CHAPTER 55: Final Preparations

Anden adopts the Espenian identity of journalist Ray Caido to request an exclusive interview with Zapunyo for the Kekon Journal, leveraging No Peak forgeries and Dauk favors with the newspaper’s editor. Hilo predicts Zapunyo’s vanity will draw him in, and Iyilo confirms an appointment the day after Zapunyo’s arrival in Port Massy, before his scheduled surgery.

The meeting is set at the Uwiwa Islands Cultural Heritage Center & Tea Gardens, a photogenic public site. Anden will attend unarmed with Rohn Toro as his photographer. Rohn’s jade gloves will be hidden in advance; during the interview, Rohn will retrieve them and kill Zapunyo.

To preserve secrecy after Tau Maro’s betrayal, the Kauls seed false threats implying a hospital-room attack, drawing attention away from the true venue. A secure speakerphone line is installed in the Kaul dining room so Anden can join planning calls from Port Massy without widening the circle.

Participating remotely leaves Anden lonely but committed; he imagines the family gathered—Hilo, Wen, Shae, and the children—while he listens alone. He accepts that success will require immediate flight from Espenia with Rohn, telling no one, as Shae will handle extraction. The mission feels like a chance to redeem his exile and prove himself a Kaul without jade, even as he now appreciates Port Massy and the life he has built there.

Haunted by his breakup, Anden tries to reach Cory, learns Cory has left for an internship, and finally writes a candid letter ending things kindly and hinting at clan reasons he cannot yet share. With the letter mailed, Anden focuses on the impending operation, acknowledging the risk of death but trusting Rohn’s skill and accepting danger as part of a Green Bone’s life.