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Chapter 173: Spark’s Warning
🕑 Added 2025-02-26 12:07:25 +0000 UTCAlthough Lynd had intended to leave quietly and avoid further trouble in King's Landing, the movement of twenty-six giants, no matter how cautious, inevitably caused a commotion that attracted widespread attention.
Robert did not come to see him off personally but had a mace delivered to him. The High Septon also sent a gift—a cloak adorned with the sept’s symbol, inlaid with precious stones and rusted with age. Additionally, the powerful figures of King's Landing and several wealthy followers of the Seven, whom Lynd had befriended at recent banquets, presented him with gifts. The volume was so great that it required two or three carriages to transport them.
This lively farewell did not conclude until Lynd had crossed the Blackwater Rush. However, trailing behind his procession were several hundred more hedge knights, freeriders, and full knights—clearly harboring the same intentions as those he had previously seen off.
Lynd was pleased by this development. He neither turned them away nor made any promises, simply allowing them to follow.
Upon entering the Kingswood, he deliberately slowed his pace. A journey that would typically take two days stretched to three, giving him the chance to spend two nights in the forest.
The first night passed without incident. The knights trailing Lynd hunted game along the way and roasted it over the fire before offering him a portion when they set up camp. The Stone Giants also took out their provisions and ate. While eating, Mag, the leader of the giants, surveyed the forest carefully and told Lynd that the land was infused with magic—the magic of the squirrel man, a very powerful squirrel man.
Lynd knew that the "squirrel man" Mag referred to was a Child of the Forest. Though both races shared a reverence for nature, they were not allies; in fact, they were often enemies.
That night, all twenty-six Stone Giants, including Mag, remained wide awake, gripping their weapons tightly and scanning their surroundings with visible unease.
The following night, after the temporary camp was set up, the Stone Giants ate a little before unexpectedly falling into a deep sleep, as did the knights who had been following them. It was an unusual sight. The knights might have been weary from travel, but not so much that they would fall asleep so quickly. And the Stone Giants—capable of going more than ten days without sleep—should not have been fatigued after such a short journey.
Is that Spark? Lynd immediately suspected that this sudden drowsiness was the work of Spark, the Child of the Forest.
As he had anticipated, not long after everyone had drifted off, a Shadowcat of ordinary size emerged cautiously from the bushes and approached him.
This Shadowcat was Glory’s mother—one of the ones Spark had tamed.
The moment Glory spotted her, it eagerly trotted up, attempting to nuzzle against its mother. But the older Shadowcat recoiled, dodging Glory’s touch and swiping at it with a couple of quick strikes from her front paws.
Though the blows didn’t hurt it, Glory reacted as if it had suffered a great wound, turning its head away dramatically and pressing itself against Lynd for comfort.
Lynd chuckled, stroking its head and gently rubbing the spot where its mother had swatted it. Then, he looked at the Shadowcat and asked, “Did Spark send you?”
The Shadowcat didn’t respond, only giving him a brief glance before turning away and slipping back into the trees.
Lynd and Glory followed without hesitation. Winding through the dense forest, they eventually arrived at a clearing that looked familiar. Before them, the tall grass suddenly shifted, revealing Spark as he emerged from an underground dwelling.
Compared to their last encounter, Spark appeared noticeably drained. Her expression was weary—almost despondent—as if something troubling had occurred.
"I heard Wenda say that you had something important to tell me," Spark said as she approached Lynd.
Lynd did not immediately bring up his own concerns but instead asked, "Is something wrong with you?"
"No, just an old friend returning to the earth," Spark replied, unwilling to discuss the matter further. She quickly urged, "Let's talk about your business! I'm only back for a short visit and won't be here long."
"It's not that important, but I do have some questions for you." Without hesitation, Lynd brought up the question that had been troubling him for a year and described the scene he had witnessed in Summerhall.
"It was you? So it was you?" Spark was visibly shocked upon hearing this and looked at Lynd in disbelief. Then, shaking her head, she said, "No, no! It shouldn't have been you. You shouldn't have been there. You must have been pulled into the scene by the ghost of Summerhall—your presence there was merely a coincidence."
