At Aerin’s 18th birthday party, Tor compliments her beauty directly, and another sola, the son of Thorped, cannot stop staring at her, but she is so distracted by her success at making kenet that she inadvertently ignores them both. However, Aerin manages to dance well despite her distraction, and the court’s resulting attention infuriates both Perlith and Galanna. During a dance, Perlith offers Aerin magical flowers, knowing that because her surka poisoning has made her sensitive to manifestations of the Gift, touching the flowers will make her sick. His sly cruelty creates an awkward moment that embarrasses her and forces her out of the dance. Perlith apologizes, but she stands up to him for the first time in her life and responds, “I know perfectly well what you were about this evening. I accept your apology for precisely what it is worth” (69).

That night, Aerin restlessly climbs to the top of a tower and looks out over the land of Damar, thinking about the kenet. She finds Tor, and they banter for a bit before talking about the Hero’s Crown, a fabled object said to have once brought strength to Damar before being mysteriously lost. Tor reflects that because

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