Chapter Summaries (Empire of Silence)

This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of Empire of Silence.

Broken Binding Introduction

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• Centaurus Arm > Colchis > Aea Prefecture > Nov Belgaer > Imperial Library > Scriptorium Annex > Room 113

Concerning the authorship and authenticity of the text

Chapter 1: Hadrian

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

Light.

The light of that murdered sun still burns me. I see it through my eyelids, blazing out of history from that bloody day, hinting at fires indescribable. It is like something holy, as if it were the light of God’s own heaven that burned the world and billions of lives with it. I carry that light always, seared into the back of my mind. I make no excuses, no denials, no apologies for what I have done. I know what I am.

— Hadrian Marlowe

As he begins chronicling his own life, Hadrian Marlowe deliberates about where to begin. He tells of razed cities, Pale monsters, and a murdered sun. He tells also of an Empire, one that has its own version of events—a version which ends in Hadrian's execution. He goes on, writing of the many names he has been given, such as Hadrian Halfmortal, Al Neroblis, and Oimn Belu, and the many things he has been, such as soldier, scholar, and slave, during his life.

Eventually, Hadrian writes of his childhood, being born to House Marlowe during a time of war with the Cielcin. He was largely brought up by his father's servants, during which time his family maintained their uranium-mining business. As he grew older, Hadrian got a brother, Crispin—four years younger than himself—and was taught in combat, language, religion, math, physics, and other fields by various teachers.

As he waits for his lesson with Sir Felix Martyn to begin, Hadrian is pulled aside by Tor Gibson, who wishes to tell him something privately. Before they get a chance to converse, however, Sir Felix and Crispin arrive. Hadrian leaves Gibson with a promise that they'll speak afterward, and joins the others for the lesson in combat. Sir Felix has them practice dueling with each other, during which he criticizes Crispin's poor form and Hadrian's cautiousness. With both being protected by Royse shields, they duel each other, Crispin being more aggressive while Hadrian is more precise.

Chapter 2: Like Distant Thunder

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

After the lesson, Hadrian seeks out Gibson to inquire about what his teacher wishes to tell him. As he finds him, Gibson explains to Hadrian that the Wong-Hopper Consortium will visit them within the week, which Hadrian is surprised to have not learned. Next, Gibson informs him that the planet Cai Shen has been destroyed by the Cielcin. After the shock of revelation recedes slightly, Hadrian connects the Wong-Hopper Consortium's presence with his family's uranium mines. With Cai Shen destroyed, his own planet of Delos has become the largest licensed supplier of uranium in the sector. Though more concerning to Hadrian is that he wasn't informed of these events, especially since Gibson confirms that his brother Crispin was.

Chapter 3: Consortium

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

On the day of the Wong-Hopper Consortium's arrival on Delos,Hadrian has been sent away from the premises. He has been given the task of negotiating with Lena Balem, the Mining Guild representative. She brings up her concerns about the poor working conditions in the uranium mines, requesting better machines and protective gear. She tells of an accident, wherein she lost seventeen of her workers and an entire drill rig, and becomes increasingly bitter toward House Marlowe's inaction. Hadrian does not reprimand her insubordination—as his father might have—but offers to her no more than to take her concerns to his father.

After he has left the meeting with the Mining Guild representative, Hadrian falls into conversation with his lieutenant, Kyra, as they fly toward Devil's Rest. They speak of their own interests and of their own families, with Kyra telling of her love of piloting ships, and Hadrian expressing his dislike of his father.

As they arrive, Hadrian walks into the castle, searching for his father and the meeting with the Consortium. Eventually, he finds the room in which the meeting is already ongoing, but the room's guard, Sir Roban Milosh, refuses to let him in, stating that Hadrian's father prohibits anyone from entering. Nevertheless, Hadrian forces himself past Roban, and walks into the meeting, introducing himself to their guests. His father orders him to take a seat, though Crispin occupies the seat on which Hadrian usually sits. Instead, Hadrian picks up another chair and carries it two steps up the dais where his father sits.

Chapter 4: The Devil and the Lady

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

After the meeting, Hadrian is speaking with his mother, Liliana Kephalos-Marlowe, in his rooms. They speak of the reason that Aleister could have for excluding Hadrian from the meeting, and both agree that he intends for Crispin to take Hadrian’s place as heir to the throne. Though House Marlowe has traditionally always bestowed the throne to the eldest child, it is not a tradition that can’t be broken. Hadrian is ambivalent to this, not really wanting the role, but also not wanting Crispin to get it. They speculate further about Aleister’s plans, and Hadrian regrets the degree to which his parents are estranged.

Soon thereafter, Hadrian and Liliana, together with Aleister, Crispin, and the Consortium dignitaries among others, dine together. Hadrian eats in silence, listening to the conversation until Junior Minister Xun Gong Sun brings up the Cielcin. Here, Crispin bluntly asks whether or not it is true that the Cielcin eat people. Though reprimanded by Liliana, Crispin persists until Hadrian and Tor Terence confirm his question. Hadrian then continues the conversation about the Cielcin, and the Consortium dignitaries are surprised about his knowledge. Director Feng suggests that Hadrian consider a career with the Chantry, to which Hadrian is quietly disappointed, wanting instead to become a scholiast. As the discussion goes on, Hadrian speaks of the difficulty of completely eradicating the Cielcin—seeing as they are not planetbound. Aleister interrupts him, finding his words borderline treasonous, and the conversation returns to business.

Chapter 5: Tigers and Lambs

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

Having been awoken late by a servant, Hadrian hurries through the keep to attend another meeting between House Marlowe and the Wong-Hopper Consortium. This time, the guards let him through, though Crispin has again taken the seat closest to Aleister. At the time of Hadrian’s entry, the meeting is revolving around the issue of the uranium miners' discontent. Eusebia, the Chantry prior in Meidua, soon changes the topic of the conversation to the Cielcin. The Chantry representatives present argue for greater expenditure on planetary defence, in case of a Cielcin attack, though Aleister thinks this unnecessary. He brings the conversation back to local affairs, and Director Feng makes vaguely threatening remarks to Aleister about the uranium quotas he has pledged. Aleister dismisses the threats, and Hadrian is reminded of the time his father destroyed Lord Orin’s rebellion on Linon.

The meeting breaks up, with the Consortium representatives leaving to meet with the Mining Guild factionarius, though Aleister orders Hadrian to stay. As they are given privacy, Aleister confronts Hadrian with what he promised Lena Balem during their previous negotiation. Here, their opinions contrast, with Hadrian believing they should upgrade their faulty equipment to parity, and Aleister disagreeing. They argue back and forth, during which Aleister considers sending Tor Gibson away to a cloister—to Hadrian’s dismay—until they eventually come upon the matter of inheritance. Aleister assures Hadrian that if he keeps acting the way he has, he will not be heir to the throne.

Chapter 6: Truth without Beauty

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Colosso

Hadrian and Crispin are at the coliseum, watching a group of douleters detaining an azhdarch and cleaning away the remains of the slaves who had fought it. While Hadrian hates the arena for its disregard for human life, Crispin is excited by it, having obtained permission from their father to fight on this day. While Crispin speaks enthusiastically with Sir Roban Milosh, Hadrian is absently drawing a portrait of Kyra in a book of his. As the Meidua Devils enter into the arena, the announcer tells a story of the 617^th Centaurine Legion repelling a Cielcin horde that had ravaged the Bellos colony. The Meidua Devils are meant to reenact this battle, killing slaves that represent the Cielcin. Hadrian is disgusted by the scene, while Crispin eagerly cheers with the crowd. Eventually, Crispin is informed that it is his turn to fight, and he makes his way down to the arena floor along with Sir Roban. Hadrian leaves the coliseum as the crowd cheers for Crispin.

Chapter 7: Meidua

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Lowtown

As Hadrian leaves the Colosso, he questions whether his father might not be right about his inability to rule, doubting that he has the cruelty to rule like Aleister. He determines to walk the short way back home by himself, moving parallel to the Redtine. Consumed by his own thoughts as he is, Hadrian does not notice the thieves before they assault him. Hadrian attempts to yield, but, realizing the thieves don't care, activates his Royse field, taps his panic button to alert Sir Roban and Kyra, and tries to fight back. Though he loses his knife and has his wrist shattered, he manages to hold off the thieves for a time. Eventually, however, he is knocked down, and the thieves reach to steal his rings. Here, they panic as they realize that Hadrian is of House Marlowe, and Hadrian loses consciousness.

