Black Sun

Sixteen days before the convergence, Okoa, the Carrion Crow prince, receives the news of his mother’s death at the war college where he has been studying. His mother was the matron of Carrion Crow. His cousin comes on the back of a giant crow to tell Okoa; they drink in the dining hall as they discuss what happened. The cousin says that Yatliza’s death was a suicide: she jumped off the terrace of her room into the river. However, the clan publicized that she died in her sleep. Okoa will need to return home to lead protection for his sister, who will become the new matron after their mother’s death.

His cousin hands him a letter from Okoa’s mother which had been entrusted to him at Okoa’s birth. Okoa reads it alone: it contains a single glyph, which indicates to him that his mother’s death was a murder.

Nineteen days before the convergence, Xiala charts the ship’s course for the day. It’s the morning after the crew’s sandbar feast and they are all in a good mood. Serapio comes out on deck wearing the white skirt, as Xiala asked, though without his cloak the scarification on his body is visible: a crow on his chest and wings across his shoulders. When one of the crewmembers sees the scarring, he calls Serapio “Odo Sedoh” meaning “Grandfather Crow;” he insists that Serapio’s presence is a blessing to their journey. The rest of the crew seems spooked, so Xiala asks Serapio to return to his room as the crew paddles the ship.

Xiala tells the first mate that instead of having the crew paddle through the night, she will use magic to hold the ship steady on its course. The crew watches her sing to the sea; the magic comes through her song, compelling the waves to move them. The crew is awed by her power. Xiala notices that the cook is still very sick, and she asks someone else to take his rowing shift.

The previous chapter is retold from Serapio’s perspective. The crewmember who called him “Odo Sedoh” brings him dinner; Serapio listens to Xiala’s magic through song and notices the difference between their magics: her magic is an invitation, whereas his is submersion into a shadow.

He waits until the crew is asleep and leaves his cabin to sit with Xiala on her bench. He tells her about the stories he heard where he grew up about her people, the Teek: that no one who finds their city is heard from again, that they are cannibals, that they ride on manatees. Xiala admits that the part about manatees is true. Serapio asks how Xiala navigates with no landmarks; she cups his hands to show him nighttime navigation of the stars by touch. They stay up all night and Xiala tells Serapio stories until the crew wakes at dawn to begin the next shift.

Thirteen days before the convergence, Okoa is back home for his mother’s funeral. He argues with his sister Esa about what to wear; she argues with him about his extra year spent at the war college. He hits a wall with his fist and leaves as he considers whether his mother’s final message means she was murdered.

Okoa visits his giant crow mount and speaks with a stable hand, who tells him that the Odo Sedoh is returning to Tova and invites Okoa to their next meeting. Okoa refuses, though the conversation stays in his mind as he walks in the funeral procession. He tells his sister about the invitation. She says that when she becomes the leader of their clan, she plans to crack down on the subset of Carrion Crow clan members who believe in the old crow gods as opposed to the celestial tower—in the past, the entire clan faced violence when the celestial tower felt threatened by their beliefs. They reach the funeral site as it begins to snow. Esa paints Okoa’s face with red lines.  

On the same day as the previous chapter, Naranpa waits with the other priests for the Carrion Crow funeral procession to arrive at the funeral site. She considers politics within the priesthood and looks them over. About three hundred members of the Carrion Crow arrive, dressed in white and bearing the body of the deceased matriarch. Naranpa watches Okoa and Esa place objects on their mother’s body; as he does so, Okoa glares at Naranpa.

During the funeral, the assembled sing songs and chant prayers. Afterwards, Okoa approaches Naranpa to pay respects. Because of the assassination attempt, other members of the priesthood are wary. Okoa stumbles into Naranpa and Iktan stabs him. The entire crowd starts fighting, and other members of the priesthood pull Naranpa away. The matron of the Water Strider clan takes Naranpa to her mansion, where they calm down and wait to see what happened.