Summary:White Sand
This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of White Sand. We hope this summary will make it easier to find specific areas of the graphic novel, as well as providing a quick plot refresher for anyone who doesn't want to take the time to reread the entire volume.
Prologue: Connections
Part One
Chapter 1: Relentless
- Characters
Kenton, a weak but skilled sand master, is determined to run the Mastrell's Path in order to prove that he deserves the highest rank among the sand masters. His father, Lord Mastrell Praxton, objects strongly due to Kenton's lack of strength, and the two argue bitterly. Kenton has stubbornly refused advancement in the past, not wanting to settle for a lower rank that will limit future advancement. Undermastrell Elorin warns Kenton but permits him to test himself against the Path. Mastrell Traiben, Kenton's longtime friend despite a significant difference in rank, discourages Kenton strongly as well, but Kenton persists.
Elorin explains how the challenge works: Kenton must make his way across the Kerla in a limited time and collect five red spheres along the way. He may not bring his qido with him. Praxton complains that Kenton should not be allowed to bring a sword, but Elorin allows it as it is not explicitly forbidden by the rules.
As he begins the Mastrell's Path, Kenton reflects on the day he was admitted into the Diem as an Acolent. He displayed only the smallest measure of potential in sand mastery, a fact which embarrassed his father. He joined despite protests from his father that he should pursue another profession. Kenton collects the first four spheres to thoughts about how he makes up for lack of power with his skill, precision, and speed.
When he approaches the fifth and final sphere he discovers it is guarded by a terken sandling which emerges from the deep sand. He is realizes that he is supposed to use slatrification to drive off the creature, whose shell will be damaged by water, but he is unable to perform this skill. While dodging the creature's attacks, Kenton notices a sixth sphere and is determined to collect it. He is ultimately able to cut into the sandling's carapace with his sword and uses his sand mastery to go inside the carapace and kill the massive beast. Kenton collects the sixth sphere and passes out from near dehydration.
Chapter 2: Advance
- Characters
Kenton awakes the next day to learn that the sixth sphere was not part of the test--it must have been left over from a previous test. In fact, few sand masters are even able to obtain all five spheres. He has also ruined the test by killing the sandling which is always made to guard the final sphere.
On his way to the ceremonies where the Lord Mastrell will present new ranks and sashes before the entire Diem, Kenton hears rumors from Acolent Dirin that Mastrell Drile, and a group of followers, have hired themselves out as mercenaries. Praxton expresses his disapproval to Drile. The ceremonies begin as all of the sand masters share a drink of water from a common bowl, though Drile refuses to partake. After most of new ranks and sashes have been bestowed, Drile is called before Lord Mastrell Praxton and demoted to a relatively low rank, which he angrily accepts. Kenton is then presented with the lowest rank, because he disobeyed his father's orders by taking the test. Kenton refuses. His father then indicates Drile's former sash on the ground and advances Kenton to Mastrell, but remarks that the others will always hate him and never believe that he deserves it.
The Lord Mastrell is suddenly struck with an arrow, and a battle ensues. Kerztian warriors attack by surprise in great numbers and the sand masters are unprepared. Kenton notices that the sand masters seem to be overmastering and dehydrating remarkably fast. Kenton tries to rally the sand masters and help the wounded, but they are unable to stop the hordes of warriors who have come against them. The Lord Mastrell screams loudly and begins glowing with power. As his final act, Praxton releases a tremendous barrage of power that leaves himself dead to numerous arrows while Kenton is buried beneath a wave of sand.
Chapter 3: Currencies
- Characters
Kenton awakens and emerges from the sand sometime after the battle has ended. The Kerztians are gone and only dead sand masters remain. He crawls to a nearby tent and passes out again. He is awakened by Baon and Professor Cynder, who are followed by the Duchess Khrissalla and Professor Jon Acron. At first they believe he cannot understand them, but Baon recognizes that Kenton speaks their language. Kenton explains that his mother was from Darkside.
The group has traveled from Darkside in search of Gevalden, Khrissalla's fiance who is presumed dead, and the weapon that he sought. Their guide has abandoned them and they are in need of water. Kenton shows them how to retrieve water from dorim vines beneath the sand and offers to guide them to the nearest city in Lossand. Khriss reveals along the way that she is searching for the "sand mages", though Kenton does not speak Dynastic well enough to understand that she is referring to the sand masters.
They arrive in a village and as they restock on supplies Kenton discovers that sand masters are not well liked in the area because of recent political pressure from the Kerztians, whose high priest will likely gain the role of king in the upcoming Choosing. He also learns that he is not the only sand master to have survived the battle. Before leaving he accidentally drops his sash in the open and is noticed by some local Kerztians. After leaving the village, they are ambushed by Kerztian warriors. Most of them attack Kenton who tries to defend himself with his sand mastery, but he finds that his powers are not working.