"What was that thing?" Lynd asked, his suspicion deepening.
"I don't know," Spark admitted, shaking her head blankly.
"You don't know? There are things even you don't know?" Lynd questioned doubtfully.
Spark met his gaze and said, "I've just lived a long time—that doesn't mean I know all the world's secrets." After a brief pause, she continued, "At that time, Aegon V was using a method passed down by the Valyrian Dragonlords to hatch dragon eggs. I'd never seen this method before, so I followed my good friend into Summerhall, wanting to witness it for myself. In the process, I saw the pyromancer set himself on fire. However, during the ritual, a mysterious being appeared in the hall. I could sense it, and so could my friend. We suspect that this entity was the true cause of the fire at Summerhall, possibly even the destruction of Valyria. It was drawn by the hatching ritual of the Valyrian Dragonlords."
"Was your friend the dwarf woman?" Lynd asked.
Spark nodded and said, "Unfortunately, everything happened so quickly, and my powers were greatly suppressed. I could only save her." Then, with a hint of grievance, she added, "Even now, she still blames me for saving only her. What a villain I must have been."
Lynd pressed further. "Can you tell me where she is now? I want to see her."
"She currently lives in a place called High Heart, which is protected by the gods' forbidden laws." Spark’s expression grew serious as she looked at Lynd. "I don't recommend you seek her out. In fact, I don't think you should have prolonged contact with any of the Old Gods' Chosen right now—whether it's her, the one in Highgarden, or anyone else tied to them."
"Why?" Lynd asked, puzzled.
"Because you are a very special being, and they all want to pull you into their camp, to make you serve their cause. You need to understand that gods do exist, but they are not truly accepted by the world. They can only act through their devotees."
Suddenly, Spark stepped closer, motioning for Lynd to crouch down. She placed a hand on Lynd's forehead, muttered a few words in the Old Tongue, and, at that moment, a blurry figure emerged from Lynd’s body, only to be completely dispersed by a gentle breeze.
Lynd instantly recognized the figure—it was the same one he had seen at the pond in the Barrowlands and in his dream.
"Is this the Old Gods?" Lynd asked, still suspicious.
"Of course not," Spark shook her head. "It was merely a soul swept up in the power of the gods—more accurately, a jinx. You could call it the ghost of the First Men, as it is the embodiment of their will. It only wanders in the Barrowlands. Never mind, I've already exorcised it. It won't affect you anymore."
"I had a dream when I saw it," Lynd said, unwilling to let the matter drop. He described the dream he had experienced in the Barrowlands of the First Men.
Spark hesitated before replying, "That sounds like a prophecy, but not one created by the entity I just removed. Rather, that thing likely triggered some latent magic within you, temporarily granting you the ability to prophesy."
"What does the prophecy mean?" Lynd asked, recalling the words—East, go east, go east!
"I don't know," Spark admitted. "Prophecies are notoriously difficult to interpret, and misreading them can lead to serious consequences. Going east might lead you to some kind of fate… or it could be a kiss from the Stranger."
As she spoke, Spark suddenly leaned in close to Lynd, sniffing the air around him. "You climbed over the Great Wall to the Land of Always Winter and saw the White Walkers, didn’t you?"
"You can tell just from my scent?" Lynd looked at Spark in surprise.
Spark shook her head. "No, I heard it from a bard in the tavern. Your reputation is now comparable to the heroes of myth. But bardic tales are always exaggerated—I want to hear the real story from you."
Lynd did not refuse Spark’s request and recounted everything that had happened to him, starting from Castle Black.
Spark listened attentively, her expression shifting with each revelation. She was astonished to learn that Lynd had killed a human White Walker and defeated an elf White Walker, shocked that he had found the Horn of Winter, and visibly displeased when she heard that he had tamed the Stone Giants.
When she realized the Horn of Winter was currently in Lynd's possession, she couldn't wait to see it. However, when he produced it, she did not reach out to take it. Instead, she had Lynd hold it in front of her and slowly turn it so she could examine it.
