A Song of Ice and Fire: Wrath of the Sleeping Dragon

"Valyrian steel is a type of steel infused with magic," the pale priestess, dressed in robes and wearing a mask, spoke in a cold, clear voice as she stood beside Viserys, gazing upon the bustling activity below.

"The craftsmen of Valyria repeatedly forge the steel to balance and remove impurities, then cast spells to imbue it with extraordinary qualities."

"This man's skill is impressive, but unfortunately, he only possesses the ability to reforge Valyrian steel, not the art of transmuting the ordinary into the extraordinary, crafting common steel into Valyrian steel."

"The world's finest artisans reside in Qohor. Now that the city is occupied by the Red Faith, many craftsmen have fled. Your Grace would do well to recruit some of them."

Viserys turned his head to look at her upon hearing the priestess's words, surprised that this woman was even somewhat knowledgeable about Valyrian steel.

However, the priestess seemed to understand the meaning in Viserys's eyes and nodded slightly.

"In Asshai, there are no secrets."

She told Viserys that her homeland, Asshai, was a magnificent city, larger than Volantis, Qarth, King's Landing, and Oldtown combined.

Moreover, the Asshai'i themselves did not know who founded it. A local legend had long persisted that Asshai had stood there since the dawn of creation and would endure until the end of the world.

It was a city steeped in magic, where many secrets that could not be openly discussed elsewhere could be freely explored.

"If you have doubts, you would do well to visit Asshai in the future."

"Know that sometimes, to move forward, one must retreat; to reach the light, one must pass through shadow."

The priestess perceived the doubts hidden within Viserys's heart and thus suggested that he might one day journey to Asshai in search of answers.

If there was any place in this world with the fewest secrets, perhaps it was Asshai.

Even the three dragons currently belonging to Viserys, Rhaenys, and Daenerys—Balerion, Viserion, and Rhaegal—had been purchased by Illyrio from Asshai when they were still eggs.

But at that time, dragons had vanished from the world, and no one could hatch the eggs. Dragon eggs were little more than pretty stones, so the price Illyrio paid was not exorbitant.

Now that the world once again bore traces of mighty dragons, the value of a dragon egg was immense, and they were priceless rarities.

"Hmm, perhaps someday," Viserys replied, turning his head to look at the priestess, then giving a slight nod.

At that moment, as Viserys gazed upon the mask adorning the woman's face, he suddenly grew curious about her appearance beneath it.

"Why do you always wear a mask?"

The priestess was slightly startled by Viserys's sudden question, not expecting it. After a moment's hesitation, she answered, "The hidden do not reveal their faces."

Among the many practitioners of the occult in Asshai, the most sinister were the shadowbinders, who habitually concealed their faces behind lacquered masks. They dared to venture alone beyond Asshai, journeying towards the Shadow Lands by the River Ash.

Viserys, upon learning that this was a rule of the shadowbinders, nodded without further inquiry.

Although the priestess could not assist Viserys in forging Valyrian steel, as she had not mastered those particular spells, she could teach him another form of magic.

"Legend has it that the wizards of Old Valyria could use glass candles to project their sight across mountains, seas, and deserts."

"Seated before such candles, they could enter the dreams of others to display visions or communicate across half the world."

Old Valyria had left many enigmas to the world, most of which were inaccessible to anyone beyond their civilization.

For example, the methods for constructing structures of black stone, the indestructible Valyrian roads, and the techniques for forging Valyrian steel.

Weapons crafted from this special material were lighter than those made from conventional metals, yet far more resilient, nearly unbreakable, and exceptionally sharp. No armor or shield could withstand the keen edge of Valyrian steel.

Apart from Valyrian steel, black stone, and dragons—which were intimately connected only to Valyrians of a particular bloodline and indifferent to other humans—these mysteries hinted at the secrets behind the Valyrians' sudden rise from a small nomadic tribe to prominence five or six thousand years ago.

Either the Valyrians were inherently special, possessing these noble bloodlines even as nomads, or these things were never meant to exist in this world.

In addition to the mysteries of black stone construction, Valyrian steel forging, and dragon taming, there was another enigma left by the Valyrians: glass candles.

It had been over a century since the last time a glass candle burned. They had continued to burn for some time after the disappearance of dragons, then went out.

Many years later, when the red comet streaked across the sky, they ignited once more.

Even when the glass candles were extinguished, a custom persisted in the Citadel. On the night before taking his vows as a maester, each acolyte was required to stand a vigil in the vaults, without any source of light save for a single glass candle in the room.

The acolyte had to endure the night in darkness unless he could light the candle. According to the maesters, this served to remind the new maester that even a person of great learning was not omnipotent.

The rekindling of the glass candles was widely considered a sign of the return of the magic tide.

And the priestess was well-versed in the use of these candles.

"You know how?" Viserys asked, slightly startled by the Essosi shadowbinder's words, finding them somewhat familiar. The sorcerers of Old Valyria could gaze upon distant vistas and converse across continents using glass candles—was this not the very means by which he communicated with his Shadow servant?

"I acquired the knowledge as part of a trade with a pale child," the priestess answered frankly.

"Your Grace, you must understand."

"The sorcerers of Old Valyria left far too many secrets to this world, most of which can only be grasped and utilized by Valyrians themselves. To us, they are merely fragments of spells to be studied."

"Thus, I cannot verify the authenticity of this method."

Although the priestess had chanced upon the method for using glass candles in a long-ago transaction, she had no means to employ it. Perhaps this was precisely why her counterpart had gifted her the spell fragment to seal the deal.

"But you are the Magic Dragon. You know this."

The priestess gazed at Viserys's face, her eyes flickering beneath the mask, then spoke meaningfully.

"I have seen you standing at the back of all."