He has reviewed all the Saviour Hymns in the last few days and has read Parsana’s handwritten pages over and over again, looking for some console, a lead or a ruling that could exonerate him. He has killed in defence; he has wiped out his tattoo just to save his life and has run away only because he was innocent and wants to prove it. But who is he fooling with such justification? There are no Saviour Rules that tolerate Tirad’s ill doing. He cannot be forgiven. He has failed all the challenges, set forth by the Saviour and life! He doesn’t even know what to do next. Should he go to the Paradise Island that Narivan had told him about when he was still lucid? What is he going to do among those happy people who are the followers of naught? He doesn’t even know if he can still stay a Saviour Disciple in his heart, after so many unforgivable disobediences. Most of all, he keeps questioning himself about why the Saviour had abandoned him? Is he being punished for his past faults, having read the forbidden books, spending his nights in the comfort of Lealy’s arms, having saved the lives of Dalia and her mother or killing the snake in his teaching cabin? Perhaps it is some disobedience that he is not aware of. But Hurmaz would have told him so if he was doing anything wrong. Maybe Hurmaz too was punished for his ignorance, or for his past faulty life.

It is dark now. Dalia turns off the engine and lights a small lamp. She avoids turning on the flashlight, not to use too much power and to make their boat less see-able from afar. She walks to Narivan and puts her hand on his sweaty forehead. She takes off the bloodstained cloth from around Narivan’s leg. The wound looks swollen and infected; the cut is not burnt completely, binding his skin together. He is not well and he has been delirious for some time now. Tirad can only pick up one word from his unclear Atlan language gibberish: Asin! Dalia washes the wound and splashes some water in his face and pours some drinking water in his mouth. But the water slides down from the corner of his mouth towards his ear. Dalia is worried.

“If we change course right now, we could get to Parsana Ship by tomorrow afternoon… We might be able to get him some help there. He won’t last another two or three nights,” Dalia tells Tirad who is shocked to have heard the name ‘Parsana’. He had never heard of such a ship! Dalia has noticed his surprise, but doesn’t seem to know which part of her words has shocked him. She keeps explaining to Tirad that Narivan might die from this fever and infection and they have to save him. She says Narivan had helped saving Tirad’s life and now they had to do the same and the only way they could get proper help is by going to the Parsana Ship where they have experienced healers. She also says that since Parsana is not a Saviour follower ship, they will be safe there.