Passages: Darien's Rise

Anna awakens from her frightening vision and warns Sister Leona and Sister Dawn that a shepherd and an angry mob are coming to the convent. Leona takes the warning seriously. She orders Anna to lock the door and, if anyone but Leona returns, escape through the window.

Far away, Darien receives terrible news: the convent has been attacked and burned, and its residents have been killed. Darien fears that Anna is among the dead, but Kyle notices that the list of victims includes no one younger than thirteen. Certain that Anna has survived, he refuses to give up hope.

Anna later awakens in the home of a woman named Anastasia, who found her wandering near Walton Stone. Anastasia recognizes Anna's mismatched blue and green eyes as the mark of someone chosen by the Unseen One. Although Sister Leona had warned Anna against mediums like Anastasia, the woman treats her kindly and lets her use a telephone.

Anna calls Darien's family in Leapford. Word quickly reaches Darien, who sends Kyle and Colonel Oliver to meet her at the Walton Stone post office. Kyle has to learn to ride a horse along the way, but the difficult trip is forgotten when he and Anna are finally reunited.

The telephone call also exposes danger. An operator reports the suspicious conversation, and the information reaches Liddell and Lawrence. They now know that Darien is near his family and that Anna is still alive.

When Anna joins Darien, she explains that Lawrence sent the men who attacked the convent after Sister Leona helped him. Darien is filled with guilt for remaining there and taking Leona's sword, but he cannot undo what has happened. He promises that if he becomes king, he will bring Lawrence to justice.

Darien's company heads south toward Kellen, hoping to hide in the Valley of Rocks near the Palatian border. Instead, they discover that Kellen is occupied by a much larger Palatian force. Darien has only a hundred lightly armed men, and some believe Lawrence ought to rescue the city. Darien knows that Lawrence will do nothing and that the responsibility has fallen to him.

Darien asks Anna what the Unseen One wants them to do. She sees Kellen celebrating its freedom while Darien gives the credit for victory to the Unseen One. Trusting the vision, Darien decides to attack. His men enter the city a few at a time disguised as traders and shepherds, quietly taking control of important positions.

Wearing a decorated uniform, Darien pretends to be a madman while Kyle poses as his captor. The disguise gets them inside city hall, where the Palatian commander, General Gaiman, dismisses Darien as a ridiculous embarrassment. Darien suddenly turns the joke against the soldiers, disarms a sergeant, and captures the general. Kyle gives the signal, and Darien's hidden men complete the liberation of Kellen.

At the victory celebration, the mayor raises a toast to Darien. Just as Anna has seen, Darien refuses to claim the triumph for himself and gives the glory to the Unseen One.