Summary

Part IV, titled “Thine is the Queendom,” opens with a quote from Lu Qingzi that reads, “Why do you not inhale essences of moon and stars, con your spirit texts of gold?” (505). Chapter 49 is titled “West.” Ead and Loth see some of the ships Yscalin is compiling to attack Inys. Ead burns five of them, but knows that burning the entire fleet would deplete her power, leaving her defenseless for the challenges she will soon face. They leave Aralaq hidden with plans to call him later. Along the way, they see signs that some people are straying back to religions that existed before the Six Virtues. They arrive in Ascalon and discover that two women have been beheaded, their heads displayed on a gate. Truyde is one and the woman who killed Aubrecht is the other. They sneak into the castle...