“You decide wisely,” Vaintè said, arched with victory. “Now speak to your Daughters and tell them to keep this city functioning well while you are away. They have no choice, do they? They will work as they have always worked, but it shall be my city they work for, not theirs. Remind them that if they refuse and resist that they will die. I shall then bring fargi here to take their places. Go tell them this, then return here. We leave today for Gendasi* for I have one last task to perform before I remake this city. I very much want you to be there when I find and kill ustuzou Kerrick. You do want to be there, don’t you?”

The anger and hatred had burned deep, showed now only in Enge’s eyes. She let her gaze rest on Vaintè for a long moment, then turned and walked slowly away. Vaintè signed attention to the crewmembers of the uruketo.

“Who commands here?” she asked.

“I do,” Elem said. “But I serve Ugunenapsa and not you. The uruketo remains here. You may now kill me.”

“You do not escape that easily, commander. It is not you who will die—but your foolish companions. Every time you refuse my order I will kill one of them. Is that understood?”

Elem signed confusion and disbelief, impossibility of action.

“Possible enough,” Vaintè said. “Akotolp, shoot one of these despicable creatures to show the survivors the strength of my resolution.”

“No!” Elem shouted, stepping forward and standing before Akotolp’s raised weapon. “The uruketo will leave as commanded, no more shall die.” She looked at Fafnepto’s corpse just beside her. “One is enough.”

Enge walked stiffly into the city, the shock of Vaintè’s arrival still not assimilated. This day she had gone from highest hopes to greatest despair. She met two Daughters on the path and they recoiled at the pain in her movements. She stopped and ordered her thoughts.

“Tell everyone, go to the ambesed now. Events of disastrous nature.”

The word spread quickly and she walked slowly, deep in thought. They were gathering even before she arrived and when she spoke to them the silence was absolute. There were murmurs of pain when she told them what had happened, cries of despair when she described what more there was to come.

“I would like to tell you to have hope. At this moment I cannot.”

“We shall leave the city,” Satsat said. “I remember this Vaintè—how could I ever forget her? As Ugunenapsa is the embodiment of life, she is that of death. We must leave the city. We die in either case.”