the slavesale, but escapes being sold into the Sanctaphrax Forest and is taken to the Palace of Statues instead. There, he meets Hesteria Spikesap, an old potioneer, along with Speegspeel, an ancient goblin butler, paranoid that the statues in the palace are trying to kill him. Rook is almost brainwashed by Vox's advisor, an amoral ghost-waif named Amberfuce, but he resists and keeps his identity. Rook the bizarre task of "feeding the baby," a gigantic cog-wheel system filled with volatile phraxdust. After Rook foils a goblin assassination on Vox, Cowlquape, former Most High Academe of New Sanctaphrax before Vox's coup, arrives at the Palace as an envoy for the Librarians. After trading blows over how Cowlquape's vision for unity amongst all never came to pass, Vox explains his reason for summoning the librarians: a dark maelstrom is mere days away, and its strike will wipe out Undertown and any who remain. Vox advises that all evacuate the sewers and flee down the Great Mire Road for the Free Glades, and asks for help in escaping the Palace. Vox also offers a plan to dispose of their enemies: by luring the Shrykes and goblins into the sewers with the promise of helpless librarians, the Great Mire Road will be left unguarded. Rook and a brainwashed goblin assassins are sent to the Shryke and goblin armies, offering the means to infiltrate the sewers, so both armies are set to meet there in two days time at the eleventh hour. The Librarians work fervently to build ships and rafts and evacuate just in time. Alquix Venvax, an ancient professor, unwilling to leave the library that has been his home for most of his life, remains behind. The librarians also send Rook's four banderbear friends to the Palace of Statues, to help Vox escape the Palace. Meanwhile, Magda Burlix, looking for Rook in Screetown since he crashed, is captured by Guardians of Night. Xanth Filatine, who acted as a spy in the Free Glades at the time Magda learnt her craft, finds himself as her interrogator. He soon repents all his evil and saves her from his masters, also stealing an essential component for Midnight's Spike – an electrical conductor atop the Tower of Night for the curing of stone sickness (It is the Guardians of Nights belief unfounded by science that lightning will end stone sickness). Their first escape ends with their capture.