bed. The next morning, Breith finally gets to wash off the ash, sweat, blood, and stench and drink a cup of tea. He decides to leave Talgryf with the responsibility for Lyanz and Amhar so he can pursue Cymel to turn her back into a human. Breith slips away under a flimsy shield of no-see and, days later, Talgryf manages to get the Hero and his lover off the mattress and onto the road. In the shrine of Marath Alaesh, Brother Kyo drops an icon of the god and chases it around the altar, only to realize that it has become an incarnation of the god Himself; he is signaled to seek out and help his brother. In Valla Murdoch, Faobran sends Yasayl, Malart and a group of scribes out to sea. Rinchay Matan watches her god, Kamkajar, shrivel and fade away and she dedicates her life to finding and punishing the liar who has destroyed her tribe. Deep beneath the temple of Dyf Tanew in Tyst, Oerfel, the hidden Mage of Neddys, makes it back to his hexagram and resolves to destroy Cyfareth University. Mahara lays siege to Kar Markaz. Hudoleth renews her youth and returns to the palace to manipulate the Emperor. This novel is the conclusion to the series, which was interrupted by the author's demise. The posthumous collaboration with Kevin Andrew Murphy has been very true to the previous volumes. Highly recommended to Clayton fans and anyone else who enjoys complex tales of wizardry and war. -Arthur W. Jordin