Chapter 4: Divides
- Characters
Baon kills two of the warriors with his gun then threatens another. The remaining warriors retreat. Upon inspecting the dead warriors, Kenton notes that they bear the marks of both warrior and priest on their foreheads. He remarks that their shaved heads and lack of armor are an oddity. The others in the group remained on their tonks, which burrowed into the sand at the first sign of trouble. Kenton helps them out while Khriss explains the pistol to Kenton and wonders aloud why he was the apparent target of the attack. Kenton angrily evades her questioning. Two days later they arrive in the city of Kezare and part ways.
Trackt Ais chases down a Kerztian criminal, Lokmlen, who murdered three trackts during a recent raid. Ais is searching for the man's master, someone named Sharezan. The man accuses her of being a traitor to her people, as she herself is Kerztian. She catches Lokmlen and the two fight, but Ais is bested. She is nearly killed when a stranger, Aarik, steps in and helps her capture the criminal.
Kenton arrives at the Diem which appears to be empty until Dirin appears. Dirin explains that everyone is at the Hall of Judgement, as the Taishin are going to choose Drile as the new Lord Mastrell. Suspecting that Drile was behind the Kerztian attack and knowing that he now outranks Drile, Kenton hurries to the Hall of Judgement. On his way, he discovers that his powers are not only back but stronger than ever. He interrupts the meeting and explains that he outranks Drile, but learns that the Taishin is actually planning to dissolve the Diem altogether.
Chapter 5: Compromises
- Characters
At the site of the raid that was conducted earlier, Ais discovers a man kept prisoner behind a trap door. The man, Torkel, was an advisor to the Lord Merchant, who went missing last year. Torkel was imprisoned and tortured after trying to go back on an agreement with Sharezan. Ais swears she will catch him, naming him by the alias Nilto.
Elsewhere in Kezare, Khriss and her group of Darksiders are led by a guide to the Darkside Quarter. The existence of this part of the city surprises the group, as the Dynasty apparently doesn't want people to know that there is traffic between Dayside and Darkside. They pay their guide to lead them to someone in charge, who turns out to be a Darksider named Loaten, a man branded a traitor who was supposedly executed for attempting to murder Emperor Skathan. Loaten was expecting Khriss's arrival and seems to know a great many things, but he does not answer many of Khriss's questions concerning her fiance and the "sand mages" he sought. Loaten reveals that the guide, N'Teese, works for him and asks her to stay with Khriss. At the end of the meeting, Nilto enters the room with his face wrapped and is revealed to be the Lord Beggar, having power similar to one of the Taishin. He orders Loaten to send Khriss away. As Khriss exits the room, Baon recognizes Loaten and draws his gun before Khriss orders him to stand down. The guards are revealed to carry guns.
At the Taishin Meeting Hall, the council explains that the Diem has been a drain on tax money. The sand masters are seen as arrogant and unproductive, and some feel their powers are dangerous and unholy. All but one member votes to dissolve the Diem. However, Kenton successfully argues that the results most be declared void as he, being the acting Lord Mastrell, was not informed of the meeting. The Lady Judge Heelis acquiesces, but declares that another vote will be held in two weeks' time and that a unanimous vote will be required to overturn the previous decision. In private, afterwards, Lady Heelis warns and encourages Kenton.
Back at the Diem, Drile contends for the loyalty of select Acolents. After rejecting Kenton's authority on the basis of his greater strength, Kenton reveals his newfound powers. Drile claims Kenton betrayed the Diem and the two begin to fight.
Chapter 6: Challenges
- Characters
While the two fight, Kenton calls out Drile as a traitor. When Kenton is victorious he drives Drile out and demands that he leave his sash behind.
Assuming that Gevalden would have spoken with the Taishin, Khriss has N'Teese arrange meetings with all of the Profession leaders. Khriss works on fixing a lock for Cynder as she attempts to set up appointments with seven of the eight Professions to no avail. They plan to make a visit to the Lord Mastrell the following day.
The Lady Judge pays a visit to Ais and asks her to spy on Kenton for the next two weeks, putting aside her negative bias towards the sand masters. Ais returns home for the evening, bitter about her new assignment. She sends her daughter to bed, and her husband expresses concern for her and the family's safety as they have received a threatening letter from Sharezan.
At the Diem, Kenton struggles with self doubt in his father's old rooms. Aarik arrives outside the Diem and joins Kenton- the two have not seen one another in three years. They spend the rest of the day catching up. The next morning, Kenton is working on how to overcome the Diem's elitism when Drile and his followers arrive wearing black belts over their sashes. Kenton expresses to Aarik his suspicion that Drile was the traitor. He and Dirin wonder if Drile poisoned the water that the Mastrells drank.
