Writer – Gerry Conway
Artist – Mark Bagley
Inker – Dave Simons
Colours – Julianna Ferriter
Letters – Janice Chiang

Merklynn, whom the Spectral Knights and the Darkling Lords see very little of, has summoned them back to the mountain in order to send them on a quest and he does so as the world is under threat. What that threat is, is never made clear to the reader but the task is and that is to split up into four teams so that they might recover some magical jewels, each representing one of the four natural elements. All Darkthorn hears is the power that could be his if he gets the jewels first, the power to rule while Leoric is content to do as the wizard asks. The two have a few heated words with each other and everyone soon splits off to do as they are bid. The rest of the book then focuses on two teams, one consisting of Cryotek and Galadria and the other Reekon and Cravex. It is not long before author Gerry Conway has the two teams facing off against the other with the Darkling Lords getting the element of surprise and thus the upper hand but be that as it may, some of the local ‘savages’ show up to put a stop to it all. Conway then delves into the local history of the land that the Knights have wandered into and when they hear of it, they realize that it is all thanks to the gem they are seeking and to remove it might be more trouble than they bargained for. Drawing this book is Mark Bagley who continues to make it look quite good with the man focusing his talents upon those who have not been in the spotlight previously. Like the issue before this, it is nice to see the focus shift to different cast members as it lets readers get to know them a little more, thereby making them mean something so that one can be invested in the stories a little more. As the book moves on towards its final act, the Darkling Lords attack once more and a battle is fought over the gem with the villains getting away with the prize and everyone else just standing idly by, trying to decide how to move on with their lives and with the quest. Although this was not as good a tale as the last one, it was still enjoyable enough and will make readers want to see how this story concludes in the next and final issue.

3 out of 5