Explore the profile below. Later developments and revelations are gathered in the expandable story section.
The Zodiac Knights are known more formally as the Circle of the Sign. Lirael describes them as an order older than the Sentinels of the Dawn: relic-bearers and wardens whose disciplines concerned how power should be held and used. Their traces carry questions that the surviving stories cannot answer alone.[1]
In BONDS[1]
Names from an older order
BONDS introduces the Circle through surviving marks and Lirael’s limited knowledge. The Banners represent different disciplines within it. The meanings of particular signs, the order’s history, and its connection to the present journey unfold through the book.
Banners and disciplines
Lirael identifies twelve surviving Banner names: Starfall, Stone, Ember, Covenant, Storm, Dusk, Thorn, Vigil, Blood, Clockwork, Veil, and Mirror. In this account they are disciplines for holding power, not gods.
BONDS story revelationsEvents through the epilogue · Open to read
Broken Crown, removed Mirror[1]
The chamber’s central Crown mark has been deliberately broken and erased. The Mirror’s bay is empty in a different way: its fittings show careful release rather than destructive removal. Those two conditions leave different questions.
A memory, not a prophecy[1]
The figures witnessed in the alloy are a preserved memory imprint. Lirael rejects the idea that they specifically knew Sylas’s party would come; the record was left for someone to witness.
Story revelations are closed. Open this section on the website before printing to include them.
Sources & appearances
BONDS: The Tale of Sylas · B.K. McSherry
BONDS · Final Draft 1.0
Referenced chaptersChapter 11
- [1]BONDS · Chapter 11