Will saw the cruelty now as the fierce inevitability of nature. It was not from malice that the Light and the… — Susan Cooper

Each wave of men in turn grew peaceful as it grew to know and love the land, so that the Light flourished again. But always the Dark was there, swelling and waning, gaining a new Lord of the Dark whenever a man deliberately chose to be changed into something more dread and powerful than his fellows. Such creatures were not born to their doom, like the Old Ones, but chose it.

When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back,

Three from the circle, three from the track;

Wood, bronze, iron; water, fire, stone;

Five will return, and one go alone.

Nothing is what it seems, boy. Expect nothing and fear nothing, here or anywhere. There’s your first lesson.