Chapter 8: Gibson

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

As he writes of his mugging in the alley, Hadrian imagines how different the world would be if he had died on that day. The planet Gododdin would still exist and still have a sun, and the Cielcin would not live as thralls to humanity.

He wakes five days later in his rooms, lying in his bed with Gibson sitting beside it. Having almost died, Hadrian was cared for by Tor Alma after being found by Sir Roban and Kyra. As he becomes more conscious, Gibson tells him that the thieves that assaulted him have been killed, and that his signet ring has been returned to him. Feeling both numb and lightheaded, Hadrian is hurt by the absence of his parents and brother, especially since his father’s only comment was a request that Hadrian consider how the attack might reflect on the dignity of their house. As Gibson leaves to go to sleep, Hadrian tells him of his fears that Aleister will announce Crispin as his heir, though Gibson informs him that his father has made no such announcement during his unconsciousness. He tells Hadrian that his way of leading is vastly different from his father’s, who forces obedience through fear of pain.

Dreaming, Hadrian walks the mausoleum, reliving his grandmother Fuchsia’s funeral. In the dream, as he walks behind the Chantry prior, a statue of his father comes alive and seizes him. Gripped by terror, he imagines himself waking, though he is still dreaming, and finds Gibson, marked as a criminal. As he writes of this dream, Hadrian believes he saw Gibson’s injury before it was inflicted upon him.

Yet if I were again threatened with beheading, still I think I would swear that it was so: that I saw Gibson's injury before it was inflicted upon him.

I was old and young again before I understood.

— Hadrian Marlowe

Chapter 9: Bread and Circuses

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Capitol Building

A week later, Hadrian feels well enough to meet with his father. The door to Aleister’s office is guarded by Sir Roban Milosh, and Hadrian thanks him for saving his life. Sir Roban lets him through, and Aleister orders Hadrian to take a seat. Hadrian is hurt that his father never came to visit him while injured, though Aleister dismisses this, demanding instead to know why Hadrian was in the city on the day he was attacked. After informing his father that he was simply walking home from the Colosso, Hadrian is aghast to realize that Aleister has placed a curfew on the district and shot anyone in violation of it.

Aleister expresses displeasure at Hadrian leaving the Colosso as he did, noting that Hadrian spurning the Colosso made it onto the Meidua Broadcast before it could be suppressed. They debate the proper way of ruling, with Hadrian supporting the system of the Eudorans and Norman Freeholds, while Aleister favors the Empire’s methods. Aleister compares Hadrian with his brother Crispin, who is loved by the people, and has decided to send Hadrian away to study with the Chantry at Lorica College on Vesperad. Hadrian is horrified, despising the Chantry and wanting instead to become a scholiast, which earns him a physical reprimand from Aleister. Despite Hadrian’s opposition, his father is determined to send him to Vesperad at the beginning of autumn.

Chapter 10: The Law of Birds and Fishes

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Shoreline outside of Devil's Rest

A fortnight later, Hadrian writes about a pensive moment on the rocky beaches of Delos where he sketches a deep-sea trawler, and observes the biological order of birds swooping into the ocean for fish to eat. In his pocket, he holds the crystal chit with his father's recorded announcement that he will be sent to the Chatry school on Vesperad. Tor Gibson finds Hadrian sulking on that beach and tells Hadrian that he was late to his lesson, the second time in as many weeks. Gibson says it is not like Hadrian to miss lessons, and Hadrian confesses that his father sending him to Chantry instead of allowing him to be a scholiast as he wanted has weighed on him.

Gibson tries to explain to Hadrian that sometimes life pushes one in a direction not of their choosing and that a person must accept that charge. Hadrian counters back, and Gibson hones in on Hadrian's fear of the Chantry. He tells Hadrian that he must master that fear; to "Imitate the action of stone. Never let the future distrub you." Hadrian knows that this is the case, but Gibson insists that he has not learned the lesson, rather he only knows it in concept.

Thinking more on the subject, Hadrian expresses that he doesn't want to be a pawn, nor does he want to play the chess game that affords him his station. This game, Gibson says, is one he has no choice in playing. Hadrian likens this game to that of the birds and the fish. The fish, he explains, are fated to be eaten by the birds.

They have no say in being eaten. Pawns again. Biology is destiny.

— Hadrian Marlowe

Hadrian writes about his realization in that moment, that Gibson could change his destiny, and he asks Gibson to draft a letter of introduction to the athenaeum primate on Teukros. To do so would be an act of treason as it would be tray Lord Aleister Marlowe along with the centuries of service Gibson had sworn to the Marlowe family. Despite the dangers of doing so, Gibson accepts, and in that moment, Hadrian realized who his true father was. While biologically he has the blood of the Lord of Delos, Gibson afforded him the love and care of a father that Lord Aleister Marlowe never had.

Chapter 11: At What Cost

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Delian Miners Guild Hall Office
• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > House Marlowe Family Penthouse

Hadrian writes of his musings on escape from Delos, feeling an excitement for that future because he had never been out of the system in his life to this point. He recognized that finding his passage offworld and paying for it were his two primary challenges in successfully finding his way to becoming a scholiast.

While one may see his family treasury as chests of gems and gold, he explains that gold is quite common and through the power of chemistry, diamonds, rubbies, sapphires and the like are so common as to not carry much value at all. Instead, Imperial Marks are the currency of record, which are held as data in accounts.

With a plan in mind, Hadrian meets with Lena Balem under the guise that he felt bad about how things ended with her and the Consortium. He says he'd like to make a donation of 120,000 Imperial Marks, which she accepts. As Hadrian fills out the contract, he asks her to make another, this one for 150,000 of which she will give him back 20,000. He will retain a contract for 130,000 unfiled as insurance. In effect, Hadrian will have 20,000 marks on a separate universal card from his family's holdings, and Lena would receive 130,000. If she were to refuse, he would file the contract on his person and claim she filed for 150,000 in error. In the end, Lena accepts the offer.

Shortly thereafter, Hadrian leans on a balustrade in Delos admiring the view of the city by night. Kyra approaches him, and Hadrian's desire for her blossoms, her bronze hair curling around her face. She confronts him about how he calls her by her first name and he says he just wanted to feel close to someone. She questions why he has requested her to come on his errands and Hadrian leans in to kiss her. She says she will give herself over to him if he would like and Hadrian has a pang of immediate regret, realizing that through the power of his station, he had coerced her. Kyra didn't desire him but would do as he wished out of loyalty. He tells her no, then returns to his suite without another word.

Chapter 12: The Ugliness of the World

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

Hadrian completes his musings on the power dynamic between him and Kyra, reminding himself that she would only do as he wished out of duty. The rift between them was so large that he hid from her, and thankfully his visits with Tor Alma for medical tests and vaccines to protect against offworld pathogens served to keep him from a confrontation with her.

Hadrian and Gibson then discuss his plans to get off world while speaking in Jaddian and other foreign tongues, knowing full well the cameras were watching and capturing every conversation. They switch to the Lothrian language from the Commonwealth, and Hadrian notes they had occasionally spoken in Cielcin, although the Chantry found it suspicious.

Gibson tells him that Teukros is very warm, and that he should unpack his coats so as not to arouse suspicion. Hadrian says the next time Gibson sees him, he'll be in the green cloak of a scholiast, to which Gibson tells him without any cruelty that they will not see each other again. In the silence that followed, Gibson tells Hadrian that he has written his letter of reference to have Hadrian join the scholiast athenaeum, a letter that also includes some thoughts on getting offworld without the use of pirates or charity.

The two admire the beauty of the ocean, which sparkles like starts in the deep black of space as clouds cast shadows across its surface. Gibson hands Hadrian a small brown leather book titled, The King With Ten Thousand Eyes, the story of Kharn Sagara. Then Gibson imparts a final lesson, that the world is as soft as the ocean. But that it can be violent too.

“The ugliness of the world will come at you from all sides. There's no avoiding it. All the schooling in the universe won't stop that. But in most places in the galaxy, nothing is happening. The nature of things is peaceful.”

— Tor Gibson

Hadrian slips the book into the crook of his arm and gives Gibson, a man who has been more of a father to him than his father, a hug. Hadrian writes that this version of Gibson in the wind tossed air of the ocean is the one he recalls when he thinks of him. As if any other version were too ugly and a sacrilege to remember instead.

Chapter 13: The Scourging at the Pillar

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Devil's Rest

Later that same day, the ringing of bells shook the stones of his chambers, which he writes was his first indication that something was wrong. Along with his coat, he packed the book Gibson gave him into his footlocker then left to see what the tolling bells were about.

