Aili watched over the end of two different training sessions. One was led by Lada and focused on viss manipulation, the other on weapons, under Rabam's guide. He didn't seem happy to train the inhabitants, he was just doing it out of obligation: they had to be ready, in case the monks returned and Aili was incapacitated again, even if for a short time. They had deactivated her periodically in the past few hours, and that was the reason why she was never alone in the temple. Two women trained in using viss were chatting with each other on the only bench that remained. The holders were tied to her sphere, periodically replenished by the inhabitants that could, in order not to waste her viss. Suimer's people knew how to collaborate against a common enemy.

She missed having a body, even if it was a statue of stone. For the moment, she was housed on a cushion on the pedestal of the temple. The roof had caved in, showing the cloudy sky above. Zeles had used the debris of the attack and all the material he could dig up to build the walls and the land of rubble in between. The only statue around was his own, but she'd never use it. It was a monument to his sacrifice, as well as his tomb.

It hurt her to think that if he had waited a few moments longer, he could have survived. But at the same time, she didn't really know what would have happened afterwards: she’d been forced to stay at Suimer in any case, since the monks knew she was Saia's accomplice. They could attack again and again, wearing down their viss.

Rabam left his students after some hollow encouragements and headed toward the temple.

“How is it going?” Aili asked long before he could reach it, impatient for a distraction.

“They're getting better.” He sat on a stone to the side of the road. “Have you thought again about Saia's plan?”

Aili felt herself flare with irritation.

“No, because we're not doing it. I wouldn't even call it a plan. We'll keep the village safe and do nothing else. Zeles died, we almost did as well.”

Rabam raised his hands in front of him as if to tell her to calm down. She realized she'd almost yelled in his ears.

“Understood. I was asking because I fear the monks might act again, and they could become even stronger.”

“What do you mean?”

“So far, they've only created gods when it was necessary, right? If they decide we're dangerous enough, they could start making more of them.”

Aili reflected on it: the monks seemed rightly reluctant to have too many gods to control. She was sure they'd have kept less than nine of them around, if they could. Especially now that Saia was free from their influence.

“I think it's unlikely.”

“They broke a lot of rules last night. After you've told them that you've found a way to counteract their shards, I imagine they're freaking out. They might come to the conclusion that something like that is better than letting you live here.”

“I don't think they'll find enough people that will accept to be transformed into gods for the duration of a siege in which they could die, and then deactivated until one of the other gods uses all of their viss.”

“I think you'd be surprised at how many people would sacrifice anything for a chance to become gods. It's seen as the ultimate honor, every teacher stresses how it's something we should aspire to, since we're little. And the idea of living for two hundred years appeals to many, no matter the conditions.”

Aili looked at the sea beyond the two barriers: the gulf was perfectly calm and strangely empty. The population wasn't happy about not being able to fish or swim anymore, but she didn't know how to dig a way out without destabilizing the entirety of Zeles's work. She could set up a gangplank over the debris and a ladder long enough to descend the outer wall, but that meant being spotted every time they left Suimer. They could be attacked while she couldn’t reach them.

“They could also decide that replacing the existing gods is the best thing to do,” Rabam continued. “What if they create some new ones and replace the others to make our shards useless?”

“You mean by breaking them? They would never. They couldn’t even accept to break Vizena, let alone eight gods.”

Rabam nodded, even if she perceived that he wasn’t satisfied with her words.

“What do you suggest we do, then?” she asked.

“If you don't want to go along with Saia's idea…”

“I don’t.”

“Then we could just go up there and force them to listen. They don’t have any defences in the village against a god they can’t control. You could put an end to everything right there.”

“And leave Suimer without protection? Dore and Lorin aren’t back yet, so their villages are under the monks’ direct control. The instant they’ll know I’m not here, they will attack. And I’m not so sure about them not having any protection. They could have moved the other gods.”

“We have the shards to keep them asleep.”

“But not the viss, not for so many gods at the same time. Or, well, I could fill the holders before leaving, but if I’m late for any reason, they could finish it before I’m back.”

