Contents
Chapter 2: Betrayal
Overview
Hilo confronts discontented No Peak businessmen and unmasks Fuyin Kan as a Mountain-backed traitor. When Fuyin attacks, Hilo kills him, cowing the rest but deepening internal rifts. Hilo and Shae argue over strategy as the Mountain’s economic pressure mounts. Isolated and conflicted, Hilo seeks escapism, then returns to a strained home life.
Summary
Hilo and Shae host six No Peak Lantern Men at Twice Lucky to address gripes over tribute and the clan’s overseas focus. Mr. Tino and Mr. Eho press for Mountain-matched rates and abandoning Espenia. Hilo reveals he suspects Fuyin Kan, a former Fist, has already defected. Confronted, Fuyin turns bitter over his ruined business and his son’s death, then challenges Hilo to a duel.
Hilo refuses a formal duel, calling Fuyin a traitor and offering exile or death with a blade. As Juen Nu, Maik Tar, and Iyn Ro move to secure the room, Fuyin draws a pistol and fires. Tar Deflects the shots; Fuyin leaps with a talon knife. Hilo meets him atop the table and kills him swiftly, slitting his throat.
Shaken businessmen renounce Fuyin and accept Hilo’s phased tribute compromise. Hilo orders them out and has Fuyin’s jade taken for the clan, declining to wear it. Shae confronts Hilo for staging an execution and for acting without sharing proof; Hilo admits he acted on instinct and demands solutions to the Mountain’s undercutting. Their argument underscores strategic fissures.
Hilo drives aimlessly, then visits the Lilac Divine. He rebuffs pretense, has sex without conversation, and reflects on Ayt Mada’s economic war and his own isolation. Hypervigilant, he checks his car for bombs before heading home.
At home, Ru, primed by Tar’s frankness, asks about jade from the day’s kill; Hilo deflects and reminds Ru they must save jade. He notes Ru is a stone-eye and worries about nurturing confidence. Upstairs, he visits Wen, who makes halting progress in recovery. Torn between love and resentment over her past secrecy and near death, Hilo remains distant and leaves her for dinner.
Who Appears
- Kaul Hiloshudon (Hilo)Pillar of No Peak; exposes Fuyin’s betrayal, kills him after attack, clashes with Shae, seeks solace at the Lilac Divine, distant at home.
- Fuyin KanFormer Fist turned Lantern Man; resentful traitor tied to the Mountain. Fires on Hilo and is killed during the confrontation.
- Kaul Shaelinsan (Shae)Weather Man; defends overseas strategy, rattled by the execution, argues with Hilo over planning and the Mountain’s economic offensive.
- Maik TarPillarman and Hilo’s brother-in-law; Deflects gunfire, later briefs the children, preparing for a trip to Port Massy.
- Juen NuHorn of No Peak; enters to secure the room and later calms the restaurant after the shooting.
- Iyn RoSenior Green Bone; helps secure the scene and escorts the chastened Lantern Men out.
- Woon PapidonwaWeather Man’s chief of staff; supports Shae with budget documents and shields her during the gunfire.
- Mr. TinoElder Lantern Man; pushes for lower tribute, recants after Fuyin’s death and reaffirms loyalty.
- Mr. EhoLantern Man critical of foreign influence; retreats from demands after witnessing Fuyin’s betrayal and death.
- Mrs. SugoProprietor of the Lilac Divine; accommodates Hilo’s visit despite clear disapproval of his impersonal patronage.
- Charm girl at the Lilac DivineEntertains Hilo without pretense; her interaction underscores his isolation and need for numb escape.
- Ru KaulHilo’s son, a stone-eye; asks about jade from the day’s killing, reflecting Tar’s bluntness.
- Kaul WenHilo’s wife; laboring through rehabilitation and speech, meets Hilo’s ambivalent distance.
- NikoNephew reading on the sofa; present but uninvolved in the day’s tensions.
- JayaHilo’s daughter; greets her father warmly and seeks attention.
- Mr. UneOwner of Twice Lucky; needs reassurance after the violent incident on premises.
- KyanlaHousekeeper; prepares dinner and stands ready to bring food to Wen.