As the sounds died down at the command of Lord Aleister in the square, he speaks of distrubing news of betrayal related to Hadrian’s planned journey to Vesperad to join the Holy Terran Chantry. That traitor, he claims, was Gibson, who was carried out and chained to a whipping post.

Lord Aleister asks Gibson about his traitorous actions, and Gibson admits that he had planned to deliver Hadrian to backspace barbarians. Hadrian writes of his emotional reeling from this news, which he didn’t believe and knows now to be a false admission from Gibson. This confession, Hadrian muses, saved him and allowed for all that came after.

”Gibson died for me. Not there, not then, but on the distant planet of his exhale. He gave his life for me, gave up his comfortable place in my father’s court so that I might have a chance at the life I wanted. I am glad he did not see my future, for it was not a future either of us would have chosen for me, fraught as it was with hardship and suffering.”

Lord Aleister sentences Gibson to banishment from his lands and his world. Hadrian yells from the crowd that it is not true, and begs his father to let Gibson go, to which Lord Aleister says he will. He motions for Sir Felix, who shepherds a blindfolded chantry cathar to cut a slit in Gibson’s nose all the way to the bone, which marked him as a criminal for life. The peltasts holding Gibson tore his robes off and forced him against the post for SIr Felix, wielding a three-thonged lash, to whip him 15 times. Hadrian tells his father to “go to hell” after the ceremony and Aleister struck him with a closed fist bearing rings, which tore the skin on his face open.

Alone in his room, Hadrian weeps for Gibson’s fate and notices his coat on the top of the footlocker rather than inside. Opening it, he discovers that the Kharn Sahara book given to him by Gibson, and containing the letter to become a scholastic, is gone.

Chapter 14: Fear is a Poison

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Meidua Prefecture > Meidua > Airfield outside of Devil's Rest

Emotionally fraught, Hadrian writes about how he didn’t leave his room for three days after Gibson’s whipping and exile. He questions once more if Gibson did indeed intend to sell him out to the Extrasolarians, and once again, he finds that impossible to believe. But now that the book and letter to become a scholiast has been taken from him, he ruminates on what it will be like to be a torturer in the Chantry; how he’ll get a chance to explore the universe, but not on his own terms. And he hates the Chantry for that.

Awaiting the suborbital shuttle that would take him to Haspida to see his mother one last time before his preordained trip to Vesperad to become a Chanter, Hadrian and Crispin strike up a conversation about Hadrian’s future. Crispin tells Hadrian that he hopes their father will get his barony in the Veil, which would give him the opportunity to see the universe like Hadrian will in the coming days. Crispin appears excited for Hadrian to become a Chanter who would torture and drop bombs on the Cielcin, but Hadrian questions that perspective saying he wishes humanity would make peace with them, drawing awkward movements from his brother and the nearby guards.

“They’re the only other spacefaring civilization we’ve ever encountered. Don’t you think they deserve a bit of”--I gestured at the sky--”all that?”

Hadrian tells Crispin that he would rather become a scholiast, but Crispin said he finds that weird as it would mean shutting down his emotions. He references that Severn believes they should round the scholiasts up as heretics. Hadrian strikes back at the idea, teling Crispin that believing a planet will come back to save humanity is lunacy. This drew gasps from the guards and a rise in anger from Crispin, who tells him if he doesn’t take back his statements he’ll be thrown to the cathars “just like they did our old bitch of a tutor,” referencing Gibson.

Hadrian’s anger toward his brother boiled, but he held it down as the shuttle launched from the pad on its way to Haspida where his mother awaited. As they reached critical acceleration, the bells of the clock tower struck thirteen.

Chapter 15: The Summer Palace

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer Palace

Hadrian’s mother was not waiting when they landed in Haspida, nor at the gate of the summer palace, which led Hadrian to sketch in his sketchbook and think on Gibson's words about memory betraying most people. Hadrian writes that he thinks this is wrong; that memory is more perfect as it remembers things as you saw them, and that is more beautiful in its own way.

Gibson’s thundering footsteps announced his entrance to the room as he unsheathed a ceramic knife and waved it about the room talking about his time at the harem where there is a blue-skinned girl with wonderful hips. This reminded Hadrian of Kyra and his shame of how he last treated her, and of Sir Felix who would have set Crispin straight for how improperly he was handling the knife.

Hadrian asks Crispin for the knife and sharpens his pencil at his desk while Crispin asks him to come to the harem with him, but that only furthers Hadrian’s disgust with the prospect. On reflection, Hadrian writes how he now sees that Crispin was trying, and failing, to connect with him.

After a few days pass, Hadrian’s mother still had not returned, and Hadrian found himself sleeping more than usual as a way to cope with his nervousness and the future that lay before him. He philosophizes on what it means to be free.

“No one as observed as I was is free. Like light particles, the unobserved man is free to become whatever is in him and the world allows. But beneath the eye and auspice of the state, he can be only what his betters demand of him.”

That thought, among others, spun through his mind on a morning run through the gardens when he was interrupted by a servant who found him and told him of his mother’s arrival at the palace. She requested an immediate audience with him, so he followed the servant to the room in which she awaited.

Chapter 16: Mother

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer Palace

Liliana Kephalos-Marlowe, Hadrian’s mother, waited for him in her holography booth as Hadrian entered asking where she had been for the past few days after he had arrived. She sends the only remaining servant, Mikal, out of the room to ensure they were truly alone for their conversation. She asks him what he was thinking trying to escape with Gibson’s help to become a scholiast and tosses a small attache case at him from across the room. Inside is the book with Gibson’s note.

She tells him that his father knows nothing of the note, and that Gibson’s plan. That plan, she said, worked through one of Lord Alban’s scholiasts who knew a merchant who would take him Nov Senber on Teukros. That plan fell apart when unauthorized transmissions with the merchanter in high orbit were discovered. She tells him that Gibson is still alive, although he’s off to an unknown location for his banishment, and she embraces him with a hug. Hadrian writes how this was the first time in his entire life that one of his parents showed him an ounce of affection.

Liliana tells Hadrian that she wants to help him and he tells her everything about his plans to become a scholiast and the journey it had taken him until this particular moment in time. She reiterates that she wants to help him and said that is why she was gone for days upon his arrival.

A Jaddian free-trader, for whom Director Ada Feng vouched, in Euclid will take him off world in a few days time. When asked what his father would do if he found out, Liliana explains how her own mother, Duchess of all Delos and one of the Emperor’s vicereines, has Aleister by the balls. One last question eluded him: why?

Al never once asked me about this Vesperad business. So damn him to the Outer Dark. You’re my son, Hadrian.

Those words--You are my son--swelled an emotion in him as he told her that he indeed wanted to become a scholiast and join the Corps.

Chapter 17: Valedictory

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > Landing Field at the House Kephalos Summer Palace

The day before his departure, Hadrian along Crispin, thirty Imperial legionnaires, and ten Marlowe hoplites wait on a landing field for a ship carrying those who would accompany Hadrian on his official journey to Vesperad. That would start with a shuttle to the Farworker that would eventually bring him to Lorica College on Vesperad. Unofficially, he would be secreted away in the night, and transported to an island in the Apollan Ocean east of Devil’s Rest called Karch, where he would meet with his mother’s contact.

After his father’s shuttle landed, Tor Alcuin, Sir Roban, Kyran and some lesser functionaries filed out of the ship. They embrace Hadrian and all tell him that it is an honor to accompany him on his journey to join the Chantry. Tor Alcuin begins to explain the duty of this moment despite it not being the future that Hadrian would have for himself, but he is interrupted by Crispin. Last among those he greets, Hadrian speaks with Kyra who tells him that she had been specifically requested by him for this mission. Although Hadrian knows it is a lie, he goes along with it, and the whole crew begins their walk to meet with Hadrian’s mother.

Chapter 18: Rage is Blindness

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Haspida > House Kephalos Summer Palace

As he was packing his footlocker for his trip, Crispin saunters into the room to say good bye. Hadrian jokes that due to time relativity, it will not be long before Crispin is the older brother in the family. They share some more pleasantries and Crispin once again shares his envy that Hadrian will get to see the universe, but Hadrian downplays it saying he’ll be stuck in training cells for years.

After an awkward silence, Crispin brings up Kyra, to which Hadrian tells Crispin to leave her alone. Eating an apple, Crispin continues by commenting on her figure, her looks and that she is a bit “boyish.” All of this rises and anger in Hadrian, but he keeps it under control as Cripsin tells him he wishes he could take is brother’s place. In that moment, and upon reflection while writing, Hadrian realizes that Crispin had never wanted the throne and had always expected he would get nothing just as Hadrian had always expected the throne for himself. They were both being swallowed by their father’s shadow.

