Both of these queens begrudged their husbands' freedoms and wished that they too could go out and all about in the world, loving who they pleased and doing what they chose. So to these two Crooked gave a potion to put in their husbands' wine cups, telling them, 'This will make them sleep the night long and not wake once. While they slumber you can do as you please.'

"Night and Moon were pleased by Crooked's gift, and promised they would do it that very night.

"The third brother, cold, hard Stone Man, had found Crooked's own mother, Flower-I think your kind calls her Zoria-when was wandering alone and heart-sick after the war's end, and had taken her home to be his wife, casting out his own wife Moon to find her luck in the world. Stone Man then gave Crooked's mother a new name, Bright Dawn, but although he clothed her in heavy gold and jewels and other gifts of the black earth, she never smiled and never spoke, but sat like one of those dead folk Stone Man ruled from his dark throne. So Crooked went to his mother by darkness and told her of his plan. No need did he have to lie to her, either, who had seen her husband killed, her son tortured, and her family banished. When he gave her the potion she still did not speak or even smile, but she kissed Crooked on his head with her cold lips before she turned away and walked back into the endless corridors of Stone Man's house. He would see her only once more again.

"His scheme in place, Crooked went firstly to the house of Water Man, deep beneath the ocean. He traveled through the lands of his great-grandmother, Emptiness, as she had taught him, so that no one in Water Man's house saw him coming. Crooked slipped past the unsleeping sea-wolves like a cold current, and although they guessed he was nearby they could not reach him to tear him to pieces with their sharp teeth. Neither could the poison jellies sting him-Crooked passed through them as though they were nothing but floating lily pads.