Chapter 19

The army’s ascent through the Baolei range stretches from weeks into months. Under lethal cold and glare, Rin’s forces learn makeshift survival—ropes instead of ice picks, chili-water for warmth, and sheltering at noon from snow-blind sun. Jiang remains unstable, carving toys and babbling, while Daji keeps him under watch.

Each night, Daji fields Rin’s interrogations about lost histories. She reveals Riga’s Yin bloodline—son of Yin Zexu, nephew to Dragon Warlord Yin Vara—and recounts Zexu’s defiance of occupiers and the Trifecta’s orphaned origins among the Ketreyids, whom Daji later helped destroy. Yet Daji withholds the pivotal truths: Riga’s nature, the Sealing, Jiang’s break, and Speer.

Frustrated, Rin decides to bypass Daji. She drugs Daji unconscious and rouses Jiang in the night, pressing him about “Hanelai.” Briefly lucid, Jiang confesses Hanelai was his mistake and speaks of warnings, Riga’s unilateral decisions, and “the children,” before his clarity collapses. Rin leaves him sedated, shaken by implications involving Speerlies.

By day, scarcity peaks. Venka reports two girls—Pipaji and Jiuto—caught harvesting organs from a corpse. Rin quells the mob, recognizes starvation’s calculus, and quietly permits the practice under strict secrecy. Rumors of cannibalism spread as rations dwindle, deserters slip away to die, and command frays despite Kitay’s counsel to stay silent.

The march takes on a mythic haze—shared visions of radiant wildlife and living trees—yet hunger and despair persist. Rin clings to faith that divine purpose guides them toward Riga. Then Kitay spots a blue orchid breaking the snow: a sign of lower altitude. They have crossed into Dog Province and begun their descent.