After some more conversation about staying safe and Crispin’s return to Colosso, Tor Gibson is once more brought up, and Crispin says it was a shame he was a traitor. Hadrian’s blood boiled at this comment and he tells him that Gibson was helping him become a scholiast and was acting under his authority to help him off world. Instigating further, Crispin says that Gibson was “just some servant,” and Hadrian slaps the apple Crispin had been eating out of his hand and calls him an imbecile. Crispin dares Hadrian to call him that again, and Hadrian obliges as he steps into Crispin’s fighting range. Before Crispin can smirk, Hadrian claps him in the side of the head with a book.

The two tussle around the room throwing blows and launching themselves in tackles at each other. Hadrian tells Crispin to leave the room but he refuses and launches a telegraphed kick that Hadrian counters. Hadrian falls on top of Crispin with his elbow pointed at Crispin’s gut. He tells him to stay down, but Crispin launches at him one last time, and Hadrian catches him below the waist, flipping him over his shoulder to land sprawled and winded on the ground in the middle of the room. Hadrian kicks Crispin in the head, knocking him unconscious, but not before Crispin mutters breathlessly, “Fuck. You.”

Lady Liliana walks in as the fight concludes and tells Hadrian that now is the time to leave. She can use the fight as part of the story of his escape, that he fought Crispin and stole an aircraft to fly away. Hadrian tells her that the cameras would have caught everything, but she points out that the cameras didn’t see him and Gibson conspiring.

Liliana tells Hadrian that he had always been her favorite just as Kyra walks in, and Hadrian connects the dots. Kyra had been Liliana’s eyes and ears to watch Hadrian this whole time. Rushing to pack his things and get to the shuttle, Hadrian says his final words to his mother, “Thank you.” He writes that these, like many last words, were not enough.

Chapter 19: The Edge of the World

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Karch (Island City)

Hadrian, Kyra and the legionnaires who escorted Hadrian from Haspida meet Demetri Arello in a tavern by the docks. He tells Hadrian that the trip may not be very comfortable because his ship is not one of luxury. That said, Demetri said he would get Hadrian to Teukros via a 13-year journey by way of Obatala and Siena so that he can stop for trade along the way to make the trip a worthwhile business venture. Lady Liliana Kephalos-Marlowe arranged five thousand hurasams in advance with nine thousand more hurasams to be delivered upon Hadrian’s safe arrival to Teukros.

Kyra worries they were not moving quickly enough to get Hadrian to the ship before she would be missed in the palace. Demetri appeared uneasy about things as he had little knowledge of who exactly Hadrian was, but Hadrian puts him at ease by explaining this trip is keeping him away from the Chantry. And when asked who he is, Hadrian shows off the ring on his thumb indicating his family house and his palatine nobile station. They toast and down a glass of wine to seal the deal.

A short while later, Hadrian, Kyra and the two legionnaires approach Demetri’s ship, the Eurynasir, in the harbor, which is home to sailing, steam and starships. Demetri’s ship reminded Hadrian of a Catamaran, which worried him, particularly given the cracks in its ceramic hull that had either been filled with caulk or welded for repairs.

With his luggage on the ship, Hadrian says his goodbyes to Kyra. He apologizes about his previous actions then tells her to wait before she walks off. He worries she thinks he will kiss her again, but he does not and simply repeated his apology. She said nothing, then turned and walked away as Hadrian wrote about the excitement of stepping on a starship like Simeon the Red.

Chapter 20: Off the Map

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Artemia Prefecture > Karch (Island City) > On Board the Starship Eurynasir

Hadrian, with Demetri’s help, logs his trunk onto the Eurynasir, and is introduced to the crew of six, among them is Demetri’s wife, Juno; the first mate, Bassem; a pair of twins; Doctor Sarric, and a homonculus named Saltus. Demetri instructs Bassem, who is listening to music while working, to take off without asking for permission from the port.

Saltus says that Hadrian is like him, a child born from the tanks, and this infuriates Hadrian as he sees the homunculus as nothing like him. Meanwhile Bassem fires up the engines and the Eurynasir shuttles along the water into open space for take off.

Hadrian is filled with wonder as he realizes that he was to see the surface of Delos for the last time, and that feeling was only superseded by the dropping sensation in his gut as the fusion drives took hold of the acceleration.

The music, which had been playing during takeoff, shut off as the ship left the atmosphere. Demetri says the loss of the music helps him focus and means they can hear any negative chatter about leaving without permission. He reassures Bassem that Lady Liliana gave him codes to ensure no run-ins with the ODF, the Defense Force.

While trying, and failing, to pay attention to that conversation, Hadrian is once again childlike as he exits the atmosphere of Delos for the first time, feeling the complete sense of weightlessness for the first time in his life. Emotions overtook him and he hears Gibson’s aphorism about joy.

Joy is a wind, Hadrian. It will pick you up only to smash you against the rocks again.

Then the suppression field pulled him back down, simulating gravity in the starship, and Hadrian starts to feel nauseated. Demetri then tells him that he’ll be going under the ice until they make planet fall in Teukros because his mother didn’t pay for food and lodging for 13 years.

Chapter 21: The Outer Dark

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• Spur of Orion > Delos > Orbit Shipping Lanes > On Board the Starship Eurynasir

Hadrian stands in the ship’s medica where fugue creches line the walls and remind him again of the funeral for his family with the canopic jars. Demetri tells Hadrian that he will be put into fugue as soon as they leave the Delos shipping lanes and enter warp on a five-year trip to Obatala. By the time they get to Teukros, the Imperial calendar year will be 16149 and 13 years will have passed. Two Norman imigrants were in a pair of the creches already and Demetri tells Hadrian they have been on board for 20 years on the way to Siena.

Dr. Sarric walks into the medica as Hadrian announces he is ready to go under the ice, and, while preparing the creche for Hadrian, tells him that he’ll need to disrobe. Hadrian writes about his discomfort with this at first and how Saltus poked fun that they’d see his sex for the journey. Hadrian accidentally drops his universal card on the ground while removing his close and packing his belongings into a locker, and he tells Demetri that he can have the card once he reaches his destination.

Sarric, who Hadrian decided must be Tavrosi like Valka, tells Hadrian that he’ll also need to remove his ring or else it will burn him during the freeze. Hadrian refuses to do so as it holds all the information on his station, his familial ties and the life he is leaving. Demetri calms Sarric and tells him to leave Hadrian to his decision, at which point Sarric slaps three sensor tapes to Hadrian’s chest and shoved a needle into his arm.

Hadrian explains how he felt the freeze moving into his blood from the needle and his brain began to go fuzzy. A gelatinous goo rose from the bottom of the tank, slowly overtaking his body. As his body froze from within, he was drowned from without. His breathing stopped.

And when I awoke, my world had ended.

Chapter 22: Marlowe Alone

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > City Clinic

Hadrian awakes to the smell of rotting fish and raw sewage, and a woman yells to someone for fresh water. Hadrian vomits some of the gelatinous fluid from his time in fugue onto the floor, and he writes that he felt his limbs were made of stone. Hadrian cannot see, which the old woman explains is fugue blindness, which will pass in a matter of days. She explains that he is on Emesh in the Veil, which Hadrian presumes means the Veil of Marinus.

Without any sense of what came before, how long he had been in fugue or what had happened, he sees a vision of Gibson, but could not hear his voice. The crone said Hadrian had been left for dead in an alley, and that ships often dump their human cargo, but Hadrian cannot believe Demetri would do that given how much money he had been promised.

She tells him that the year is 447 of the Dominion of the House Mataro, and that she has no use for the Imperial standard calendar, meaning she cannot tell him what year it would be in that regard.

Hadrian then realizes that his letter from Gibson to enter the order of the scholiasts had been lost. He cries on the hospital bed, slamming his fist into the mattress and punching his thigh as the emotion of that loss hits him. Hadrian waxes poetic about what could have happened, how he’d shirked his responsibility to enter the Chantry, and what his father would do to him if he were found. So he decides he will need to disappear and escape.

As the sun had just barely set, Hadrian wakes again to overhear a conversation between the crone, whose name he never learns, and the little girl helping her, whose name is Maris. The old woman explains to Maris that once the money comes in, they will learn who Hadrian really is, and until then, she should leave him alone.

Hadrian passes out once again in his bed, only to awake again in the deep of night. He wraps the sheet from the bed around him like a toga and works his way down the hall to a supply closet where he finds a shirt and a pair of trousers. It was then that he realized his ring was missing as his thumb had been bandaged from the burn. He makes his way to the exit to leave in the middle of the night when he hears a clattering behind him in the hallway. Maris had dropped a patient’s meal upon seeing him trying to escape the building.

