The Palace
- When he wakes up from his snooze, Faheel looks much stronger (12.1). He gives the roc some rubies to snack on, then asks Tilja to hold the box with the ring in her hand (12.3).
- They enter Talagh and everyone's frozen, except for those they pass by, who wake up for a few seconds and then go still again (12.4).
- In order to save time, Faheel keeps a finger on the ring, which freezes him too, so now Tilja's the only person really moving around (12.6)—she'll bring him along, but he won't have to waste energy walking. When the city's wards try to mess up her journey, Tilja tells them no, and they listen. Yay. This is different from what would've happened her first time in Talagh.
- Tilja maneuvers through Talagh toward the palace (12.11). She feels a rush of power to her brain—she could do anything she wanted to all these frozen folks, even the Emperor. Don't worry, though—she resists and keeps on going.
- They approach the grand palace, and Faheel takes her to a tower (12.23). A frozen guard stands in their way, so Tilja, at Faheel's instruction, takes his hand, just enough so he moves out of their way, and the lets go so he's still again (12.23).
- Tilja comes across dice players and is tempted to fix their game for them—this power is heady stuff—but she doesn't have time (12.25). She and Faheel climb a staircase, where they find women playing dice; she wakes them temporarily to move them (12.28).
- When she asks Faheel what might have happened had she fixed the dice game, he tells her that she might have saved lives—or ruined them. One small action can affect a whole world, which he's seen happen over the years (12.29).
- They go to the window to view the procession. The Imperial bodyguard looks odd to Tilja, until she realizes they are women disguised as men, used to infiltrate the Valley (they can go through the forest, unlike men) (12.32-34).
- Faheel tells her to leave it alone for now, so they look at the terrace, where the Watchers are—they look barely human (12.38-39). Faheel asks her to find the Ropemaker (12.42). Tilja objects—he was the unicorn that almost killed her mother—but Faheel says the Ropemaker made an innocent mistake and that Tilja was the magician's only chance to be saved from the Watchers (12:41-44). Tilja agrees to help Faheel, and finds the Ropemaker (12:45-47).
- Faheel tells Tilja that, by stopping the Ropemaker from becoming a Watcher, he might be able to help the Valley (12.49). He notes that the female warriors were snatched away from their village, and the creepy Emperor wants them to prance around in front of him (12.50)—the women hate him, but are too scared to do anything. Faheel is going to perform a spell that will excite the women, but that'll get the Watchers on his back; Tilja must take out the ring when he tells her and hold it (causing the world to resume its place) (12.51-52). Once everything has happened the way Faheel wants it and he fights off the Watchers, she'll put the ring back in the box (freezing time) and they'll return to the island. If he fails, she's got to return to the island on roc-back and toss the ring into the sea (12.55).
- Tilja is terrified—she's partially responsible for the world hanging in the balance (12.57). She remembers that she promised her dad she'd come home, which helps her keep calm (12.60). Tilja takes out the ring, and most things—except the women in the tower room—start moving again (12.61). Tilja sees the Emperor for the first time—he's fat and reminds her of an inflated goatskin (12.62)—and she can't believe how bored he looks. He's got the whole world at his feet, after all. She resolves to never let such a loser conquer her Valley (12.63)—nothing could please that guy.
- When the procession stops, an Imperial dignitary has a female soldier by the wrist and is bringing her to the Emperor (12.66). Faheel chooses this moment to distract the Watchers and rile up the female soldiers (12.68). They get ticked off and attack the Emperor, which also takes the Watchers off-guard (12.59). Some big beasties rise up... and then everything changes again.
- The towers look all weird—the city looks crooked, and everything looks like it's floating. The walls get bigger, and the sky looks closer (12.70). The sky looks like it's touching the ground, then pauses (12.72-74).
- Faheel is in magician mode, ready to beat the Watchers, as Tilja spies the Emperor, dead (12.75-76). She realizes his tyranny is over, and that she and Faheel played a role in the Emperor's death (12.77). She'd do it again if she had to, Tilja admits, to save the Valley.
- During the chaotic scene outside, the Ropemaker is looking around (12.79). After another weird shaking of the world, the sky is back in place again (12.82)—Faheel has broken the Watchers (12.83), with Tilja's help. Some are still alive and ran away, but now Faheel and Tilja just have to give the Ropemaker the ring (12.85).
- When the Ropemaker sees Tilja, he waves hello, but freezes up when he sees something behind her (12.86). He undoes his turban to reveal a ball of fire that looks like a lion—that's gotta hurt, huh?—on his head, then he runs off (12.87).
- Faheel has collapsed and some dark force is attacking him (12.89-90). Tilja plops the ring in the box and the world freezes (12.92)—except for the darkness. Tilja remembers that Faheel told her that if they fail she must go on alone, but she refuses (12.94-95).
- Tilja thinks quickly and grabs a gold coin she sees on the floor (12.97)—then she wakes up a guard and gives him money to carry Faheel to the city gates (12.04). The guard is freaked out, but Tilja reassures him; she feels tempted again to take advantage of her powers and steal the jewels from the women around her, but resists, recognizing how she would change as a person (12.105) if she did such a thing. Good move, Til.
- The soldier tries to pick up Faheel, but the magician is frozen too, so Tilja stays touching both of them so the group can move (2.106). As they depart, Tilja notices a cloud of unnatural darkness again around them, but the ring has it frozen (12.107).
- They make their way out of the city, and Tilja remains the responsible gal she's always been—when she takes food, she even pays for it (12.108). The soldier drops Faheel off with Tilja near the roc, she pays him, and then Faheel and Tilja board the roc and head off to Faheel's island (12.115).