Chapter Four

Four uneventful days pass as Mahair prepares for the waleema. On the cart to market, Marek presses Sylvia about her hidden depths and relays rumors that the Nizahl Heir is near to select a Champion for the Alcalah. Sylvia deflects, wary of recognition and the heightened Nizahl presence.

At Rory’s shop, Sylvia is sent for supplies, but a scream in the square halts her. A visitor accuses Adel, the aging baker, of using magic. Nizahl soldiers seize him; Adel panics, blasts them once, and flees. A soldier throws a knife into Adel’s back, then beats him to death as the crowd watches. Sylvia volunteers to help carry the body to the woods.

Alone with Adel’s corpse, Sylvia conducts Jasadi death rites, seeking to quiet Hanim’s goading and her own despair. Arin of Nizahl arrives mid-ritual, observes her Resar prayer, and questions her. Sylvia improvises a cover—she is Omalian, learned the rites from tutors at Ganub il Kul—and denies being Jasadi.

Arin dismisses the injuring soldier, then isolates Sylvia. He offers his bare hand, silently testing whether she holds magic. Sylvia forces her power deep under the cuffs and takes his hand; he registers no magic. Choosing not to let her go, Arin insists on escorting her back to Mahair with his men.

They ride into the village, drawing fearful attention. At Rory’s shop, Arin ensures her “safe return,” declines tea, and departs after chillingly addressing her as “Sylvia.” In the silence after the cavalry leaves, Rory—horrified that she brought the Heir to their doorstep—admits what he has long known: Sylvia is Essiya.