As she screamed, Hadrian ran outside and down alleys and corridors until he found a dumpster outside a bakery where he laid to rest, tears falling down his face in the rain.

Chapter 23: Resurrection in Death

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Starport Terminal

Hadrian spends the night hiding behind a warehouse in a loading dock near some steel drums and he writes about the Emesh’s history, the layout of the city and the size of the palace ziggurat that dominates the skyline. Using the palace as an anchor point, he seeks out the starport to hopefully learn what became of the Eurynasir. Upon entering the starport, he is confronted by a young uniformed man who tells him he cannot be in the starport area, which Hadrian surmises is due to his homeless looks and smells.

He tells the guard that he’s simply looking for information on the ship that dumped him on Emesh by offering up the name of the ship as well as Demetri Arello’s name. After a search on his terminal, the guard tells Hadrian that there is no ship by that name in the registry. Hadrian’s emotions run hot and he steps closer to the guard, which raises tensions in two nearby guards who grab him to carry him out. Hadrian fights their grip only to be punched in the gut and told not to return to the starport. They carry him out.

Later, he writes of his conversation with a city prefect who provided an answer leading him to a series of hangars near the sea. He climbs over the cheap fence to get past the guarded entrance and follows the shoreline while scoping out each hangar. He only ever finds three men talking in one of them, but sneaks by without issue. Not a single ship he found in the hangars was the Eurynasir, and as he was leaving, he bumps into one of the three men he found earlier. He tells them about being dumped in an alley and inquires about the ship when Hadrian notices one of them is wearing his family’s signet ring.

Hadrian exclaims the ring is his as one of them punches him in the jaw, catching him off guard. Hadrian dodges the second swing and moves away holding up his hands to ask about the letter that Gibson had written for him to become a scholiast. The men close in on him, but get in each other’s way, and Hadrian is able to break the arm of Bor, who was wearing his ring, which Hadrian wrests free.

A woman guard named Gila appears and Hadrian engages her with his story to which she replies the ship had already moved up-well for refitting. He then asks for the rest of his belongings, but they tell him that the ship was empty when it arrived in the system, no crew, nothing. Gila eyes his ring with recognition of his station and tells him to get out of the hangar area. Hadrian turns without a word and runs away, signet ring in hand.

Chapter 24: Those Mindless Days

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Belows

Hadrian breaks the fourth wall in this chapter to explain how he thought for three days and three nights how to write about his time on Emesh after that moment as he spent years on the streets after finding his ring. He likens his journey to that of Cid Arthur, including the early brushes with death of his Grandmother Fuschia and his Uncle Lucian.

He writes how the Rot has begun to take over the streets of Borosevo, a rampant plague for which he had the immunities to survive due to his palatine lineage. He writes how he had nightmares of his father and consistent thoughts of Gibson; how he did what he had to survive and became a thief who ate raw fish from the canals, begged for money and stole when he didn’t have enough.

His thoughts would always turn to the worst possible outcomes, including visions of Gibson’s letter on fire. He saw this as a signal that he would never make it to Teukros, or anywhere for that matter. He resigned himself to being trapped on Emesh for the rest of his palatine life.

Chapter 25: Poverty and Punishment

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Storm Drain Between the Belows and the White District

Hadrian props himself on a drinking cooler in a storm drain that now passes for his living quarters over the past ten days. As he is observing his surroundings and minding his own business, he hears some one shout to him to come down out of the storm drain. In his haste, Hadrian accidentally kicks over the cooler, which plummets from the drain outfall into the canal 20 feet below. That cooler contained all the money he had been saving for shoes, his magazines, and extra food, so he jumped after it diving feet first into the green waters of the canal below.

He found it floating near the wall from which he leapt, but the voice continued to chide him and told him he’s not allowed to stay in the drains. They ask him for his papers, which Hadrian says he doesn’t have while hiding his signet ring out of fear of reprisal should his father discover he is still alive. The voice belongs to a prefect who grabs Hadrian by the wrist, but as he does so, Hadrian smashes the cooler into the mans face, all his belongings spilling onto the ground.

Hadrian turns to run but is caught by a stunner bolt that grazes his leg, rendering it useless, and he stumbles. A boot presses him into the ground and another kicks him in the ribs as he recalls his mugging in Meidua. A kick to the head knocks him nearly unconscious and as he fades in and out, he feels hands rifling through his pockets, but they come up empty handed.

One of them lifts his head off the ground by his hair and tells him not to ever come back. They leave him for dead in the street where nobody helps him and he loses track of how long he spent laid out on the pavement.

Chapter 26: Cat

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Belows

Chapter 27: Forsaken

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > White District

Chapter 28: Wrong

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > White District

Chapter 29: Less Wings to Fly

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Belows

Chapter 30: The Umandh

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Southern Docks / Fishery Warehouses

Chapter 31: Mere Humanity

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Storm Drain beneath the stock exchanges on High Street

Chapter 32: Stand Clear

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Rooftop Above a Corner Store

Chapter 33: To Make a Myrmidon

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Examination Room

Chapter 34: Men of Grosser Blood

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Training Field

Chapter 35: Proper Men

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Showers (Hypogeum)

Chapter 36: Teach Them How to War

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Arena

Chapter 37: Might Never Die

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Bar Hopping in the White District

Chapter 38: Blood Like Wax

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Outside the Colosso Dormitories

Chapter 39: A Kingdom for a House

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Starship Salvage Yard in the Belows

Chapter 40: A Monopoly on Suffering

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Belows

Chapter 41: Friends

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Training Field

Chapter 42: Speak Like a Child

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Hypogeum

Chapter 43: The Count and His Lord

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro Palace

Eventually waking from his unconsciousness, Hadrian finds himself seated in a comfortable armchair in the company of Count Balian Mataro. With Balian having discovered Hadrian's palatine blood, he is forced to confirm his identity as Hadrian Marlowe of Delos, and to recount the story of how he ended up on Emesh. Hadrian further reveals that the reason he left his homeworld was to avoid being sent to study with the Chantry. The thought of the Chantry unsettles Balian, and Hadrian manages to escape execution by the hands of House Mataro. Soon thereafter, the count's husband, Lord Luthor Astin-Shin-Mataro, enters. Knowing of Luthor's Mandari heritage, Hadrian introduces himself in Mandar, impressing the lord. As Hadrian reveals that it is Lorica College, on Vesperad, the Chantry's greatest seat of authority, that he has spurned, the lords are in disagreement about what should be done with him. Eventually, Balian gets his way, and it is decided that Hadrian shall remain in the Mataro palace, tutoring their children under false name of Hadrian Gibson. During the conversation, it was also revealed—to Hadrian's shock—that thirty-five years have passed since he went into fugue aboard the Eurynasir.

Chapter 44: Anaïs and Dorian

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers

Standing in his new chambers, surrounded by luxury yet feeling a prisoner, Hadrian considers what his friends at the Colosso must think of him vanishing as he had. Not long after, the count's children, Anaïs and Dorian Mataro, enter his rooms to instroduce themselves. As they make their introductions, Hadrian is struck by the incongruence between this finery and his previous experience on Emesh, though he expresses nothing of this. Instead, Dorian and Anaïs exclaim their fascination with Hadrian's time as a myrmidon and his knowledge of different languages. Soon enough, they invite Hadrian to join them in visiting the coliseum, as a way for him to get to know the court. Wearing a perfect mask to disguise his dismay at the thought of watching his friends fight for their lives without him, Hadrian accepts.

Chapter 45: Lose the Stars

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's Seat Box at Colosso

Hadrian recalls visiting the Colosso with Anaïs and Dorian, an event of which he remembers almost nothing, apart from the slaves and myrmidons fighting below him. During the fighting, he bears witness to the death of Erdro, a man who had fought with Hadrian at the coliseum from the beginning, and sets a full cup of wine on the rail for him. During this, he is attended by an audience of nobles, fabricating a story of how he ended up at Castle Borosevo. His audience is fascinated, especially Anaïs, who later appoaches him privately. She offers her commiserations for Erdro's death, though Hadrian quietly finds her sympathy callous and detached. He can recall none of the following conversation with Anaïs, instead remembering only his regret at his situation. Alone again, he watches the ongoing play of Cyrus the Fool, swatting Erdro's cup of wine from the rail and seeing it shatter on the killing floor below.

