37 East

Dumai and Kanifa wait near a waterfall outside Mozom Alph, where Dumai trains in the cold plunge pool while Furtia recuperates in the depths. Concerned by court delays and Furtia’s impatience to begin the search for black rocks, Dumai steels herself for diplomacy and warns herself to be vigilant about Lady Nikeya.

At the temple bathhouse, Nikeya confronts Dumai with practiced charm and veiled threats, probing her motives and flaunting intimacy. Their exchange circles politics, drought, and loyalty to Seiiki, with Dumai resisting Nikeya’s advances and barbs. Before leaving, Nikeya reveals that Queen Arkoro will receive them in the morning.

That night, Dumai deliberately reenters a lucid dream and reconnects with an unnamed messenger in a liminal “bridge” realm. They exchange guarded facts—earthquakes, boiling groundwater, a sun-darkening—hinting a fire mountain caused it, but the link snaps when names are shared. Restless and self-reproachful, Dumai finally sleeps.

At dawn, reassured by the onset of her bleeding, Dumai prepares in clothes sent by the palace and allows her hair to be styled. She travels through Mozom Alph, marveling at its artistry, markets, and mixed faiths, before entering the Old Palace. In the Summer Garden, she meets Queen Arkoro and King Padar, proves her authority with the Privy Seal, and describes Furtia’s awakening and the sinister black rocks.

Queen Arkoro and King Padar connect the warning to recent eruptions and strange seasons, naming Mount Yeltalay in the Broken Valley. As Furtia presses Dumai telepathically to depart, Dumai requests leave to fly east. Queen Arkoro consents, cautioning about diplomatic ripples, and assigns Sepuli dragons while King Padar will escort her.

Nikeya interrupts with news that Furtia has arrived at the palace by daylight, throwing the city into uproar. Queen Arkoro accelerates plans, bids Dumai to return soon as an ally, and sends her forth—bone of her bone—to confront the threat at Mount Yeltalay.