Just before Kenton moves to address Drile, Khrissalla and Baon arrive. She is surprised to discover that Kenton is the Lord Mastrell, feeling she has been lied to, and she is shocked to discover that Kenton is one of the "sand mages" she has been searching for.
Part Two
Chapter 7: Honor Bound
- Characters
Starting right where Volume 1 left off, Khrissalla angrily climbs the inconvenient ladders of the Diem to reach Kenton's floor, and slaps him, yelling at him for not telling her that he was a "Sand Mage." Kenton confirms that he has no idea what happened to Prince Gevalden, and Khrissalla and Baon begin to leave, but the ladder breaks. Kenton lowers Khrissalla and Baon down with sand mastery and they leave. Senior Trackt Ais arrives, informing Kenton that she has been assigned to be his bodyguard, and after some internal conflict Kenton decides to try and befriend her. In the Darkside Quarter, a little later, Khrissalla realizes with the help of the professor and Baon that what the Diem needs is a skilled diplomat to win over the Taishin and she is perfectly suited to play that part. Meanwhile, Aarik and Kenton review the Diem's finance records and realize that the Diem owes 700,000 lak, an insurmountably colossal amount. The conversation switches to how they will convince the Taishin to vote to keep the Diem, and they decide to visit Delius, the Lord Admiral.
Naturally, Lord Delius is drunk as always. Kenton and Aarik talk with him, and realize he will most likely side with them- as long as the Lord Merchant votes against, because his two philosophies are that the Lord Merchant represents all evil in the world and that wine is by far the best companion. Kenton and Aarik leave unsure of their position. They go to see the Lord Artisan next, and find Khrissalla there waiting to help as his new "diplomat." They enter to speak with the Lord Artisan, Rite mostly being upset about the unpaid debts. Khrissalla provides a solution quickly: Sand Masters will help the Lord Artisan, and in return, the Lord Artisan will vote for them and use the sand masters' help as payment for the lak. But the Lord Artisan mentions that the Diem only owes him 200,000 lak total, leading Kenton to wonder who the other 500,000 lak is owed to. They leave confident, but by that time in the day all of the Taishin have closed their offices. Aarik mentions that his father- the Lord General- is out hunting in the Deep Sands, using the hunt as an excuse to avoid Kenton. Kenton resolves to go find him, but for now, they decide to return to the Diem. They return to Dirin's news that staircases are being built in every corner so that anyone can access all levels of the Diem. Kenton goes to grab something to eat and finds some financial records to try and find out who is owed the other 500,000 lak.
Chapter 8: My Assassins
- Characters
Kenton, checking the Diem's records to try and trace the whereabouts of the missing Lak, is attacked by assassins- the assassins are terken, and therefore impervious to sand mastery, as are their arrows, Kenton quickly finds out. Since his sand on its own cannot hurt them, he uses his sand mastery to lift the desk and attack them with it. Ais rushes to help him as the fight bursts outside, and they quickly dispatch the rest of the eight assassins. Ais informs him that he will be safe for one day, because the two scars that are called assassin’s marks on their heads mean he has been targeted as an enemy of the Kerztian people and a specific family has been tasked with killing him. They may send up to eight warriors every other day until they succeed in killing him unless he defeats their leader first- usually the family head. But Ais makes sure Kenton knows that she still hates him.
Elorin, who was in charge of the organizational aspects of the Diem's finances and keeping everyone organized, returns, feeling guilty about abandoning the Diem, saying he has overmastered and can no longer use sand mastery. Meanwhile, at the Hall of Judgement, Khrissalla meets with the Lady Judge, who tells her to speak with the Lord Beggar. She and Baon find him and she asks him to use his influence to help support the Sand Masters. He gives her Gevalden's pistol and ring, and Khrissalla calls him a "horrible man." The Lord Beggar leaves and Khrissalla returns to the hotel with Baon.
Later, at the hotel, Acron speaks in private with Khrissalla. He says that the day Captain Deral died, he had heard only two gunshots. When Baon returned, he claimed the border patrol had been chasing them and had shot the Captain in the back, but Acron thinks that there should have been more gunshots. He thinks Baon killed Captain Deral. Khrissalla dismisses his theory and Acron leaves.
Chapter 9: The Catch
- Characters
Kenton meets with the Lord General, Raagent, while he is on a hunting trip out in the Deep Sand. The Lord General is initially impressed at his dedication in travelling so far. The Lord General insists that Kenton try hunting, and shows him the Deep Sandlings and DelRak Naisha. Kenton tries to convince the Lord General to aid him in his cause, but the Lord General wants nothing except to "hire" them. Kenton will not agree to his conditions and the Lord General storms off. His men have taunted and toyed with a Karak to the point of its death, leaving the Lord Raagent to come in and deliver the final blow.