Chapter 46: The Doctor

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro Palace

Then a voice—the voice—first broke into my universe. There are moments, instants that divide. Time fractures about them so that there is a time after . . . and so that all that was before is a kind of dream. “No, no, damn it—you’re doing it wrong.” I did not know it then, but my life had split, was cloven evenly in two from the moment I heard those words.

— Hadrian Marlowe, writing of Valka Onderra

Walking away after lecturing Anaïs and Dorian in Jaddian, Hadrian is caught up to by Anaïs, who invites him to join her at a boat race at the end of the week. It is then that he overhears a voice, one that he writes of as cleaving his life asunder—though at the time he did not know it would. The voice is that of Doctor Valka Onderra, a Tavrosi woman currently working with a trio of Umandh. Anaïs interrupts her to introduce Hadrian, and he is immediately captivated by her and the knowledge she has of the Umandh and xenobites in general. They make cordial conversation for a while, until Anaïs mentions that Hadrian was a myrmidon at the Colosso. Valka finds this fact distasteful, even after Hadrian hastens to explain that he fought among the slaves, not the gladiators. She is nevertheless delighted to learn that Hadrian speaks Nordei and Panthai—both Tavrosi languages—and they talk further of the nature of the Umandh. Valka explains that her business on Emesh concerns Calagah, a collection of alien ruins of unknwon origins. Seeing both Hadrian's knowledge and enthusiasm, she invites him to her chambers to see holographs of the Calagah site, though also underpins her distaste of his time in the Colosso. Leaving him then, Hadrian can only describe himself as dumbstruck.

Chapter 47: The Cage

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers

The weeks pass, during which time Hadrian attends the regatta with Anaïs, another fight at the Colosso, and two Eudoran operas. Though it is only on special occasions such as these that he is allowed to leave the castle, and most of his time is occupied with tutoring and attending to Anaïs and Dorian. He thinks more upon his regrets of leaving his friends at the Colosso behind, and expresses a desire to contact them and discuss again their plan of escape—however difficult that may be.

Chapter 48: Triumph

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's Seat Box at Colosso

Hadrian stands among the other gathered nobles in the lord's box at the Colosso, watching the parade march out into the coliseum through the vomitorium. The ceremony is meant to honor Dorian Mataro's Ephebeia, his ascent into manhood. Standing there, Hadrian falls into conversation with Valka, and they speak briefly before they are approached by Sir Elomas Redgrave. Valka introduces him as her sponsor, and Hadrian greets him under the guise of Hadrian Gibson from Teukros. They are soon interrupted by Gilliam Vas, who again accuses Hadrian of assaulting him that night with the Cielcin prisoner Makisomn. Before they can argue much further, however, Makisomn is let out into the arena. Above the Cielcin, from the lord's box, Grand Prior Ligeia Vas holds a religious speech, condemning Makisomn and its kind as demons and Children of the Dark. Visibly drugged, Makisomn is held fast by two legionnaires and easily decapitated by the White Sword. The Cielcin's head is passed on to Dorian, who holds it aloft for all to see. Through the cheering of the crowd, Hadrian whispers a single word: "Udatssa," meaning "Farewell" in the Cielcin tongue.

Chapter 49: Brothers in Arms

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > House Mataro Palace

Having been informed of a visitor, Hadrian walks to the palace barbican and finds Pallino emerging from the guardroom. They share a stiff joke before Pallino, angry, asks why he kept his nobility a secret and abandoned them at the Colosso. Hadrian explains that he was unable to send them a message, as his freedom in the palace is quite restricted. Pallino accepts this, though he laments their plan to buy a ship and escape the planet. They steer toward the topic of Erdro and his demise at the hands of the gladiator Jaffa, and grieve his death. Returning to the discussion of the ship, Hadrian suggests that they might still be able to fulfill the plan, and Pallino is not opposed to the idea. He promises to try to make Switch come around, and Hadrian asks for Pallino to apologize to Switch on his behalf. They turn the conversation to lighter topics, and eventually part with the promise of holding to the plan.

Chapter 50: Without Pretense

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Unknown Prefecture > Ulakiel (island) > Umandh Alienage

Having traveled to the Umandh alienage at Ulakiel, accompanied by Anaïs, Dorian, and Valka, Hadrian is taken aback by the poor conditions the xenobites are kept in. They are greeted by Vilicus Niles Engin, who speaks of his trade of the Umandh to the planet Triton. Valka is infuriated by this and stalks off, Hadrian following, leaving Anaïs and Dorian with Niles Engin. They speak together of the language of the Umandh and other alien species, with Valka eventually explaining that the Umandh see with their ears, and can be communicated with using hoop-like devices. As their conversation turns to Calagah, their attention shifts instead to Anaïs, Dorian, Engin, and the Umandh, and Valka explains that Engin beats the xenobites, leaving brown, striped scars. Hadrian tries to explain that not all Sollan Imperials are like that, and Valka smiles and softly rests her hand on his triceps. Her smile soon turns hard-edged, however, as they are joined by the others. Hadrian is dragged away to watch the Umandh more closely, and as they walk away, Hadrian spots Anaïs glaring at Valka.

Chapter 51: Familiar

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Courtyard

Hadrian recounts the story of his battle against the gladiatrix Amarei of Mira to Dorian, while simultaneously tutoring him in Jaddian. During this, he is also drawing a charcoal portrait of Dorian in myrmidon attire in his journal, and the count's son is impressed enough to show his sister. Anaïs, too, is impressed, and suggests that Hadrian return to the Colosso. Hadrian denies the suggestion, explaining that Valka's distaste for the coliseum has tainted his own perception of it. Anaïs is irritated by the topic of Valka, and the count's children soon request that Hadrian teach them in sword fighting. Reluctantly, Hadrian agrees.

Later, Hadrian is teaching Anaïs and Dorian at fencing. During the training, Dorian offers complaints about the poor weather conditions. And while Anaïs does not, neither she nor Dorian manage to land a hit on Hadrian. Eventually, they are interrupted by Gilliam Vas, who breaks up the practice as Lord Balian wishes for his children to attend him. Before Hadrian can leave, however, Gilliam pulls him aside and demands that he explain his espionage and malicious intentions toward the count's children. Hadrian tries to explain that he has made not untoward advances against either Anaïs or Dorian, and that his supposed espionage came from curiosity, not malice. Gilliam doesn't believe this, and leaves Hadrian with the threat of the Chantry's retribution.

Chapter 52: Little Talks

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Diplomatic Apartments at the House Mataro Palace

During the days that follow Hadrian's encounter with Gilliam Vas, Hadrian continues tutoring the count's children in Jaddian, and their skill improves. Anaïs and Dorian's proficiency at the language is of importance to Lord Luthor, as Emesh is expecting a Jaddian ambassador whom he wishes to impress. During this time, Hadrian has also spent more time with Valka, and on one of his visits to her room, he finds that she doesn't answer the door. Hesitant, he tries the door knob, and, finding it unlocked, enters. He locates her eventually, and, embarrassed for having intruded, apologizes. They fall into a conversation regarding the Cielcin script, and how Hadrian hypothesizes that its structure may be similar to that of the the anaglyphs of the Umandh. Valka appears delighted at Hadrian's explanation, though they soon lapse into conversation about their lives on Emesh. Hadrian despairs of all that he cannot tell her. Of his family, of the Chantry, of Cat. Their discussion of the Umandh begins again, and Valka speaks long of her theories. Eventually, realizing they have not yet eaten, they go out for food together.

Have you ever seen someone speak of something that consumes them? That lights them up from the foundations of their soul? Valka spoke with such fervency that I forgot myself for a time. Whatever animosity she had felt toward me upon our first meeting seemed to have mostly evaporated, vanished into a hesitant respect for me and for my situation. And I? I feared her. I feared what she represented, and that I cared what she thought of me. I feared the secrets I was made to carry. My name, my blood. I feared that she would think me false, my respect for her work feigned, when it was the thing I’d shown her that was most true. Thus we are all destroyed by those things that matter to us, as she mattered to me in my loneliness.

— Hadrian Marlowe

Chapter 53: A Game of Snake and Mongoose

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Great Hall

You have heard, no doubt, that we met as rivals and fought a duel for the command of our army. It is not so. No, I met the Phoenix at table one quiet evening in Borosevo. Bassander Lin. My last friend, my enemy. Hero of the rout at Perfugium, where Hadrian Halfmortal failed. Veteran of a hundred battles, knight, captain, traitor. He would be all of those things, but not yet. That night he was only a dinner guest, as was I.

