Raybearer

Tarisai proceeds forward through the Bush, trying to locate Sanjeet. She hears him in the distance, and it sounds like he is talking with someone. She encounters him in a phantom landscape in the grasslands, practice-fighting with a group of mercenary soldiers. One of them closely resembles Sanjeet, and Tarisai realizes that the spirit is mimicking Sanjeet’s brother, Sendhil. Tarisai tries to tell Sanjeet that she knows that he is experiencing an illusion, but the phantom Sendhil convinces Sanjeet that Tarisai is really a spirit trying to lead him astray. The spirit starts to lead Sanjeet toward a pool so that they can “cool off.” It remarks that Sanjeet didn’t abandon him (Sendhil) to the mercenaries. At this point, Tarisai reminds Sanjeet that Sendhil would never lie, and that Sanjeet did, in fact, allow his brother to be taken away. This realization awakens Sanjeet from the illusion. He thanks Tarisai for leaving the path to save him and apologizes for having called her a monster. He reassures her that she and The Lady are not the same.

Tarisai and Sanjeet eventually reach the other side of the Bush. Along the way, they rescue several of the imperial guards from similarly malicious illusions, as the guards had followed Sanjeet and Tarisai in an attempt to rescue them. Together, they all reach the closest village and spend an uneventful night at the inn. Tarisai and Sanjeet share a room but remain awkward and distant from one another.

The next day, they travel by lodestone to the next village, which is in the realm of Nyamba. In this village, they witness the effects of Thaddace’s Unity Edict as the villagers actively resist the empire’s efforts to confiscate their drums and historical scrolls. Sanjeet and Tarisai take the next closest lodestone to Swana. Upon arrival, Sanjeet remarks on how beautiful Tarisai’s homeland is, and she feels some degree of happiness in her return. When they encounter a market caravan, Tarisai offers them a generous amount of gold in exchange for the unique Swana cloth. She speaks with the merchant’s wife, Keeya, who is pregnant. Keeya wants to give her child a traditional Swana name, but she will likely opt for an Arit name instead to receive the empire’s monetary incentive. Tarisai gives Keeya more gold. She and Sanjeet ask for directions to Melu’s pool and receive advice to seek out an old hermit named Mongwe who tends to tutsu sprites. (These sprites are the only creatures that can lead them to Melu.)

Sanjeet and Tarisai arrive at Mongwe’s cabin, which is flocked by hundreds of tutsu sprites. Mongwe is a quirky old woman with a very obtuse way of speaking. She offers tea to Tarisai and Sanjeet and tells them that she cannot offer them the help they seek. She encourages them to have a relaxing bath, but Tarisai dismisses her offer since time is of the essence. Mongwe invites her to ask the tutsu sprites for help, but the sprites behave as if Tarisai is not even there. Tarisai grows frustrated, and she and Sanjeet both opt to take baths. Tarisai dunks her head in the cool, refreshing water, and her Oluwan braids begin to unravel. After her bath, she puts on the Swanaian garments that she bought from the merchant. She then goes to say goodbye to the tutsu sprites, this time demanding that they pay attention to her. They swarm around her, unraveling the remainder of her braids and teasing out her natural curls. Through their actions, they let Tarisai know that they have agreed to guide her to Melu.

The tutsu sprites bring Tarisai and Sanjeet to Melu’s pool, which Tarisai immediately recognizes from her first encounter with him. Melu appears and seems disappointed, but he is not surprised that Tarisai has returned without fulfilling her destiny. Tarisai explains that she wants to find a way to get rid of her mother’s wish. He informs her that the only thing stronger than a wish is a purpose: a reason for being and for moving forward. He also notes that for Tarisai to find her purpose, she must know the truth about who she is. Melu touches the pool and shows Tarisai a story from the past. The story reveals that The Lady is the younger sister of Emperor Olugbade. Although there is traditionally only one Raybearer, she was given the gift of the Ray as well. She lived in the Children’s Palace with Olugbade and observed him struggling to use his gift and to bring followers onto his council. She decided to use her gift of the Ray to connect with the other children in hopes of helping her brother. Instead, her popularity and her successful use of the gift made Olugbade angry and jealous. He refused to share power with The Lady and banished her from Oluwan, naming her an enemy. This betrayal and rejection caused The Lady to seek revenge.

