be cleansed eventually, it was promised, of the ill effects of any
lingering magic.
Shortly after that, the Federation declared war on the
Dwarves. It did so ostensibly because die Dwarves had pro-
voked it, aldrough it was never made clear in what way. The
result was practically a forgone conclusion. The Federation had
the largest, most thoroughly equipped and best trained army in
the Four Lands by this time, and the Dwarves had no standing
army at all. The Dwarves no longer had the Elves as allies, as
they had all those years previous, and the Gnomes and Trolls
had never been friends. Nevertheless, the war lasted nearly five
years. The Dwarves knew die mountainous Eastiand far better
than the Federation, and even though Culhaven fell almost im-
mediately, the Dwarves continued to fight in the high country
until eventually they were starved into submission. They were
brought down out of the mountains and sent south to the Fed-
eration mines. Most died there. After seeing what happened to
the Dwarves, the Gnome tribes fell quickly into line. The Fed-
eration declared the Easdand a protectorate as well.
There remained a few pockets of isolated resistance. There
were still a handful of Dwarves and a scattering of Gnome tribes
that refused to recognize Federation rule and continued to fight
from the deep wilderness areas north and east. But they were
too few to make any difference.
To mark its unification of the greater portion of the Four Lands
and to honor those who had worked to achieve it, the Federation
constructed a monument at the north edge of the Rainbow Lake
where the Mermidon poured through the Runne. The monument
was constructed entirely of black granite, broad and square at
its base, curved inward as it rose over two hundred feet above
the cliffs, a monolithic tower that could be seen for miles in all
directions. The tower was called Southwatch.
That was almost a hundred years ago, and now only the Trolls
remained a free people, still entrenched deep within the moun-
tains of the Northland, the Chamals, and the Kershalt. That was
dangerous, hostile country, a natural fortress, and no one from
the Federation wanted much to do with it. The decision was
made to leave it alone as long as the Trolls did not interfere with
the other lands. The Trolls, very much a reclusive people for
the whole of their history, were happy to oblige.
“It’s all so different now,” Par concluded wistfully as they
continued to sit within their shelter and watch the rain fall into
the Mermidon. “No more Druids, no Paranor, no magic-
except the fake kind and the little we know. No Elves. Whatever
happened to them do you think?” He paused, but Coil didn’t
have anything to say. “No monarchies, no Leah, no Buckhan-
nahs, no Legion Free Corps, no Callahom for all intents and
purposes.”
“No freedom,” Coil finished darkly.
“No freedom,” Par echoed.
He rocked back, drawing his legs tight against his chest. “I
wish I knew how the Elfstones disappeared. And the Sword.
What happened to the Sword of Shannara?”
Coil shrugged. “Same thing that happens to everything even-
tually. It got lost.”
“What do you mean? How could they let it get lost?”
‘ ‘No one was taking care of it.”
Par thought about that. It made sense. No one bothered much
with the magic after Allanon died, after the Druids were gone.
The magic was simply ignored, a relic from another time, a
thing feared and misunderstood for the most part. It was easier
to forget about it, and so they did. They all did. He had to
include the Ohmsfords as well-otherwise they would still have
the Elfstones. All that was left of their magic was the wishsong.
“We know the stories, the tales of what it was like; we have
all that history, and we still don’t know anything,” he said softly.
“We know the Federation doesn’t want us talking about it,”
Coil offered archly. “We know that.”
‘ ‘There are times that I wonder what difference it makes any-
way. ” Par’s face twisted into a grimace.’ ‘After all, people come
to hear us and the day after, who remembers? Anyone besides