Summary

In Chapter Twenty-seven, Gwen surrenders to Andronicus. She is forced to kneel before him and take a vow of allegiance to the Empire. When Gwen tells Andronicus to let her people go as he had promised, he smiles and tells her that he takes greater pleasure in lying than telling the truth. Gwen is angry as she realizes the people will be killed or made slaves despite her sacrifice. He intends to make an example of her because she and her army attempted to defy him. He calls for McCloud to torment Gwen for him. He has intentions of McCloud raping Gwen with all of the Empire soldiers watching. As she struggles against the man, she believes that she hears Estopheles circling overhead, screeching. She tries to imagine that she is somewhere else.

In Chapter Twenty-eight, Thor stands in a field over which...