- The message precedes the messenger,
A sudden link to darkness.
Betwixt the glare and the chasm,
The child is freed with shadows behind.Quatrain 15, Century 5
Mabus plots to capture Jordan by invading the mind of an eleven-year-old girl, then by controlling her to set an elaborate trap for Foster, Eddie and Jordan to fall into.
Tropes:
- Go into the Light: Emily has a mortal fear of going towards the light in her nightmares with Mabus. Cade realises Mabus has implanted this fear to keep her away from the safe exit.
- Mind Rape: Mabus has created a mental link to Emily, drawing her into a nightmare world and using her to lure Jordan. The link is slowly killing Emily.
- Title Drop: Jordan spots the nursery rhyme in Emily's room. Both she and Emily were born on a Wednesday ("Full of woe."). This makes Jordan realise she is the target of the trap.
- Would Hurt a Child: Mabus is draining the life out of an eleven-year-old to lure Jordan into his clutches.
