Roh spent his evening penning letters and watching the light fade from the world outside. What would happen if he went back to Dhai? Would he spend the rest of his life telling this story, about dancing with the Saiduan and talking to sanisi and then… farming in Dhai?

Kihin returned from the archives a few hours after dark. The suns only appeared in the sky four hours a day now.

“Has Ora Dasai told you?” Roh asked.

“Yes,” Kihin said. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be gone before then.”

“What do you mean?”

“You should know something, Roh,” Kihin said. “Luna and I are going to run away together.”

“What? Where?”

“To Dhai, eventually,” Kihin said. “Someone needs to stand up to the Kai.”

“But,” Roh tried to wrap his head around what he knew of Kihin. “I didn’t think you–”

“We’re in love, like Hahko and Faith Ahya. You’ll see. We’ll remake the country.”

Roh wasn’t sure what to say.

“Be happy for us, Roh,” Kihin said.

“I… all right,” Roh said. “Have you talked to Ora Dasai?”

“We’re not going to ask permission. We’re just going to go. I wanted to tell someone. Before we ran away. So my father knows I’m not dead. But don’t say anything yet. Luna has to get well. I didn’t tell anyone about you sneaking off with Abas. Please keep this secret?”

“I will,” Roh said. “Just be careful, Kihin.”

“Ora Dasai always thought it would be you who ran off. He’s going to be really surprised.”

Surprised wasn’t the word Roh would use.

Kihin went to bed.

Roh lay awake another half hour. Even Kihin was making his own fate. But Roh’s world was spinning back to Dhai again, back to some orchard, the life of a farmer. And he didn’t know how to stop it.

Roh woke from a dream of sparrows. They swarmed his body, pecking at his flesh, tearing away strips of meat until they flayed him alive.

Kihin shook him. “We’re summoned, Roh,” he said.

“What? By who?”

“The Patron’s summoned us,” Dasai said from the doorway. Nioni and Aramey were behind him, arguing.

Roh rubbed his eyes. “But why–”

“Come, get Ora Chali,” Dasai called. “We have sanisi waiting on us.”

Roh threw off his blanket. He slipped on his boots and ran into the common room, expecting to see Kadaan. But the three sanisi weren’t familiar.

“Is this all of you?” the eldest sanisi asked.

Chali stumbled into the room, pulling on his coat.

“He’s the last,” another of the sanisi said. “Let’s proceed.”

Roh’s stomach knotted. Why did the Patron want to see them? He glanced at Dasai. Had he shared the book they got from Shodav with the Patron yet?