Thirty-Six

Surur-Tlassen, regulator-librarian to the Sovran, witnesses the ritual combat between the current Sovran and her newly emerged daughter. The daughter defeats and kills the Sovran in brutal combat. Upon the new Sovran's ascension, Surur-Tlassen experiences a profound mental and physical transformation, losing his identity and drive as the old librarian relinquishes his connection to power, becoming a remnant destined for the private creche. In a parallel scene, Dafyd receives news of the Sovran's death during a meeting with keeper-librarian Ekur-Tkalal and later has a crucial realization about the Carryx history with lost homeworlds.

The chapter opens with the ceremonial meeting between the reigning Sovran and her newly matured daughter in the Carryx chamber. Surur-Tlassen, as regulator-librarian, experiences the overwhelming pheromone presence of the Sovran and witnesses the violent ritual combat between mother and daughter. The daughter, despite losing an abdominal leg early in the fight, ultimately defeats and kills the Sovran through sustained brutal attacks. As the new Sovran sings her ascension, Surur-Tlassen undergoes a transformation: the ancient remnant Urur-Atlak locks eyes with him, and all of Surur-Tlassen's identity, ambition, and responsibility drain away. He loses his gender and his connection to the new Sovran's commands, and willingly walks to join the remnants in the private creche, where he will spend his remaining life as a breeder rather than as the empire's regulator-librarian. The second half shifts to Dafyd's perspective during a meeting with keeper-librarian Ekur-Tkalal about successful grass protein research. When the announcement of the Sovran's death comes through as a vast harmonic song, Ekur briefly becomes overwhelmed before dismissing Dafyd. Walking through the palace, Dafyd recalls a crucial detail: Clae had told him the Carryx abandoned their original homeworld seven thousand years ago after it was destroyed. Dafyd realizes that if the Carryx survived the loss of their first homeworld and their original Sovran, then the empire's stability does not depend solely on the current Sovran's survival—a realization with potential implications for his plans against the Carryx.