“Then… Then I can go alone. I stole some keys.”

He took them out of his backpack and showed them to Aili.

“They belonged to a sentinel prior. Bades,” he added at the end, his voice trembling. “He'd stayed at the village during the attack. I imagine one of these opens the shard room.”

“You want to go back there?”

Rabam retracted a bit.

“I think it would be worth it to try.”

“You barely escaped. They wanted to kill you.”

“Yes, but there are a lot of monks that aren't satisfied with the abbot's decisions. If we could offer them a better alternative to living in the village, they might join us.”

“Which alternative? Living inside a sieged village with two traitors?”

“Living under the protection of a god. Living outside, under the sky, without having to worry about keeping their existence a secret. Inhabiting a big house, not a room. You have no idea how many people became sentinels just because it's the only job that guarantees to let them spend time outside every day.”

“And how do you plan to enter and convince them?”

Rabam was about to answer, but the parts of Aili’s conscience that were observing the internal forest saw someone approach.

“Monks,” she alerted the village before their group was completely visible.

Rabam's students took up their weapons and headed toward the stairs distributed at regular intervals along the walls. Rabam reluctantly picked up a spear from a nearby barrel and followed them. The two women inside the temple interrupted their conversation to stand at Aili’s side, ready to activate her at the first sign of blue light.

It was only three people, unless the rest was hidden among the trees. None of them was holding a sphere, even if they could still be hiding one somewhere. They stopped several steps short of Aili's domain. Two were sentinels, standing a bit behind a third figure.

Aili wasn't prepared for the bittersweet nostalgia that enveloped her in seeing her mentor.

“Ailima,” Daira called out, in tone of reproach. “I’m here to negotiate your surrender. If I'll manage to convince you to yield, I'll be freed of any accuse of betrayal for helping Saia. If I fail, the priors will decide whether to jail me, execute me, or remove all the memories I have since the day I became a prior, thirteen years ago.”

Aili listened with growing horror. She knew that the monks had likely planned every word Daira had just relayed, that the priors expected her to feel sorry and prone to collaborate. The sentinels weren't escorting Daira as much as making sure she wasn't betraying the monks.

“What about my family?” Rabam yelled from the top of the highest wall, where he was standing with the armed inhabitants.

Daira's looked up with a deep frown. She couldn't see Rabam's face from there, they hadn't probably met often when he was a sentinel, but she still seemed to recognize his voice. Aili had to repeat Rabam’s words for her to understand.

“They've been pardoned,” she said, each word quick and to the point. “They're safe for now, but if our talks don't lead to anything they could be used for leverage again. It's not for me to decide.”

Aili repeated her words to Rabam.

“Why is she angry at you?” she asked.

His viss was buzzing, not at all soothed by Daira's words.

“She tried to help me during my trial.”

Aili thought it wasn’t an explanation, but there would be time to discuss it later.

“I’m not going to give you Suimer,” she told Daira. “But we can exchange prisoners. I have ten of your monks and you have some inhabitants.”

Daira stayed in silence for a few instants, lips close tight as if she wanted to prevent herself from saying what she actually thought.

“They accepted to sacrifice for our cause when they became sentinels. You can keep them and treat them as you please.”

Her hands were clutched as hard as possible. Aili knew she didn’t want those people to get hurt, but she was forced to say what the priors wanted her to.

“Run,” she yelled. “If you enter my domain, I can protect you.”

The sentinels were startled by her words. They stepped closer to Daira, but she didn't move. Her burning gaze was fixed on Rabam’s distant shape.

“I’m not interested in joining a group of unhinged murderers. I'm on the monks’ side, as I'll always be. Even when my actions seem to suggest the contrary.”

Aili observed Rabam closely. He seemed to perceive her attention, because he lowered his head and murmured: “I’ll explain.”

She'd never seen him so afraid.

“I don't know what happened, but we're not murderers,” Aili said.

Daira smiled bitterly.