Tarisai is shocked by the revelation about her mother and is shaken to learn that she herself is Prince Dayo’s cousin. Sanjeet, however, is not surprised. He tells Tarisai that he always suspected that she may be a Raybearer because of her aura and her way with people. Tarisai tries to dismiss these claims, reminding him that there was only ever one female Raybearer, and it was a mistake. Melu explains that there were always supposed to be two rulers: an emperor and an empress. To that end, there were originally four Raybearer masks: one each for the emperor, the empress, the prince, and the princess. The masks of the empress and the princess have been lost to time since the end of Aiyetoro’s reign. Now, Sanjeet urges Tarisai to begin a quest to find the missing masks so that they can prove that Tarisai is a Raybearer and that Aritsar is meant to have two rulers. Tarisai is reluctant to embrace this new destiny. Melu’s final revelation is that the Emperor has captured The Lady, using Tarisai’s place on the prince’s council as bait, and that he plans to execute The Lady. Melu admits that if The Lady dies, both he and Tarisai would be free of their ties to her.

Tarisai decides that she and Sanjeet will spend the night in Melu’s oasis before going to Bhekina House in search of more answers. The next day, Woo In and Kirah make a surprise appearance. Tarisai learns that Kirah and Woo In met one another while searching for Tarisai and decided to travel together. Woo In revealed much information about Tarisai’s past and his own. Kirah and Woo In have become very close. Kirah delivers a scroll to Tarisai; this was the reason for her journey. The scroll indicates that Thaddace has chosen the date and the case for Tarisai’s first High Judge ruling.

Tarisai discusses her next move with Kirah and Sanjeet. She is reluctant to return to Oluwan despite the summons, but she does not want to go into self-imposed exile for the rest of her life, either. She decides to search Bhekina House for answers about the location of the empress and princess masks, reasoning that The Lady spent much of her time searching for these masks when she wasn’t building her own council or coaching Tarisai to fulfill her destiny. When the group arrives at Bhekina House, Kathleen emerges; she has been hiding at the House since The Lady was captured. She and Woo In agree to help Tarisai look through her mother’s research for clues to the location of the masks. Only Kathleen, Woo In, and Tarisai can enter Bhekina House; it is invisible to anyone whom The Lady wishes to hide it from.

Kathleen and Woo In take Tarisai to The Lady’s hidden study, which is filled with scrolls and personal notes. Tarisai also finds a hand mirror on The Lady’s desk and learns that The Lady used this mirror to observe Tarisai throughout her childhood. The Lady was never actually gone from Bhekina House; she was keeping her distance from Tarisai by choice so as not to inadvertently command her and use the third wish. Tarisai is devastated to realize that her mother was always so close and still chose not to interact with her. Meanwhile, Woo In has also been going over notes and finds a confession from The Lady that she never intended to change the Treaty with the Underworld; instead, she merely told Woo In that she would do this to secure his help and the assistance of the army of Songland to overthrow the Emperor. Woo In is crushed by this betrayal and flees from Bhekina House without a word.

Tarisai, Sanjeet, and Kirah return to Oluwan. Tarisai is fearful of what she might do if she returns to the Children’s Palace since she is still under the control of The Lady, so she decides to stay in a solitary tower nearby. Sanjeet stays with her. That night, the Emperor summons Tarisai to his chamber. On the way there, she runs into Mbali, who looks nervous. Mbali tells Tarisai to “[r]emember the mango tree” (262). The emperor welcomes Tarisai and informs her that her first judgment as the High Lady Judge will be to issue the sentence for her mother. He also tells Tarisai that she must continue to keep her connection to The Lady a secret since emotions are already running high in the wake of the Unity Edict. Tarisai demands to be taken to her mother’s prison cell.