Kenton begins to leave, but then quickly turns back as a woman is thrown over him. The KaRak Lord Raagent killed was apparently just a baby, and now the mother was there- evidently being the one who had thrown woman. As Aarik rides in with his tonk to get Lord Raagent, Kenton jumps in to save the Lord General and kills the beast. Kenton and the Lord General then make an agreement that if Kenton assigns him two dozen Sand Masters as bodyguards, Lord Raagent will give him his vote. Just as Kenton leaves, he is attacked by another assassin.
Chapter 10: Rising Challenges
- Characters
Kenton and the assassin fight, Kenton realizing that she has greased herself in Terken oil, which negates his sand. She nearly manages to beat him, but he pushes her onto one of the DelRaiken which swallows her. He meets back with Aarik and Ais and they travel back to the Diem. Upon entering the Diem, they see Drile trying to take control of the remaining Sand Masters. Kenton challenges him to a duel after the council makes their decision about the Diem. Later, Kenton has Dirin help him do an experiment, and he shows that the way to defeat your opponent is to hit their ribbon from the side. Kenton theorizes that Overmastery is actually just like pushing one's muscles to the max when working out- it makes the power sore, but also expands it.
In the Trackt Hall, Ais talks to Tain about the boat races, which she thinks are being manipulated by Nilto. She meets back with Kenton and Aarik and they go to see the Lord Merchant, but are delayed for two hours. Upon attempting to practice his sand mastery as a way to pass time, the Lord Merchant bursts out of his office, yelling about the "unholy art" but Kenton enters his office to talk with him. Kenton asks the Lord Merchant what he wants in payment for his vote. But the Lord Merchant refuses to side with the Sand Masters because he would never side with something so unholy. He proceeds to insult Ais, and when Kenton defends her, they are kicked out of his office. Ais gets mad at Kenton for defending her and assures Kenton that she doesn't want his help.
Upon arriving back at the Diem, Kenton receives an invitation from the Lord Admiral to a ball thrown in his honor, requesting that he bring his "darkside beauty," Khrissalla. Kenton goes to find Khrissalla in the Darkside quarter of Kezare. Kenton informs her of the invitation, and they talk about the Lord Artisan, Kenton noting that nothing will matter unless he can find a way to get EVERYONE on his side. Upon Khrissalla asking if the Diem has any money, Kenton mentions that the Guild still paid their quarterly tribute to the Diem, but Khrissalla realizes that if the Diem never pays for anything, the tribute money is still out there somewhere, and if they can find it, it will help them gather the finances they need.
Chapter 11: Party Politics
- Characters
Kenton runs off, evidently having some hunch about where the money is that he doesn't tell the reader about. He is followed by Khrissalla, and as they move through the city, Khrissalla notices a Kerztian flitting through the crowd, and realizes she hasn't seen a Kerztian down there before. They are immediately attacked by a group of Kerztian assassins. Kenton uses his sand mastery, and Baon appears from behind to help Khrissalla. Ais arrives to help Kenton. After a long fight they succeed in defeating the assassins.
Kenton explains to Khrissalla that his mother was a Darksider and his father was a Mastrell, and tells her how everyone thought the kids would all have no sand mastery, and how he struggled to get into the Diem. He tells her how the Diem was ambushed, and how it led to the current situation. They return and find Aarik discovering the locations of hidden stashes of Lak all around the building. they explore the rest of the building, but only find 5,000 lak in total- a substantial amount but nowhere near what they need.
In the fifth hour of what is presumably the next morning, we see Ais on the roof of her house performing a cleansing ceremony to the sun lord to rid herself of the "evil sand magic" she has had to endure in being around Kenton. Her husband, Mellis, comes up and they talk- Ais tells him to take their child, Melloni, and go south to another land (of which he should not tell her so that she cannot reveal their location), and go to their hall of judgement and receive sanctuary. Meanwhile, at the Diem, Aarik convinces himself to leave and not be a bother to Kenton anymore. He flashes back to when Kenton gave him his valuable sword, which he still owns. He then convinces himself to stay.
In the sixth hour, at the Darkside Quarter, Khrissalla is performing an experiment. She concludes that carapace and sand that has been excreted by a Sandling are the same under a microscope, with the Sandling sand having a thin filament around it, but the sand does not act like the carapace, letting off light when water is poured on it instead of dissolving. She then begins trying to figure out how black sand turns back to white. She talks to Cynder about Skathan, who has remained the same age over hundreds of years.
In the ninth hour, Khrissalla and Kenton go to the ball. Ais goes in saying that she is there in place of the Lady Judge. The Lord Admiral announces his formal support of Kenton in the upcoming vote. Kenton wonders what made him change his mind from simply voting against the Lord Merchant, and Khrissalla and Kenton go to "mingle" with the other guests.
