Chapter 24: Clinks

On the rooftops during a storm, Kvothe wrestles with guilt over frightening Auri and the urgent need to hide from whoever is using malfeasance to track him. He limps to their usual meeting place atop Mains and finds Auri hiding, tearful but responsive when he avoids pressing questions.

Through gentle conversation about the lightning, Kvothe apologizes. Auri, reassured, declares him her Ciridae and invites him to a private place called Clinks. She leads him deep into the Underthing—past familiar passages and down a new spiral stair—toward the sound of fresh running water and the clinking of glass.

The staircase descends into a vast pool. Auri shows Kvothe how bottles set adrift in the swirling currents vanish and return unpredictably. Following her instructions, Kvothe marks several bottles with his blood and hair, corks them, and sets them afloat so his sympathetic link is scattered and dowsers are confounded.

With the decoys in motion, Auri pronounces them safe. Kvothe then cleans up, dresses his wounds, and returns to the Mews. There, Wilem and Simmon take turns through the night—and for many nights after—maintaining vigilant Alar to protect him as he sleeps, demonstrating steadfast friendship and providing a temporary respite from the threat.