“Then stop coddling one. If you surrender Rabam to us we can make some concessions.”

She stepped back until she was aligned with the two sentinels.

“I’ll let you mull over this. I'll return in a few days to hear the answer.”

The monks left before she could think of what to say. Soon after, the armed inhabitants started their descent from the wall. Rabam didn't follow them. Aili waited until he was alone before addressing him.

“Can you explain what just happened?”

He started talking about his escape: his original plan, how he'd used the magnet to hide in someone else's cell, how he waited there despite the hunger. Aili had heard it all, but she didn’t want to interrupt him. He already looked on the verge of tears, contemplating the land of debris below with an intensity she didn't like.

“I didn't think he'd have killed Bades. If I had known it would happen, I'd have never given him the sword. I'd have never let him out of the cell, never escaped.”

Aili stayed in silence. She didn't know what to say.

“Don't tell me it's not my fault,” Rabam said, looking up. “It is. Mine and Cuisan’s, even if I doubt he cares.”

“It is,” Aili agreed in the end. “But you're still being hard on yourself for no good reason. The monks killed Zeles and would have done the same to us.”

Rabam shook his head.

“I can't justify it like this.”

Aili thought of Mili, the only murder she'd seen in her entire life. They stayed in silence, until Rabam spoke again.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“What do you mean? I'm not going to surrender you to the monks, obviously. Or do you want me to punish you? Is that the kind of relationship you want to have with me?”

“It's not what I want, it's more... What I deserve.”

“Are you going to close yourself in prison again, Rabam? Are you going to hide something this important from me again?”

He sighed, sitting down on top of the wall with his legs hanging out of the border.

“Sorry, it's just... I felt so guilty I couldn't even speak about it. I thought you could see it in my viss and already suspected something.”

“You've always felt guilty about one thing or another since the first day I've met you. I've learnt to just ignore it.”

He nodded, lowering his head. Aili knew she had hurt him, but she felt on edge after the discussion with Daira. She wanted her on their side, she wanted her approval, she felt bad about dragging her into the situation and furious that she'd used her curiosity to convince her to become a goddess. The monks knew, she was sure, every single feeling that was crossing her sphere at the moment. They had planned it all, hoping to kill her just like they'd killed Zeles: instilling doubt, then reaping the results.

She was playing right into their hands. Rabam was right, it was time to act.

“Aili?” she heard calling.

She focused on Lada. A group of people stood behind her, half of them elders, the rest members of Suimer’s families.

“We’d like to talk to you, when you have time.”

“I always have time. Tell me everything.”

“We’ve seen you and Rabam protect us and discuss our future. We’re grateful, but we’d like to be included in these discussions.”

Aili thought back at Rabam’s suggestions: entering the village or deactivating the gods. Both implied a huge risk for Suimer’s people: either they’d have to resist without her protection, or endure a long siege. She could never make that sort of choice without them.

“Go to the central square. I’ll tell you every single detail about the situation. And about Saia.”

Lada held her breath.

“Yes,” Aili continued. “I don’t know the details of what she’s doing right now, apart from the fact that she’ll return soon. But I can tell you everything she did to save you. You deserve to know.”

She left Lada to her emotions and focused on Rabam again. He was still sitting on the border of the innermost wall.

“We’re about to have a meeting with Suimer’s inhabitants. I’ll need you to illustrate your plans again.”

He looked up.

“So you’ll consider my ideas?”

“Yes. You’re right, we need to act while we can. But we won’t move a finger without Suimer’s support. We can’t act alone anymore.”

He nodded and dragged himself to his feet to start the descent. Aili contemplated the sea until the preparations for the meeting had been completed. Tables had been brought outside and placed in a square. She found it oddly flattering when she saw that they had added an empty chair for her, even if her sphere was still inside the temple. She positioned her view on top of it, as if she was actually sitting.

Lada and her family were waiting on the other side of the assembly.

“Tell us about her,” Silem, Saia’s father, said before anyone else could speak.

Aili gladly obliged.