Chapter 8

Galva enters Espalle’s grand temple of Sath with her brother Pol for the consecration of the Western Army’s new commander. She recalls the temple’s Vault of Mysteries and the glasshouse the enemy had exploited, underscoring the city’s desecration and the army’s uneasy respect for sacred spaces.

Pol places Galva at his right as close-guard, a gesture that honors her. As the rite begins, Galva reflects on Pol’s nature, his failed stint at the sword academy, and Yorbez’s assessment of his strengths and flaws, noticing new gray in his beard and a sadness in his eyes.

While incense and the helion chant fill the nave, Galva surveys the gathered high officers, noting many women in command roles. She recognizes Segunth-General Samera dom Vinescu, whose battered, beautiful armor and lack of Sathian gestures mark her as Mithrenor’s follower. Samera and Pol exchange knowing looks, hinting at a private bond Galva resolves to ignore.

The priest extols Sath as a woman in the glasshouse endures the Hardship of Sath’s Kiss without flinching. Named as Prima-General Peya Dolón Milat, she is led out, dried, and robed, then shares beer to cheers. Galva admires Peya’s unwavering composure and, when Peya opens her eyes, discerns a hard, patient gaze forged by eastern carnage.

The ceremony concludes with Peya revealed as a disciplined, unblinking leader poised to address the army. Galva’s observations frame shifting leadership, complex loyalties, and the stark piety and politics surrounding the Western command.