Her firmness, fairness and judicious exercise of mercy continue to win over the hearts and minds of the newest subjects of the Empire of Charis, especially when she is undeterred after an attempted assassination that is thwarted by Merlin.

As a precaution, he begins looking at ways he can continue his own awareness in case his own PICA form is lost and finally decides to make an electronic copy of his consciousness and a VR unit to house it in.

Siddarkmark and Silkiah are continuing trade with Charis in spite of embargoes imposed by the Church of God Awaiting, and there are large Charisian expatriate communities in these areas.

His nemesis Anzhelique, now known as Aivah Pahrsahn, has secretly bought up thousands of rifled muskets and trained a militia to use them, which she calls on to protect the Charisian Quarter and to keep the government of Siddarmark from falling.

Grand Inquisitor Zhaspyr Clyntahn convinces the other members of the Council of Four that the Charisians taken as prisoners of war by Admiral Thirsk at a previous engagement should be brought to the temple to suffer the Punishment of Schuller for their "heresy".

Thirsk is against this, but can do nothing to stop it, so the prisoners are all taken to the temple and put to the Question and finally horrifically executed, leading to outrage in Charis and to the decree that any Inquisitor under Clyntahn's command will be shot on sight without trial.