Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales

It caught only the edge of his cloak, but Wendell was truly off-balance this time, and abruptly, Taran’s sword was swinging at Wendell’s head. He stumbled, and Lord Taran moved to take advantage of his distraction, but then suddenly Wendell was under his guard, slashing at Lord Taran’s side. Lord Taran shrugged. “The realm can survive without a monarch for a time. And then it was as if the world had been ripped in two, and between the halves was a column of swirling darkness.