— Hadrian Marlowe, writing of Bassander Lin

Attending one of House Mataro's formal banquets, Hadrian is struck by the opulence and luxury of the food before him. Before long, he falls into conversation with Lieutenant Bassander Lin, who reveals that—though he has actively served in the army for a comparatively short eighteen years—he enlisted two centuries ago. Valka, seated not far away, is taken aback by this, and the two engage in a discussion of Tavros and of Valka's purpose on Emesh. Soon, Elomas Redgrave joins in, and the topic shifts to that of the Umandh and then again to the Cielcin. Bassander learns of Hadrian's knowledge of the Cielcin tongue, and of his desire to communicate with them.

They are then interrupted, however, by Grand Prior Ligeia Vas. She reprimands Hadrian, saying that one should not want to communicate with the Pale, that they should instead be wiped from the face of the galaxy. The two debate back and forth, with Hadrian getting close to being accused of blasphemy. Valka interrupts them then, informing Ligeia that Hadrian was just about to tell a story, and asks if he might continue. Hadrian, quick to adapt, recalls a story about the time Sir Roban Milosh took him to a fair where a man staged animal fights. On that day, the man set a mongoose against a snake. Glancing around, Hadrian asks if anyone can guess which animal won. Sir Elomas eventually bets on the snake—just as the rest of the crowd had—but in the end, it was the mongoose that prevailed. Hadrian uses this story as a metaphor for how people's nature—whether they be snake or mongoose—are revealed only through conflict. His remark causes a brief, tense silence, that eventually breaks into praise and laughter. Ligeia reluctantly admits Hadrian's sharpness, stating that he'd make a good priest.

Chapter 54: Gaslight

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers

Following one of his evening visits with Valka, Hadrian walks alone along a colonnade overlooking one of the castle's inner courtyards. Making his way toward his rooms, he considers his and Pallino's plan of escaping Emesh aboard a starship, and idly wonders to himself if he could convince Valka to come with him. His thoughts are eventually interrupted by Gilliam Vas, who angrily confronts Hadrian regarding his earlier debate with Ligeia—Gilliam's mother. Though Hadrian tries to extract himself from the situation, he is struck backhanded in the face by Gilliam. Insulted, Hadrian yearns to retaliate, but as he no longer holds much authority, he lets the slight go and instead endures more abuse. Finally, Gilliam reveals his true purpose for the confrontation—his suspicion that Hadrian and Valka are plotting to suborn the Count. Hadrian dismisses this, telling Gilliam to think more realistically. This enrages the Chantry priest even more, and he attempts to strike Hadrian several more times. Hadrian is ready, however, and either doesn't react to the pain or dodges entirely. Gilliam leaves him with a warning not to insult his mother again.

Chapter 55: The Quiet

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Diplomatic Apartments at the House Mataro Palace

Chapter 56: Witches and Demons

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Emeshi Fishers Guild Main Hall

Chapter 57: Second

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Colosso Hypogeum

Chapter 58: Barbarians

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Garden

Practicing with Switch in one of the castle's gardens, Hadrian and his second are interrupted by Valka, who bursts through the door. She is furious with Hadrian, saying that it is not his place to do violence in her defense—as he did against Gilliam. Strained, Hadrian apologizes and introduces Switch as his friend. Thereafter, further trying to defend his actions, he mistakenly displays some of his aristocratic hauteur, making Valka only angrier. Hurriedly, Hadrian explains the situation with the count, and how he has been forced to live under a false identity. Valka softens a bit, inquiring instead about Switch. The myrmidon explains some of his relation with Hadrian, and their plan to escape off-world. Hadrian then asks of her purpose for coming there, and she in turn asks that he drop the duel. Hadrian explains that hasn't the authority, that his life on Emesh has not been as privileged as that of most nobles. Valka still rebukes him for what he did, and Hadrian, exasperated, says that he did what he did because of Gilliam calling Valka a witch. Valka leaves then, telling Switch that "his friend better not get himself killed," and that if he does, she'll kill him. After her departure, Switch excourages Hadrian to go after her.

Calling out for Valka to wait, Hadrian reaches her in one of the castle's colonnades. He apologizes to her again, admitting his reasons for hitting Gilliam were based on what he said of her. Terrified the she might now hate him, Hadrian asks whether she is under any suspicion from the Chantry. She explains that she is not, that the Umandh acted alone in their uprising. Their argument then reaches an impasse of contrasting ideologies, with Hadrian believing that it is okay to solve problems with violence, and Valka believing that it serves only to create more problems in the future. Abandoning that line of argument, they instead begin speaking of Hadrian's true backstory, and he explains his life on Delos, and of his father's desire for him to study with the Chantry. He explains too about how he ended up on Emesh, stranded and destitute. Of how he ended up at the coliseum. Lastly, he explains why he tried for so long to conceal his identity from the count, that he did not want to become a prisoner. He then makes her a promise that he shall end the duel after drawing first blood—as would be his right per the Empire's laws. Hadrian ends with saying that he hopes that she can forgive him, and that he wishes not to kill anyone, referring to her as Doctor Onderra. Valka answers, "Valka. Call me Valka."

Chapter 59: On the Eve of Execution

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers

Have you ever been made to contemplate your death? Locked in a tower cell, perhaps, or in some bastille of the Chantry to await your end on the edge of the White Sword? Have you ever sat there through a sleepless night and counted the seconds you have left like grains of sand? I pray that you have not. It is one thing to die and quite another to have suffered the fear of death and survive. I wish neither for you, who has suffered both. You stand as does the solitary candle in chapel, flickering against the Dark. A darkness not of space but of time, of the yawning maw of some empty, echoing future forever barred to you.

— Hadrian Marlowe

Hadrian writes of that night in Borosevo Castle, the night before his duel—of how he, sleepless, contemplated his own death. Though the soon-to-come death of Gilliam marks but one of his many mistakes across the fifteen hundred years he haunted the galaxy, that death troubles him still. For but a choice made in anger, fear, and embarrassment, Gilliam might have lived. Thus, Hadrian writes, each man must live by his choices, and so too by their consequences.

Chapter 60: The Sword, Our Orator

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Garden

Standing amid the flowers and carved figures of Chantry deities of one of the castle's gardens, Hadrian awaits the start of the duel. Across from him stands Gilliam, making attempts at intimidating Hadrian. Hadrian is unmoved, however, and turns instead to Switch. They make brief conversation about the impending fight, and Switch expresses his discomfort at Hadrian being a palatine. Soon thereafter, Hadrian and Gilliam are called over to the officiant, and each receives a sword. The rules of the duel declare that the two duelists shall fight until one has been bloodied, at which point the unbloodied will be given an opportunity to end the engagement. If that opportunity is not taken, the duel continues until one combatant is incapacitated. Hadrian and Gilliam step back, and the officiant recites the charges. Following that, the duel begins.

Hadrian is immediately surprised at Gilliam's speed as the intus makes a lunge at him. He manages to parry though, and after another deflection, cuffs Gilliam across the face hard enough to make him stagger back. Gilliam makes another offensive, pushing forward as Hadrian circles around him, defending himself all the while. Managing to turn away Gilliam's latest attack, Hadrian lashes out with his own sword in a counterattack. Gilliam evades swiftly—so swiftly that Hadrian doesn't have time to get out of the way before Gilliam's sword scapres his leather jerkin. The cut, though not drawing blood, rekindles Hadrian, and he goes on the offensive, kicking at the back of Gilliam's knee to distract him fron his descending sword. Gilliam thwarts Hadrian's every attempt, however, and in the end, it is the intus that is first to draw blood with a blow Hadrian fails to even see.

The officiant halts the duel, and gives Gilliam the chance to end the duel then and there. Hadrian can do naught but wait for Gilliam's decision, realizing that he has failed in his promise to Valka. Gilliam soon declines the offer, and immediately lunges at Hadrian with his sword. Hadrian turns the blade, and instead cuts Gilliam across the left thigh with a counterattack. The Chantry priest recovers quickly though, and throws himself at Hadrian, nearly cutting Hadrian's eyes but for a reflexive block. Gilliam repeats the move, and this time Hadrian's parry and counter cuts the intus deep into his right thigh, hitting bone. Though he is presented with a clear chance at cutting Gilliam's throat, Hadrian doesn't take it. Hadrian does redouble his attack, however, and rains blow after blow upon the intus. Again he is presented with a chance of ending the duel, and yet doesn't take it. Having never killed in such a setting, Hadrian finds that he cannot. Gilliam begins cursing Hadrian as a heretic, and moved by rage, makes strike after strike at Hadrian, his form sloppy as a result of his wrath. Thrice more is Hadrian give a chance to kill the intus, yet is unable. In the end, Gilliam's lunge carries him in the way of Hadrian's riposte, and is impaled by the sword.

