Overview

Six, Rory, and the gargoyle travel from Aisling to the Seacht, crossing the Tenor River and encountering townsfolk, a poisonous-ink practice against sprites, and growing public attention toward Six as a Diviner. In the city they reunite with King Castor and Maude, who recruit Six to meet a secretive figure. The group enters a hidden archive where an elderly man with stone eyes, holding the inkwell from Six’s dreams, recognizes her as a daughter of Aisling and summons her in.

Full Summary

At dawn, Six rides double on Rory’s patient horse Fig toward the Seacht, preoccupied by Rory’s strange coin that can shatter stone and move through walls. She privately fears the coin might belong to the Artful Brigand of Omen lore, wondering what that means about Rory. The gargoyle follows overhead, chattering and loyal. They reach the Tenor River and its bridge to the Seacht, adorned with the city’s creed and inkwell banners.

At the toll, a sleepy scribe registers them. When a river sprite surfaces and bites Six’s hand without breaking skin, the scribe dumps poisonous ink into the water, driving it off. Rory, condemning the cruelty, throws pell grass into the river to feed the starving sprite and pays the scribe, repeating the Artful Brigand’s creed that coin is the only god of men. Six notes bruised bite marks and the sprite’s restraint.

Crossing the bridge, Rory urges Six to remove her distinctive shroud for safety, but she refuses; he warns of danger in the crowded city. Six reflects on her lack of memory before Aisling and her perfected “old” condescension despite her youth. They arrive in the bustling Seacht, observing organized architecture, parchment-making, and veneration of learning. Rory criticizes superstition amid innovation, and Six counters that belief can hold both old and new.

Outside a foundlings’ school, a man insults Six; the gargoyle shoves him, and Rory silences him with a slap. Immediately, a crowd besieges Six for divination, confirming Rory’s concerns. Rory pulls her away through narrower streets. There, two hooded figures appear; Rory attempts to pick one’s pocket, but Maude blocks him. The second figure is King Castor, who cheerfully reports a breakthrough before noticing Six and the gargoyle.

Rory bristles that Maude and King Castor moved ahead “without” him. After hushed debate, the trio agree to bring Six along on a risky errand concerning a man they are about to “challenge to his craft.” Six insists on an audience with the king afterward regarding the missing Diviners; King Castor agrees. Maude leads them to a hidden ivy-covered door in a narrow alley, leaving the gargoyle outside with Fig. Inside, they pass through a dim corridor lined with indistinct, sensuous portraits.

The tense group banter reveals Rory’s preference to be called Rory and Six’s lingering distrust. They reach a sunlit, domed library stacked with tens of thousands of books. In its center stands an elderly man in silks with long, gnarled hands and eyes made of stone, holding an inkwell identical to the one from Six’s dreams. He recognizes Six as a daughter of Aisling and invites her to come in, setting the stage for a revelatory meeting.

Who Appears

• Six — protagonist; travels to the Seacht with Rory, refuses to remove her shroud, is bitten (not bloodied) by a water sprite, demands the king’s help, and is recognized by an old man with stone eyes.
• Rory Myndacious (Rory) — knight; guides Six to the Seacht, feeds the starving sprite, repeats the Artful Brigand’s creed, reunites with Maude and King Castor, and brings Six to a secret meeting.
• The Gargoyle — stone companion from Aisling; follows overhead, causes a scene defending Six, stays outside with Fig during the secret meeting.
• The Scribe (bridge toll keeper) — Seacht official; poisons the sprite with ink, takes Rory’s payment and information.
• Water Sprite — river creature; emaciated, bites Six’s hand without breaking skin, flees when ink is poured.
• Maude — ally; appears hooded with the king, leads the group to the hidden door, wary of bringing Six along.
• King Castor — king of Traum; meets Rory and Maude incognito, agrees to include Six and promises her an audience after the errand.
• Fig — Rory’s horse; accompanies the group, left outside the hidden door.
• Old man with stone eyes — new; elderly figure in a grand library holding the dream inkwell, recognizes Six as a daughter of Aisling and invites her in.