The Last Dark: The climax of the entire Thomas Covenant Chronicles (Last Chronicles of Thomas Cove)

upon a village which has been destroyed by a
caesure
: a
caesure
which Esmer controls as a weapon against the Harrow. There she learns that the Harrow knows where Jeremiah has been hidden—and that Esmer intends to prevent the Insequent from revealing his secret. At the same time, Roger Covenant attacks with a force of Cavewights. In the ensuing battle, Linden’s company is soon overwhelmed. Frantic, she takes a wild gamble: she tries to summon a Sandgorgon. Six of them charge into the fight, routing Roger and the Cavewights, and allowing the Harrow to escape.
    Later Linden hears that a large number of Sandgorgons have come to the Land, driven by the rent remnants of a Raver’s malign spirit. In Covenant’s name, they answered Linden’s call. But now they have repaid their debt to him. They seek a new outlet for their own savage hungers, and for the Raver’s malice.
    When Linden and her companions have done what they can for the homeless villagers, they ride on to Salva Gildenbourne, a great forest which encircles Andelain. There they encounter a party of Giants, Swordmainnir, all women except for one deranged man, Longwrath: their prisoner. When the Giants and Linden’s company reach comparative safety, they stop to exchange tales.
    The leader of the Giants, Rime Coldspray, the Ironhand, explains that Longwrath is a Swordmain who has been possessed by a
geas
. With nine other Swordmainnir, the Ironhand has been seeking the cause or purpose of his compulsion. After acquiring an apparently powerful sword, he has led the Giants to the Land. Here it becomes clear that his
geas
requires him to kill Linden.
    To protect her, the Swordmainnir agree to accompany her to Andelain. But during the next day, they are assailed by the
skurj
, fiery worm-like monsters that serve Kastenessen. Two of the Giants are killed. Yet Liand saves the company by using his
orcrest
to summon a thunderstorm. The downpour forces the
skurj
underground, and the surviving companions are able to flee.
    At last, they reach Andelain. The sacred Hills are warded by the Wraiths, small candle-flame sprites that repulse evil by drawing power from the awakened
krill
. Thus protected, the companions hasten to find the
krill
.
    During the dark of the moon, however, the company meets the Harrow again. Indirectly he has offered Linden a bargain: if she surrenders the Staff of Law and Covenant’s ring, he will take her to Jeremiah. But while he taunts Linden, Infelice, the monarch of the
Elohim
, appears. She argues passionately against the Harrow—and against everything that Linden intends to do. Yet Linden ignores them both as she approaches the
krill
.
    There the Dead begin to arrive. While the four original High Lords observe, Caer-Caveral and High Lord Elena escort Thomas Covenant’s spectre. Yet the Lords and the last Forestal and Covenant himself refuse to speak. None of them answer Linden.
    Driven to the last extremity, she raises all of her power from both her Staff and Covenant’s ring, and commits those contradictory magicks to the
krill
. Doing so, she cuts through the Laws of Life and Death until she succeeds at resurrecting Covenant; drawing his spirit out of the Arch of Time; restoring his slain body.
    Yet power on such a scale has vast consequences. Linden’s actions also awaken the Worm of the World’s End.
    In addition, there are other problems. In
Against All Things Ending
, she finds that Covenant’s leprosy is active again. And the stress of his return to mortality has fractured his mind. As a result, he is often unable to control his thoughts, his memories, or even his attention.
    When the companions are informed that days will pass before the World’s End is accomplished, Linden decides to accept the Harrow’s bargain: one last attempt to rescue Jeremiah by surrendering her Staff and Covenant’s ring. Then, however, another Insequent appears, the Ardent, who has come to ensure that the Harrow does not deal falsely with Linden. Under pressure, the Harrow—with the Ardent’s support—transports Linden, Covenant, and all of their companions to the Lost Deep, elaborate caverns which were once the home of the Viles, creators of the Demondim. There Linden follows the Harrow to Jeremiah’s hiding place.
    The boy is still ruled by the
croyel
, and he has concealed himself even from the
Elohim
within one of his constructs. When Linden breaks the construct, Roger arrives to murder the Harrow, and to claim Covenant’s ring. But