Summary

The story begins with a few lines from the song of the unnamed, explaining that this unknown person will face an eternity of pain without redemption.

Arrah, her father, and other girls of her tribe preparing for Imebyė, a coming of age celebration. She asks why magic does not come to her, and her father says it will one day. Arrah feels distant from the tribe, as she does not speak Atari and her mother is not a native. The chieftain, Arrah's grandmother, says that magic calls to everyone differently. She fails to read bones, and her grandmother says that magic is often stronger when received later in life. Upset, Arrah follows a spark of magic beyond the village. She finds a woman writhing in the shadows who, after Arrah helps her up, says she can use magic...