Overview

Six and the other Diviners smoke idleweed, vow loyalty to one another beyond their service, and secretly leave Aisling with a squad of knights led by Maude to attend Coulson Faire. On the way through a holloway, they encounter sprites; tensions flare between the knights’ hostility to creatures and the Diviners’ sympathy. Six is assigned escort Hamelin Fischer, briefly initiates intimacy, then stops when he objectifies her, refusing to be a trophy and returning to the road alone.

Full Summary

In their chamber, Six and the Diviners smoke all the idleweed Rory provided. The mood turns buoyant as the drug eases their nausea and anxiety. Four makes an impassioned speech about their lives after service, vowing they will support and love one another rather than be defined by Aisling or by others’ desires. She kisses each Diviner, asks Six for a promise of that future, and Six promises despite knowing she cannot control fate.

A knock at the cottage door spurs them to don heavy winter cloaks to hide their identities. Outside, six knights wait, including Maude and Rodrick “Rory” Myndacious, who recognizes Six despite her hood. Maude lays down strict rules: each Diviner is assigned a knight, hoods remain up, no names are exchanged, no talking to townsfolk, and the group will regroup at the king’s pyre and return by dawn. Six confirms the arrangement is acceptable, settling her earlier bargain with the knights.

The party slips over a secret spot in the west wall and drops to the sunken holloway road. As they go, Hamelin Fischer introduces himself as Six’s assigned escort, which pleases her only insofar as he is not Rory. Soon strange laughter rises from the trees, and small iridescent creatures appear—sprites with purple limbs and jagged teeth. Some swoop at the knights, who respond aggressively; one knight strikes a sprite from the air, killing it.

Six and One object to the brutality, noting that gargoyles are sprites trained to serve Aisling, but the knights insist most sprites are violent and irredeemable. Passing the fallen creature, Six feels sympathy and calls it lovely even in death. Light banter follows as One teases two knights, Dedrick Lange and Hamelin, while Six internally recalls Rory’s earlier barbs.

Impulsively, Six asks Hamelin if he is married and, upon learning he is not, leads him off the road into the glen for a tryst. At first he flatters her, recalling her fearsome aspect during the Divination, but quickly reveals objectifying motives, fantasizing about boasting that he “fucked a Diviner.” The praise and touch leave Six cold; she recoils from the encounter, asserting she prefers being “practically fearsome” to being someone’s conquest.

When Hamelin asks for a token—her eyes, name, or proof—they parted, Six refusing to be reduced to a story. She returns toward the road alone as the distant lights of Coulson Faire beckon, ending the scene with her autonomy intact but unsettled by the night’s encounters.

Who Appears

• Six — Diviner protagonist; smokes idleweed, promises solidarity to the others, leaves Aisling under cloak, rejects Hamelin’s objectification and ends a tryst.
• One — fellow Diviner; enjoys the idleweed, defends sprites by citing gargoyles, banters with knights.
• Two — fellow Diviner; relaxes under idleweed, startled by the waiting knights.
• Three — fellow Diviner; flirts with Five, joins the group’s vows.
• Four — fellow Diviner; makes a fervent pledge that they will value each other beyond Aisling, kisses each Diviner.
• Five — fellow Diviner; shares smoke with Three and readies to sneak out.
• Maude — knight; leads the escort, sets rules, coordinates assignments.
• Rodrick “Rory” Myndacious — knight; recognizes Six despite her hood, trades small gestures with her, present but does not escort her.
• Hamelin Fischer — knight; new; assigned as Six’s escort, engages in a near-tryst, reveals objectifying intent, and is rebuffed.
• Dedrick Lange — knight; new; from the Seacht, chats with One, supports the group.
• Sprites — creatures of the land; new; small, iridescent, some attack knights, one is killed, sparking debate over their nature.