Chapter Fourteen: Snores are Life[edit | edit source]

Kinesee awakens from a nightmare about Shadows, comforted by her sister Alu’s snores and their goat Tengkur’s presence in their Ravinrin-guarded tent. Now a Mikjehemlut by Solineus’s adoption, Kinesee struggles with her new identity and Solineus’s departure to the Eleris, missing her late father, Iku. Unable to sleep, she slips out for a walk, seeking the night’s calm amid the camp’s daytime chaos over Hidreng missionary conversions. Witnessing three Hidreng priests murdered by a shadowy assassin with long black hair, Kinesee flees, her screams drawing attention but costing a couple their lives when the killer pursues her. Using her wits, she dodges the assassin’s bolas and tent traps, even striking back with the weapon, but her leg is slashed in the chase. Exhausted, Kinesee reaches the Choerkin tent, collapsing as Ivin, Meliu, Polus, and the Ravinrins respond. Meliu’s Light prayer illuminates the night, revealing the assassin—a figure with a curved sword—who vanishes casually. Kinesee’s survival underscores her resilience, but the attack hints at deeper tensions, possibly tied to the Hidreng presence or clan rivalries, leaving the camp on edge as the murderer escapes into the night.

ToP Chapter 13 — Conversations with History
ToP Chapter 15 — Bishop's Parlay
Trail of Pyres - Main Chapter Listing