Chapter Five

Rory confronts Sylvia by her true name, Essiya, forcing her to draw a dagger before realizing he fears for her safety. He reveals he recognized her as the Jasadi Heir the night she arrived and worries Arin will sense her magic. Pressed, Rory admits he avoided asking how she survived the Blood Summit, believing common accounts that her grandparents sparked the massacre and Jasad’s collapse.

Sylvia challenges this version, voicing the unasked question of how Jasad’s fortress fell and indicting Supreme Rawain’s narrative. Their argument halts when Fairel arrives; Sylvia masks the tension and sends Fairel away.

That night, reeling, Sylvia rips out the fig sapling she’d planted, rejecting the hope of permanence. She takes Fairel on a late walk through Mahair, revealing her aversion to touch and listening to Fairel recount an Orbanian version of the Awaleen myth—power exacts a cost; Rovial’s madness led to the entombment and Nizahl’s creation. Sylvia adds lore about Sirauk and warns Fairel that “worthy sacrifice” is a lie.

By morning, the village readies for the waleema. At Rory’s shop, Arin arrives with guards. After Fairel’s flustered apology for gossip, Arin announces he will remain in Mahair through the festivities, heightening Sylvia’s peril. He hints Sylvia works “twice,” probing her hidden ties, and insists on escorting her.

Alone with her, Arin states he suspects she has magic despite failing to sense it before. Sylvia counters that he lacks proof, while struggling to contain power beneath her cuffs. Arin concludes her temper will leave traces he can follow, promising a relentless pursuit.