The Will of the Many

Speaking in Cymrian, Eidhin asks Vis if he killed someone. Vis explains that he snuck out of the walls and thanks Eidhin for lying to protect him. Eidhin hates the school and the Catenans and is happy to hide Vis’s disobedience. Vis admits that he is working for Military to uncover what Religion is up to on Solivagus. Eidhin disapproves of Vis’s cooperation with Military but agrees to keep the secret if Vis will teach him the Catenan language. Vis agrees.

The Festival of Ancestors arrives, a two-day event to celebrate the dead held at the Necropolis—a mountain filled with mausoleums for the wealthy dead, surrounded by fields of graves for the less important. The holiday gives Vis the opportunity to speak with Ulciscor. Vis rides the Transvect to the Necropolis with Aequa, Emissa, and Indol while Callidus remains at the school.

The students discuss Vis’s likelihood of getting out of Class Six despite Dultatis. As they chat, Vis feels that Aequa is still suspicious of him. The Transvect arrives at the Necropolis and a crowd greets them. Vis is shocked when they all cheer for him as “Catenicus.”