Chapter 12: About Turn
- Characters
Over by the fountain, where the two of them are eating, Khrissalla asks Kenton to tell her and show her how sand mastery works, but Kenton says he cannot reveal the secrets of his trade and that Khrissalla is a Darksider and cannot manipulate sand anyway. The Lord Admiral comes over to them asking to meet Khrissalla and eat with them. He tells them that the A'kar plans to embargo trade between Kertza and Lossand unless Lossand gets rid of all Sand Masters- which is the reason that many do not want to support the Diem in the vote. The Lord Admiral leaves and Khrissalla pressures Kenton more about learning about sand mastery, and they return to the party quickly before they leave. While passing through, they see Nilto, the Lord Beggar. As they are leaving in a carriage, Kenton looks back after hearing a commotion. A building is collapsing, and he sprints back to help. A worker just outside informs him that the scaffolding collapsed and that it is "below his concern," referring to the past days when the Sand Masters were above helping common people- before Kenton became Lord Mastrell, intending to change that. Kenton uses his mere three ribbons to lift up the entire pile of rubble, letting anyone still alive within escape, and immediately becoming dehydrated. Trell, the builder who told him what happened thanks him, and Kenton tells him to call for a Sand Master any time anything like that happens. Khrissalla compliments him and tries to coerce him into telling her more about sand mastery so that "the rest of the world can benefit." Kenton tells Trell to let his men have the rest of the day off, and if his boss has a problem with it, to have him talk to Kenton about it.
The next day, Khrissalla talks with Baon about unlocking the "secret of sand mastery," as she dissolves carapace in some unknown liquid. She notices that he has new pistols- Elisian officer pistols, in fact. Pistols that officer Deral and his Lieutenant would have carried- the two men who were killed that night when he was off scouting. He admits straightforwardly that he killed them. Cynder walks in with saltpeter (for making gunpowder) for Baon, and sees Baon holding a gun standing in front of Khrissalla. Baon walks out calmly, his cover exposed. Khrissalla leaves, distraught, saying she needs to talk to Kenton.
At the Diem, Aarik is praising Kenton on what he did the day before back in town, noting that it's all the Diem has been able to talk about lately. Kenton makes an official statement to the Sand Masters gathered in around them in the main "courtyard" of the building, saying that the Sand Masters will now focus on serving the people, no longer hiding in their secretive world of rules and traditions. As he finishes, Khrissalla bursts into the Diem, and proclaims that she has decided that she is to ready to become a sand master.
Part Three
Chapter 13: Delegate to Accumulate
- Characters
Senior Trackt Ais goes to visit Lady Judge Heelis at the Hall of Judgement to give a report about Kenton and his leadership of the Diem. On her way there, she reminisces about her previous visit when the investigation into Sharezan had reached a critical stage. Ais tells Heelis that it is a pity that she is required to hate Kenton because she has started to like him. She reports that under Kenton's leadership, the Diem is changing, to the point that Khriss, a noblewoman from Darkside, was accepted as a member of the Diem. She tells Heelis about her internal moral conflict about protecting the unholy sand master and Heelis responds that she judges the law, not morality. Ais tells Heelis that one of Sharezan's dens was raided the day before and that they've heard that one of his main allies is looking to defect. She tells Heelis that her best man, Tain, is leading the investigation in her absence.
Tain arrives at the scene of Rennold Pharl's death. The trackt standing guard at the scene tells him that he was known as The Tonk and that he worked for Sharezan. Tain plants a letter of warning with the body and shows it to the other trackt, who says they should show it to Ais.
Ais arrives at the Diem and relieves Venkohl from his post watching Kenton. Kenton is sitting at his desk, reading up on the other Taishin and how their positions work, using the reference books his father kept in his library. A while later, Kenton tells Ais how the Lord Admiral's position works and that he is bewildered by it.
Khriss, Acron, and Cynder arrive at the Diem with N'Teese, and Elorin shows them to their rooms. The group discuss Baon's betrayal, and Cynder says that any of them could also be a spy. Acron laughs at this, calling it preposterous. Khriss gives Cynder Gevin's pistol and asks him to be her guard in Baon's absence. Khriss asks N'Teese to arrange a meeting with Nilto, and she runs off to find him. Tain arrives at the Diem and gives the note he "found" to Ais. Kenton comes to get Khriss so he can start teaching her how to be a sand master. On their way, they are interrupted several times by sand masters with questions for Kenton. Khriss suggests that he get an assistant to deal with the everyday running of the Diem. Kenton asks Elorin if he would do the job, and Elorin agrees. Kenton tries teaching Khriss how to master sand; Khriss tries but is unable to do it. She tells him that she isn't disappointed since all she really wanted to know is how to test for the ability. Kenton shows Khriss the dueling pit where he and Drile will fight each other. Drile comes to taunt him, but Kenton brushes him off.
