“There are only two kinds of men: ones who betray you sooner and ones who betray you later.”
Political betrayal is at the crux of the narrative, with conflict among the people in power intensifying as the solar eclipse approaches. With an imminent battle at the horizon, alliances are being built while others are being broken for the sake of power. Naranpa, the Sun Priest, is caught in the middle of this political conflict that wants to oust her from her position. Other than getting manipulated time and time again, she escapes several assassination attempts from her rivals. While some characters fall victim to corruption, treachery, and vengeance some keep a watchful eye in these uncertain times. Xiala is one such character who hardly trusts anyone and is always on guard to avoid betrayal. The statement highlights the Teek saying that disloyalty is part of their reality even if an individual convinces themselves otherwise.
“A man with a destiny is a man who fears nothing”
Serapio’s entire existence has been attached to the supposed prophesy and destiny that he has to fulfill. This prevents him to embrace any personhood or have free will to chart his own fate in the future. Therefore, his life has been about preparing for the prophecy depriving him of any normal human experience. As the manifestation of the Crow god, Serapio has been put through religious rituals that left him scarred and without vision. With mentors during his upbringing he only knows to live for a higher purpose hence adopts a lack of fear. This attitude allows him to navigate the uncharted territory as power-hungry figures thirst for his power. The divinity surrounding his identity separates him from the rest of the flock and has to heroically assume this position.
“Ancient prejudices died hard, even in a city united.”
In Tova, the rivalry between the Watchers and the Crow tribes escalate as the clans want to exact their revenge. While this conflict is at the core of the story there is a larger enmity that exists between the Tovans and the flatlanders. This old rivalry has existed for centuries as the Tovans view themselves as superior and civilized as opposed to the flatlanders. They built their city on the hills that look down upon the flatlands to have a tactical advantage in case of an attack. The worldbuilding of this fantasy story relies on the old prejudices and oppositions to delve into the political and human dramas. The arrival of Serapio and the solar eclipse initiates the conflicts within the city of Tova which awakens the chauvinism that has been lurking.
