This chapter's epigraph comes from a famous poem by Edgar Allan Poe, entitled "The Ballad of the Black Death." In this poem, Edgar explains that the black demon beasts are coming to destroy the city of glory. He tells the audience that if the demon beasts hadn't planned on coming to the city, they wouldn't have been able to do so. He also tells them that the city isn't in danger because of the blood-spewing magic bottles, which keep the city's walls from being destroyed by the boulders. The demon beasts will soon attack the city.