Kenton goes to visit Vey, and Aarik, Khriss, and the two professors go with him. Grelin makes them wait for a long time, and Kenton, frustrated, stands up and declares loudly that he expects Vey to continue paying tribute to the Diem for the same reason as always. Upon hearing this, Vey invites him in for a private chat. Vey calls Kenton's bluff, and Kenton is forced to admit that he does not know the secret. Afterwards, the group goes to a restaurant and is discussing Vey when Aarik notices that assassins have surrounded them.
Chapter 14: These Lost Causes
- Characters
Kenton and Ais fight the assassins, Ais with her zinkall and Kenton using his sand to throw tables. Aarik calmly sits through the battle, eating his food, until a "waiter" walks in front of him and raises his zinkall towards Kenton. Aarik grabs the man by his firing arm and hauls him over the table. The fight is winding down when one of the assassins runs over to Khriss, grabs her, and raises his zinkall to her head, threatening to kill her if anyone moves. Suddenly, Acron appears and shoots the man in the chest with a pistol. Khriss asks him why he has the pistol since she gave it to Cynder and not him. He is in a state of shock and mumbles an excuse. Aarik and Khriss go over to him to help him calm down. Ais remarks that she is surprised that assassins would attack on that day in violation of the rules written in the KerKor.
N'Teese arrives, saying that the Lord Beggar, Nilto, is ready to see her, and the two of them go to meet with him. Acron abruptly breaks off from Aarik and Kenton and runs after Khriss. Khriss asks Nilto to find Baon for her. Nilto tells N'Teese to tell "Khriss", using her nickname instead of her full name, Khrissala, that he is very busy but if he hears anything he will let her know.
Ais tells Kenton that she has to leave to meet with a former associate of Sharezan's who wants to defect, and Kenton tags along. On their way, they make a stop at Ais's house, where Kenton waits outside while Ais is inside. When they are inside the meeting place, Ais hears someone with a limp climbing the stairs, incorrectly assumes it to be Nilto, and correctly realizes it is a trap. She and Kenton jump out the window to safety as the building explodes behind them.
N'Teese brings Khriss a message from Nilto, saying that he is leaving town and won't be able to look for Baon. Khriss chases down Nilto to the docks of Kezare, accompanied by Acron and N'Teese. Upon seeing him, she calls out to him with the name "Gevin". Nilto begrudgingly admits that he is indeed prince Gevin. Khriss tells him that he gave himself away when he called her "Khriss" instead of "Khrissalla". Gevin explains that he is hiding from Skathan's assassins and is no longer interested in returning to Darkside. Acron pushes past Khriss and raises his pistol to point at Gevin, saying that he is completing his mission of killing Gevin. Suddenly, a crate of fruit falls onto Acron, and Baon reveals himself. During the ensuing conversation, Acron, still lying on the ground, raises his gun again and fires, grazing Baon on the ground and knocking him over. Khriss and Gevin run away through the maze of shipping crates, each of them going in a different direction. Acron chases after Khriss, who climbs up to the control station of the dock's crane and uses it to knock Acron off of the pier and into the water. Baon explains that while he was indeed an agent of Skathan, he was also hired to protect Khriss, and his two missions were not incompatible. He says that after his mission from the Dynasty to investigate the threat of the sand masters was complete, he no longer had reason to disguise his mission, and when Khriss fired him, he continued to watch her from the shadows waiting for one the professors, whichever it was, to make their move so he could protect her.
Back at the Diem, Khriss tells Kenton what happened with Gevin, and Baon explains his situation. Aarik arrives bearing the news that the Lord General, Raagent, and the Lord Merchant, Vey, are both missing and with the Taishin vote only four days away, if they are not found quickly, the Diem will be doomed.
Chapter 15: Waves and Ripples
- Characters
Kenton and his party go to visit the Lord Farmer, Gennel. Kenton uses his sand to try and scare Gennel into telling him where Vey went. Kenton realizes he is being mean and lets Gennel's servant free. He then tries to ask nicely, but Gennel is too scared of Vey to answer him. Khriss tracks down Gevin and gives him an hour to find out and tell her where Vey is hiding. A little over an hour later, Khriss has her answer and tells Kenton that Vey went to Lraezare.
The group goes to the port, and Kenton tries asking Dockmaster NaiMeer for a ship to Lraezare. NaiMeer refuses saying that his uncle, Vey, told him to make sure Kenton doesn't follow him. Delius and his son, who is his steward, arrive and, to NaiMeer's chagrin, commandeer a ship to Lraezare. Delius then innocently asks Kenton if he would like to come along on the trip, and he takes him up on the offer.
Kenton decides to try overmastering while they are safe on the ship in an attempt to increase his power. Kenton masters his sand for more than fifteen minutes and then collapses to the deck. Khriss panics, thinking he died, but within a few minutes, he regains consciousness and weakly tells her that he is alright. Sometime later, Kenton and Delius discuss Delius's situation as Lord Admiral. Delius tells Kenton how he used to belong to the Guild until Vey betrayed him, and he quit the Guild in disgust and joined the Helm. He then relates how he became very successful while he was a member of the Helm, so much so that the Shipowners' Circle punished him for his success by making him into the Lord Admiral. Kenton speaks with Ais about how maybe the assassins are being led by someone who isn't Kerztian and perhaps that is why they violated the rules of the KerKor. Kenton then takes a rest to try to recover more quickly from his overmastering.
