Chapter Forty-One

Neema leaves the medics, nauseated and disoriented amid the Festival Square, having missed Cain’s bout with Katsan as Tala faces the Visitor. Back in her rooms, she violently vomits black, oily clots and a feather—remnants of the Raven—then notices new purple-blue strands in her hair. Her sentient book, Tales of the Raven, animates and introduces itself as a fragment of the Raven: the Solitary Raven.

Through shifting illustrations and text, the fragment claims it answered Neema’s prayers in the vaults and mocks the other fragments’ failed plan for Neema to kill Ruko. At its prompting, Neema senses the other fragments are now gone. The book transforms into a large raven that finds an amethyst choker and adopts the name Sol. Sol identifies himself with the stone and necklace, then reshapes it into a crown once worn by the Raven empress Yasthala, proposing a plan: Neema should win the throne to prevent the Last Return without killing Ruko.

Neema rejects taking power and insists on helping Cain claim the throne instead. Alarmed, Sol argues Cain would be a bad emperor; Neema probes whether Cain harbors a Fox fragment, and Sol denies it. Sol offers only limited aid—slightly slowing Neema’s perception of time—and demands to “enter” her to avoid public panic over a visible raven companion.

Neema consents. Sol brutally merges with her, clawing into her chest and dissolving into ink and feathers that seep inside. The pain ends abruptly, leaving no marks, but Neema now senses Sol within her ribcage like a nest, his voice resonating through her. They agree, grudgingly, to help Cain in the coming Ox Trial, with Sol cautioning Neema to keep her wits and speaking mind-to-mind as they prepare.