Chapter 21: Piecework

At dawn, aching from the prior night’s rooftop fall, Kvothe limps out for willow bark and heads to the Fishery for paid piecework. In Stocks, Basil warns him of a note barring materials and of a young girl in a blue cloak seeking the “redheaded wizard” who sold her a charm. Kvothe denies involvement and proceeds to Kilvin’s office.

In the quiet, sunlit workshop, Kilvin has Kvothe work the bellows while he blows glass. After a failed attempt, Kilvin confronts Kvothe with his term’s tally of simple piecework and rebukes him for drudgery unworthy of a Re’lar. Kilvin demands he undertake clever, ambitious projects rather than lamps and castings.

Overheated and dehydrated, Kvothe collapses. He wakes in the Medica, where Mola explains Kilvin carried him there and initially suspected heat exhaustion. Examining his injuries, Mola deduces he jumped from a window the previous night. She warns that Arwyl ordered suspicious injuries reported and that Ambrose has offered a reward for the thief who stole from his rooms.

Wilem and Simmon arrive. Sim blurts that Kvothe sought a woman’s ring held by Ambrose, prompting tension with Mola. Wilem diffuses the argument, noting Kvothe’s telltale darkened eyes and impulsive temper. Moved and convinced, Mola agrees to omit incriminating details, keeping “heat exhaustion” as the diagnosis.

Mola removes Sim’s botched stitches and properly cleans, sews, and bandages Kvothe’s elbow. She advises rest, water, and avoiding exertion, especially after a fall. As they leave, Sim secures a tentative lunch with Mola, while Kvothe’s academic future is preserved and Kilvin’s challenge to pursue meaningful artificing hangs over him.