Nine

In Dafyd’s garden, Llian Andermus delivers a security report: two domestic assaults, one interpersonal dispute, an instance of groping, and petty theft. She has separated combatants, reassigned shifts, and broken the groper’s hands as a warning. Andermus presses Dafyd for explicit guidelines and his public backing, arguing against unchecked autonomy and pre-empting becoming a scapegoat.

Dafyd sets parameters: prioritize Carryx directives—Tonner’s lab, the nursery, and Jellit Kaul’s visualization team—while keeping disorder below work-disruptive levels. He questions irreversible punishments and flags the need to define incarceration policy. Andermus agrees and is told to ensure Uuya Tomos meets with him.

Alone, Dafyd wrestles with exhaustion, grief, and private fury at the Carryx while contemplating the vast empire and the precarious human position within it. He reflects on Jellit and Else, and on the need to conceal human violence from Ekur-Tkalal to avoid harsher oversight.

Uuya Tomos arrives, openly contemptuous of Dafyd’s collaboration. Dafyd counters by revealing a strategic aim: raise children who can pass as compliant servants while quietly preparing for eventual revolt. He asks Uuya to craft stories and songs that encode patience, concealment, and justice—cultural tools that can transmit rebellion across generations without alerting the Carryx.

Uuya cites Gallantist tales of Shavas Rey as a model and weighs betrayal against complicity. Dafyd frames her choice starkly: expose him to Ekur-Tkalal or help him. Recognizing the ruthless clarity reminiscent of his aunt Dorinda, Uuya’s stance softens, and she tacitly agrees to join the clandestine effort.