Contents
CHAPTER 8: Family Matters
Overview
Wen discovers a letter to Lan revealing his ex-wife Eyni bore Lan a son, Nikolas. Wen persuades Hilo to invite Eyni and the child back to Janloon with clan support, and Hilo agrees. As Hilo prepares to travel against Zapunyo, Wen, newly pregnant, urges caution, heightening personal stakes.
Summary
Wen rushes to Hilo with an unopened letter found while boxing Lan’s old papers. The letter, postmarked from Stepenland, contains a photo and confession from Eyni: she had a baby boy, Nikolas, fathered by Lan. Wen, moved by the discovery, presses Hilo to respond.
Hilo resists at first, citing his poor history with Eyni and her foreign partner, but Wen argues the child’s welfare and Lan’s likely wishes outweigh past grievances. Hilo concedes, agreeing Eyni and Nikolas should return to Janloon with clan assistance for housing and work. Wen volunteers to write, judging Eyni will trust her assurances more.
The news softens Hilo, who pockets the baby’s photo and vows to treat Lan’s son as his own kin. Wen reflects on her past, her stone-eye status, and her long devotion to Hilo, while quietly managing the household changes and planning a nursery.
As Hilo packs for his trip to confront Zapunyo’s operations, Wen, pregnant, urges caution and argues he is safer in Janloon amid Ayt’s truce overtures. Hilo reasons the international risk makes an ambush unlikely but promises to be careful, acknowledging impending fatherhood changes his outlook, before departing.
Who Appears
- Kaul HiloPillar of No Peak; learns Lan fathered a son; agrees to bring Eyni and Nikolas home; prepares for trip against Zapunyo; promises caution.
- Kaul Maik WenFinds Eyni’s letter and photo; urges reconciliation for the child’s sake; will write to Eyni; pregnant and anxious about Hilo’s trip.
- EyniLan’s ex-wife; reveals in a letter from Stepenland that her son, Nikolas, is Lan’s; open to returning to Kekon.
- Nikolas (Niko)Infant son of Kaul Lan and Eyni; his existence prompts Hilo and Wen to offer clan support and invite him home.
- Kaul LanDeceased former Pillar; posthumously revealed to be Nikolas’s father, reshaping family responsibilities.
- Maik TarHilo’s close ally; slated to accompany Hilo on the risky trip, mentioned as added protection.
- Ayt MadaRival Pillar; her proposed truce factors into Wen’s argument that Hilo is safer in Janloon.
- Kaul ShaeReferenced Weather Man; her views on the truce influence Wen’s concerns about Hilo’s travel.