Long have I sat in my cell here at Colchis without writing a word. The vermilion ink which my hosts provided for me had dried, and the candles guttered out. I sent for a fresh bottle and new light—the night here is interminable. Perhaps there is some meaning in all this.

— Hadrian Marlowe, writing of the duel's end

Thus, Gilliam Vas lay dying upon the grassy fields of the castle garden. With his chest impaled, the intus directs his dying words at Dorian and Anaïs, saying, "My lady . . . Lord Dorian. Do not . . . trust . . ." Anaïs, looking on and white faced, runs away in horror at the preceding events, her brother following. Kneeling beside the priest's corpse, Hadrian is approached by a group of soldiers who lead him away.

Chapter 61: A Kind of Exile

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Lord Mataro's Office

Chapter 62: The Gilded Cage

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers

Chapter 63: Calagah

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological Site

Chapter 64: The Larger World

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Research Camp at Calagah

Chapter 65: I Dare Not Meet in Dreams

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Tunnels

Chapter 66: The Satrap and the Swordmaster

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological Site

Chapter 67: Lost Time

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological Site

Chapter 68: Help

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Archaeological Site

Chapter 69: Of Monsters

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Cielcin Shipwreck
• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Tunnels

Chapter 70: Demon-Tongued

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Tolbaran Prefecture > Tolbaran > Calagah Tunnels

Chapter 71: Inquisition

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Council Chamber

Chapter 72: Pale Blood

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry Bastille

Chapter 73: Ten Thousand Eyes

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > City Suite owned by House Mataro

Chapter 74: The Labyrinth

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry Bastille

Chapter 75: Mercy Is

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Chambers
• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry Bastille

Chapter 76: Deathbed Conversions

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Interrogation Chambers beneath the Chantry Bastille

Chapter 77: A Rare Thing

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Borosevo Castle Council Chamber

Chapter 78: Quality

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• Veil of Marinus > Emesh > Borosevo Prefecture > Borosevo > Private Airfield on the Edge of the City

On the day of departure, Hadrian arrives onto the private airfield beyond the edge of Borosevo. He is met there by Valka—who is coming with him—and they speak briefly of the Cielcin and Valka's desire to find answers regarding the Quiet. Not long thereafter, Hadrian is informed by Valka that Olorin too is at the airfield to see him, and he breaks off to meet with the Jaddian. Without preamble, Olorin gives his highmatter blade to Hadrian. Hadrian is astonished, and when he accepts the gift, he finds the sword beautiful in both function and appearance. Still, Hadrian is reluctant to accept such a grand gift, though upon Olorin's insistence, he eventually gives in. Standing there in the morning light, Hadrian is struck by the kingly appearance of Sir Olorin Milta.

Leaving the Jaddian Maeskolos then, Hadrian enters the ship and is greeted by a joyous, raucous cry from his friends. Ghen is first up to Hadrian, followed by Siran, Pallino, and a few of the other myrmidons. Lastly, Switch approaches, and the two embrace. Hadrian's smile falters slightly upon Bassander Lin's entrance, though the captain is only there to tell the occupants to strap in. As the Cielcin prisoners are transported onto the ship, Hadrian settles down in his seat beside Valka and is overcome by silent emotion.

There are endings, Reader, and this is one. Some part of me will forever lie on Emesh, in the canals and the coliseum, in the castle and the bastille of Borosevo. It lies with Cat at the bottom of a waterway and on the killing floor of the Colosso. It lies with Gilliam and Uvanari, dead at my hands; and with Anaïs, whom I never saw again. If what I have done disturbs you, Reader, I do not blame you. If you would read no further, I understand. You have the luxury of foresight. You know where this ends.

I shall go on alone.

— Hadrian Marlowe

Dramatis Personae

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House Marlowe was originally raised from patrician standing in the mid-eight millennium by Duke Tiberius Ormund, and for thirty-one generations, they have ruled Meidua. Prior to their elevation, the Marlowes worked as military patricians in the Orionid Legions, with blood harking back to Avalon and the Kingdom of Windsor-in-Exile. Due to Julian Marlowe's role in securing Duke Tiberius's claim to the Delian throne, he was elevated to the palatine caste and awarded the demesne of Meidua, then a small, inconsequential fishing village. After the uranium mines were discovered in the area, House Marlowe's wealth grew to outstrip even that of House Kephalos.

After House Marlowe secured a monopoly on uranium-mining on Delos, Lord Timon Marlowe was assassinated by the planet's exsul houses. This thrust a young Aleister Marlowe into the role of system executor and into war with the exsul houses. They underestimated Aleister, however, and were crushed in the Battle of Linon in ISD 15863. House Orin, leader of the rebellion, was utterly destroyed. Aleister later married Liliana Kephalos, and his rule was prosperous, though hard. Members of the Marlowe house can be identified by their alabaster complexions, black hair, and violet eyes. Their sigil is a crimson devil rampant on a black field. Here follows a list of those members and retainers of House Marlowe mentioned in Hadrian’s account:

Being on of the older examples of successful Imperial terraforming, Delos was formally settled in the fourth millennium ISD. The introduction of water, oxygen, and terranic animals made the planet much like Old Earth. Due to trade with the Sagittarine provinces, Delos has remained prosperous throughout its history, first under House Ormund and later under House Kephalos. The planet's success was further compounded by the system's vast uranium deposits, which have long caused friction between the different palatine houses. Delos has attracted interstellar trade among the Nipponese, Mandari, Eudorans, Durantines, and Free Traders. Here follows a list of those persons appearing in the Delos episode of Hadrian’s account:

House Mataro is a comparatively young house that rose to prominence during the Imperial conquest in Norma and in the Veil of Marinus. Originally plutocrats, the Mataros made their wealth by selling and buying slaves for, mostly, agricultural and industrial purposes. Armand Mataro later elevated the house to palatine status when he conquered Emesh. The planet is relatively poor, and mostly gets by on the export of seafood and petroleum. Located at the very edge of human-civilized space, Emesh is also constantly under the shadow of the Cielcin threat. House Mataro’s sigil is a golden sphinx dormant on a green field, sometimes trimmed in white. Here follows a list of those members and retainers of House Mataro mentioned in Hadrian’s account:

Originally colonized by the Norman United Fellowship in the sixteenth millennium, Emesh is largely oceanic with a diverse native aquaculture. For this reason, many of the planet's settlements were constructed on atolls or islands. Though the Norman capital, Tolbaran, was built on Emesh's only continent, Anshar, House Mataro constructed an advanced military base on the Borosevo atoll after their invasion. The planet has two moons, Armand and Binah. Binah, being the larger of the two, has been the subject of early-stage terraforming, while Armand, too small to hold an atmosphere, plays host to heavy metal mining operations. Here follows a list of those persons appearing in the Emesh episode of Hadrian’s account:

Here follows a list of those persons tied neither to Delos nor Emesh in Hadrian’s account:

Index of Worlds: A Note on Astrography

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Tor Paulos of Nov Belgaer writes of the many planets and worlds referenced in Hadrian's account. At the time of writing, Tor Paulos states that humans have colonized more than a half-billion worlds, nearly half of which belong to the Sollan Empire. The remaining half being distributed between the Lothrian Commonwealth, the Principalities of Jadd, the Durantine Republic, the Demarchy of Tavros, and various microstates. He mentions that the galaxy can be broadly split into four primarchates: Orion, Perseus, Sagittarius, and Centaurus. Efforts to establish a fifth one in Norma were stymied by the Cielcin invasion, and following the Battle of Gododdin, they were left unincorporated. The overseers of these primarchates, called primarchs, are appointed by the Emperor. The primarchates are then subdivided into provinces, governed by an Imperial viceroy appointed by the primarch. Below follows an index of the planets mentioned in Hadrian's account:

Lexicon: A Note on Translation

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Tor Paulos of Nov Belgaer writes of the methodology he has used when rendering Hadrian's account into Classical English. For some words, he has borrowed words from Greek and Latin, and for others he has put together portmanteaus that approximate the feel of those in the original text. Of the names of living creatures, he has at times substituted them for names derived from mythology or scientific nomenclature, such as azhdarch and congrid respectively. The names of people and planets are maintained exactly as Hadrian recorded them, though some of these, especielly the names of the Cielcin xenobites, may differ from other accounts. This is because Hadrian's method of transliteration is different from the Empire's codified version. References made to ancient, classical and contemporary literature are written precisely as in the original with modification, as Tor Paulos recognizes Hadrian's fondness for the Late Golden Age—a fact he credits Tor Gibson with.