Chapter 18. Now: Maris

In the dawn-lit Illyrium, after Luca abruptly departs, a tribune orders Maris up and hustles her from the chamber, aware that recognition could doom her. He diverts from Luca’s path and escorts her to a quiet tent—the commander’s quarters—while the camp is distracted by distant commotion.

Inside Luca’s sparse tent, the tribune offers food and hot water, plus clean clothing, and stands guard. Maris eats reluctantly, washes, and worries about her absence being noticed in the Citadel District and the Consul’s scrutiny. She reflects on Luca’s rise, the temple’s unextinguished fires, and the flag now claimed by the rebels.

Drawn to the desk, Maris finds parchment covered in Luca’s slanted script: equations, triangulation, prime numbers, sketches in astronomy and biology. She opens an ivory box and finds his jade signet ring, symbol of his past, and wonders when he shed it. A curled sheet bears only a sheen of godsblood, recalling previous rites.

Exhausted, Maris lies on the cot, breathing in Luca’s scent and recalling their shared past, while accepting that the man she knew vanished when Vitrasian died. The tribune—alert and distrustful—remains at attention, offering stitching if needed, which she declines.

Seeking a thread of humanity, Maris asks if he is sworn to protect Luca and then for his name so she can pray for him. After a pause, he answers: Théo. This exchange forges a tenuous connection amid danger.