She scrutinized the horn closely, studying every detail with meticulous care. Almost every time Lynd adjusted its position, she lingered on the patterns, as if committing them to memory.
After a long silence, she finally let out a deep, satisfied sigh, as if she had just consumed a hearty meal.
"Are you planning to repair this horn?" Spark asked.
"No," Lynd shook his head. "It will be sent to Willas. Eventually, it may be placed in the Red Keep for safekeeping."
"Safekeeping? Typical human behavior," Spark scoffed.
As Lynd passed by The Wall, he could clearly sense the magic contained within it. He also felt a certain resonance between the horn he carried and the magic within The Wall.
Lynd paid no mind to Spark’s disdain for the human race and instead asked, “Do you know who built The Wall?”
Spark shook her head. “I want to know that as well, but I’m certain it wasn’t built by humans. Whoever constructed The Wall likely did so to stop the White Walkers from marching south.”
“There are rumors that the White Walkers are actually your…” Lynd hesitated, speaking tentatively.
Before he could finish, Spark interrupted with a sharp outburst. “That’s just you humans trying to pin the blame on us so you can justify hunting us! The White Walkers are an ancient race that has lived in the Land of Always Winter—a place humans can never reach. They are even older than us, the Children of the Forest. In the beginning, they existed across the world and left behind extremely ancient civilizations, ruins of which can still be found today. But for reasons unknown, they eventually retreated to the Land of Always Winter. After that, we, the Children of the Forest, appeared… and so did humans.”
“Ancient ruins?” Lynd frowned. “Could The Wall have been built by the White Walkers?”
“You really think…” Spark was about to laugh at the suggestion but suddenly froze, lost in thought. After a moment, she said, “Your theory isn’t completely without merit, but there’s no evidence to support it. Maybe you should start with your Stone Giants and see if you can find any clues.”
“Stone Giants?” Lynd looked at her with skepticism.
Spark explained, “They are an equally ancient race that once lived alongside the White Walkers in the far north. There might be something in their oral traditions that sheds light on this mystery.”
“That’s possible.” Lynd nodded, then shifted the topic. “From what I’ve heard from the wildling tribes, some of your people still live beyond The Wall…”
“I know.” Spark nodded. “They’re fools, stubbornly clinging to an ancient oath that no longer holds any meaning. They are not our Greenseers—they don’t need to serve that figure anymore. To put it in human terms, they’re just a bunch of fanatics. And sooner or later, their blind devotion…”
She trailed off, not finishing her sentence. Though her tone remained calm, there was no mistaking the complex emotions of resentment and concern she held for the Children of the Forest who had remained beyond The Wall.
Breaking the heavy atmosphere, Lynd said, “I also have a dragon egg in my possession… but I don’t know whether that’s a good or bad thing.”
“The dragon egg mentioned in that song?” Spark’s curiosity was piqued as she gestured for Lynd to take it out.
But when she saw the egg, her expression turned puzzled. “It’s alive,” she murmured, “but it’s currently in a state of dormancy. It needs the right opportunity to hatch.”
“An opportunity?” Lynd pondered aloud. “Could it be the red comet?”
Spark looked at him in surprise. “How do you know about that?” Then, after a moment, she said, “The red comet is considered one possibility… but it’s not the only one.”
She handed the dragon egg back to Lynd, then, as if losing interest in continuing the conversation, added, “I’ve been out for too long today, and I’m feeling a bit tired. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to head back.”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked toward her burrow-like tree house. Glory’s mother followed, though before entering, she paused, turned back, and let out a few sharp cries at Glory, as if reprimanding her, before disappearing inside.
As Spark reached the entrance, Lynd spoke again. “You Children of the Forest don’t have many places left in the south. If any of you face difficulties, you can come to me. I can set aside an area in the center of my territory where you can live safely.”
“Got it,” Spark replied casually before stepping inside. The door shut behind her, and in an instant, the underground log cabin seamlessly blended into the land, vanishing from sight.
