Chapter 40

Evar catches the fleeing Livira and they share a relieved embrace as her friends arrive. News of Malar’s death hits Evar hard, stirring anger in Clovis until Yute calms them. Evar realizes vengeance could cost Livira and her friends their lives and follows Yolanda away from pursuing soldiers.

Yolanda leads them through a vast forest of metal shelf-towers, shadowed briefly by a lone skeer held at bay by Arpix’s orb. Yute, pained by Yolanda’s long absence, says nothing. Livira seems fearful and distracted. Evar deduces Yolanda is taking them to a reading room—the Mechanism—and resolves to face it for Livira despite his dread.

Distant crashing announces an approaching automaton. Yolanda reveals the constructs are modeled on the ganar Celcha and were created to hunt Evar and Livira. She says using the Exchange carries entangling costs, and that Hellet—Celcha’s brother—was a corrupted assistant shaped by Mayland. Livira admits her book was taken and fears the spreading cracks began where she fell from the Exchange.

At the Mechanism, an assistant waits. Yolanda says the library’s founder and the enemy are within and that it is time to choose sides. Hearing stick-shot and recalling Oanold’s cannibal soldiers, Livira insists on going back to help their people. Yolanda forbids it, declaring Evar and Livira must account for their actions to those who can still avert the greater harm. Yolanda passes into the Mechanism with a yin-yang–marked tome, and Yute follows, summoned by the rule-makers.