Kenton awakes after they have arrived in Lraezare, and Aarik and the others have gone to town and found where Vey is hiding: at the house of Lokkall, the head of the Shipowners' Circle. The group arrives at Lokkall's house, and he denies knowing where Vey is. Kenton, frustrated, announces loudly that if Vey won't speak with him, he will turn over his father's ledger to the Lady Judge. Vey appears from a room upstairs and asks Kenton to come speak with him privately, and Kenton tells Ais to come with him to act as a witness. Kenton guesses that Vey owes the 700,000 lak to the Diem and not vice versa. Vey tells Kenton the story of Hennin and how the debt started. Kenton forgives the debt without any strings attached and merely asks for a 200,000 lak loan to pay off the Diem's other debts. Afterwards, Vey agrees to vote for the Diem.
Meanwhile Lokkall tells Delius that the council had "need" of his ship, and it has set sail without them. Delius responds that he'll simply commandeer another ship as is his right as Lord Admiral. Lokkall says that the Circle has unanimously decided to remove him from his position as Taisha of the Helm. Delius immediately asks his son for the "documents" and signs them, transferring ownership of a fleet of ships, twelve of which are docked in Lraezare, from his son to himself. He then tells his son to order the fleet to blockade the port of Kezare for the next month. The Circle goes into a panic upon hearing this, and when Delius offers to rescind his orders if they vote Lokkall to be the Lord Admiral, they agree. Delius tells Lokkall that he will hold all of ships on his behalf, and if he votes for the Diem, he will return them to him and vote a new Lord Admiral in his place. The group then boards Delius's fastest ship and sails back to Kezare to find the missing Raagent before it's too late.
Chapter 16: The Cruel Potentials
- Characters
The ship is boarded by Kerztian assassins who immediately start attacking the crew. The assassins lock Baon and Ais below deck, keeping them out of the fight, and then turn to Kenton, who is still recovering from his overmastery and cannot access his powers. The rest of the group, Khriss, Aarik, Vey, Cynder, Delius, and his son, watch from behind barrels as a defenseless Kenton tries to fight eight assassins with just his fists. Khriss tries to join the fight, but Delius holds her back. She appeals to Aarik who, after an internal conflict, runs into the fight. He tackles one of the assassins from behind, grabs his spear, and within seconds, dispatches the rest of the assassins. A change comes over Aarik, and he stalks away coldly. Ais insists on taking the bodies back with them, and Delius, not wanting to start a fight, reluctantly agrees. Moments later, Aarik returns, formally apologizes to Khriss, and walks away to his cabin. As Baon and Ais load the bodies onto the assassins' boat, they discuss the change that came over Aarik. The next morning, Kenton wakes up and finds that his sand has returned to him and that he can now control five ribbons, not just three.
They arrive in Kezare, and Khriss suggests that they ask Ais to help them find the missing Taisha. Leaving Cynder, Delius, and his son behind, the group goes to the Tower where they are greeted by a worried Gremt. Gremt says that they don't know where Raagent is and they didn't want to get the trackts involved. They go to Raagent's room, where Ais finds spots of blood on the floor and sees that his bed is missing its sheet. Ais infers that Raagent is still in the Tower, and Gremt leads them down into the Tower's wine cellar. When they get there they find Raagent lying dead with his eyelids cut off. Upon closer inspection, Ais finds traces of Kamo on his lips and infers that it was used to make the Lord General die from fright. Ais realizes that Raagent was the one coming to meet with her in the building that was blown, not Nilto, and the limping sound they heard was because he broke his leg in the incident with the sandling.[1] From this, she realizes that the person who killed Raagent must have been Sharezan. Afterwards, reluctantly, Kenton asks Aarik to take his father's place so he can vote for the Diem. Aarik, resigned to his fate, says yes.
Chapter 17: The Impossible Choice
- Characters
On the trip back to the Diem from the Tower, Kenton discusses his regret for ruining Aarik's life. Baon theorizes that Raagent was killed to sabotage the Diem's chances at winning the vote of the Taishin.
