Chapter Three

Sylvia rouses Marek and Sefa to a corpse in Essam Woods and explains a soldier attacked her during a forbidden forage; to avoid trial, she must stage his death as a fall into the Hirun. Despite misgivings, they agree to help. Sylvia brutally breaks the soldier’s back to implicate a stronger assailant, and Marek roughens the belly wound with stones to mimic rock damage.

While gathering stones, Sefa pledges unwavering loyalty but withholds her own secrets. Sylvia recalls Marek’s odd use of foreign vegetable names, suspecting hidden origins for both friends, yet chooses not to press. They carry the body through deepening woods as Sefa sings of the Awaleen and the old kingdoms; at the river, Marek anchors the corpse with boulders and they seed the wounds with rocks before retreating to beat sunrise.

Back inside the raven-marked boundary, they slow their pace, debating rumors of disappearances. In Mahair, they buy fūl from Hamada. Marek argues Nizahl won’t mobilize unless a body is found, given resources tied to the Alcalah and the Heir’s Champion search, further stoking Sylvia’s suspicion about his familiarity with Nizahl. They return to the keep, where Raya scolds their filthy state, and the trio separates for chores and rest.

Alone, Sylvia battles dread and recalls Raya’s resolve to shield the orphans from harsh realities. Exhausted and sleepless, she calms herself with a heartbeat ritual. She then dreams she is hailed as Queen Essiya, stitched-mouth crown-bearer, before meeting her mother Niphran burning on a frozen lake, who urges her to “save” Jasad. The vision ends as flames consume everything, intensifying Sylvia’s fear that she cannot escape her inheritance.