They need to get away from Avij first. Then they will decide where to go: to Atlan, Parsana or to the Saviour Ship to surrender. Tirad has no home to go to, nowhere safe to live peacefully with his wife and baby. Dalia is the same. She had helped him escape. Tirad doesn’t know what will happen to her if he leaves her on Avij? Ardaz might do anything to her, even if he doesn’t find out the Narivan, who is Dalia’s husband, has been Tirad all along, he might exile Dalia as soon as he sees Tirad has disobeyed him and not joined the Saviour soldiers. He thinks it would be better that they become separated. He should go to the Saviour Ship alone. He can send Dalia to Atlan; they won’t harm a single pregnant woman. But sending her to Atlan takes time; he needs to find a boat etc. The Saviour soldiers will leave next dawn. He only has till tomorrow morning before they find out who he is. They need to get away from Avij before sunrise. He could take Dalia to Parsana and ask Armina to send her to Atlan and set off for the Saviour Island alone from there. He is happy to be planning himself. It’s the first time he is deciding what to do. All this time, he has watched others take his fate in their hands and lead his life for him. He had let Mart condemn him for a crime he never committed, he had allowed Narivan and Dalia to save his life and make him wander on different ships. It wasn’t all that bad. Having married Dalia was the best thing in his life and he enjoyed a diver’s life, but he hadn’t even chosen those. He will take fate into his hands from now on.

Tirad opens his eyes. He had fallen asleep, sitting on the courier boat. They have arrived at Avij and the boat is approaching the western platform. Tirda jumps from the boat to the platform and then jumps again to Asin’s boat. Dalia is waiting for him and she comes to greet him. She has already prepared everything! She starts explaining how she has been stealing food from the Avij kitchen and stolen fuel from the boats in the middle of the night. She has started right away since the soldiers had come two nights ago and Ardaz had given his name to the soldiers. Tirad praises her, but in his heart, he wishes she hadn’t done that. He wanted them to leave Avij on his decision and this time, he would be the one encouraging Dalia to leave. He wanted himself to plan and prepare for the escape. Yet with Dalia’s detailed explanations, he feels too naïve; he could never foresee so many things needed to survive a boat journey. He had thought about where to go and what to do but had forgotten about what supplies they needed. He kisses Dalia’s forehead and tells her that they should wait until midnight and before Dalia tells him where to go, he starts explaining his decision and their route: first to Parsana and then separately to Atlan and the Saviour Island. He doesn’t let her speak and object. He has made up his mind.