Meanwhile at the Hall of Judgement, Ais gives Heelis a report on Raagent's death. On her way out, Tain intercepts her, saying that they found Sharezan and inviting her to join him on the raid. He hands her a zinkall, and they go off together. When they arrive at the alleged hideout of Sharezan, Ais sees people in the shadows and realizes something is off. Tain takes this as his cue, raises his zinkall to Ais's head, and reveals that he is Sharezan. Ais expresses her shock and says that she had suspected Nilto. Ais tries to shoot Tain with her zinkall, but it puffs and fails; Tain had given her a defective one. Tain tells her that he had Lokmlen plant a firetrap in the orphanage she grew up in, and he is going to go to her house to kill her family, but she won't have time to save them both. He then instructs his men to hold her for one minute and then let her go. Tain runs off and his men start the countdown. As soon as they release her, she desperately searches for and finds a trackt on the street and, between gasps, tells him to go secure the orphanage. Then, out of breath, she stumbles to her house. When she nears the house, she hears a loud banging sound coming from inside and in a panic, afraid of what she will find, runs upstairs. When she gets inside, she sees Tain, holding a sword, being thrown through a wall by Kenton. Kenton tells her that Mellis and Melloni are safe, and that this "assassin" was about to kill them. Kenton then explains that he came to ask her something about Raagent, and when he saw an armed man entering the house, he immediately assumed he was an assassin coming to kill him and reflexively lashed out with his sand. When Ais tells him that this attacker was really Sharezan, Kenton moves to kill him, but Ais stops him, saying that Sharezan must face proper justice. Ais weeps with her family and thanks Kenton.
The next day Ais goes to Heelis to resign her position, but Heelis asks her to keep her job for at least one more day, and Ais agrees. All of the Taishin and a large crowd gather in the Diem to watch the fight between Kenton and Drile. Elorin gives each of them a drink from different ceremonial bowls, and the fight begins. Kenton is quickly overpowered by Drile and ends up on the ground, with Drile standing over him and taunting him.
Chapter 18: Time, Like Sand ...
- Characters
Kenton remembers the day he entered the Diem when his father tried to stop him, saying he was too weak. He remembers how he never gave up and gets back on his feet, fighting back. He realizes that his strong point is his ability and skill to maximise the potential of one ribbon. Instead of splitting his focus among many ribbons, Kentons uses his one ribbon to disrupt ribbon after ribbon, frustrating Drile. In a move of seeming desperation, Drile attempts to do what Praxton did in the Kerla, and create an explosion of sand to overpower Kenton. Kenton tries warning him that it is too dangerous and he shouldn't do it, and indeed, abruptly, Drile collapses in a circle of black sand. Kenton spares Drile's life, and he is carried away on a stretcher, extremely dehydrated.
With the fight won, Kenton turns to the watching Lady Judge and requests that the Taishin hold their vote immediately in the Diem. Heelis agrees and begins taking the votes. Aarik, Vey, Gennel, Rite, The Lord Mason's representative, and Lokkall all vote in favor of the Diem leaving one vote, Heelis's, remaining. Heelis says that since she is biased in favor of the Diem, she is giving her vote to Senior Trackt Ais, and she will decide the Diem's fate. Ais, thinking of how Kenton just saved her family, goes against her Kerztian religious principles and votes in favor of the Diem. Khriss hugs Kenton in celebration, but then Dirin comes to get Kenton, saying that Drile wants to speak with him.
Drile congratulates Kenton on securing his position as Lord Mastrell and the Diem's future as a whole. Drile says that he felt weak during their fight - the same weakness he felt during the battle in the Kerla. Together, they theorize that someone must have sabotaged their fight in order for the weaker leader, Kenton, to become Lord Mastrell, hoping that it would lead to a weaker Diem. They realize that someone must have poisoned the water they drank at the Kerla, and that it must have been Elorin, who gave Drile his water before their fight. Kenton goes to confront Elorin about the matter. Elorin admits that he poisoned the bowl with KaDo, a Kerztian spice that accelerates dehydration. He says that the Sand Lord appeared to him and he realized that the Ker'Reen faith is true. He says that the A'Kar told him to remain in the Diem so he could orchestrate its downfall from within. He shoots a terken arrow from his zinkall at Kenton but misses, and Kenton sends a ribbon of sand through his heart, killing him.
Two weeks later, Kenton is preparing to say goodbye to Khriss, Baon, and Cynder, who are boarding a ship back to Darkside. They are also taking several large barrels of charged sand with them to experiment with as well as Dirin, presumably as a test subject since no one else on Darkside can master sand. Kenton promises to visit sometime to see what Darkside is like and to bring Dirin back.
Ais is on the roof of her house, praying, and Mellis joins her. She tells him that she has to go on a journey to the deep sand to get answers, and Mellis insists that they go together.
Kenton and Drile lead the Diem together in a new direction, bringing families to live in the Diem, serving the people of Lossand with their powers, and turning the Diem into a profitable business.
Fyld reports to Heelis that after the Diem's reinstatement, the A'Kar's support has crumbled, and Heelis remarks that the A'Kar is resolute and will likely come back to power before too long.
On the ship to Darkside Hoid is playing a song, while Baon tries to master sand. To his surprise, he succeeds.