The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The paper birds watch Luna, and Luna nervously greets them. The crow, beside himself, flies around. Luna understands that the birds know her and are somehow connected to the maps and the woman in Luna’s dreams. Luna asks the birds what they want, but they say nothing. Luna sits down with a sketchbook, reasoning that if she can draw a correct map when she’s dreaming, she can find Xan too. She focuses on Xan’s face and angrily sees that she drew a bird in a man’s hand, not Xan. The crow caws, “tiger,” but a woman (Sister Ignatia) steps out of the trees. Luna doesn’t know why she’s so afraid.

Gherland is horrified when Ethyne seems unafraid of his imposing glare and greets the Sisters with him like friends. She offers him tea made with mint from her garden and brushes off his suggestion to grow something useful. Gherland notices that her house is clever and pretty, a combination he hates. The tea is unfortunately delicious. As Ethyne kisses her baby, she says that she and Antain grow a lot of things and give much of it away. Gherland announces that the Day of Sacrifice is coming, and Ethyne asks why he’s here—Sister Ignatia usually terrorizes the parents of the sacrificial children. Ethyne is curious to know why Sister Ignatia is out of town, which infuriates Gherland—he hates when people ask questions. He thinks that Ethyne might go mad.

Peevishly, Gherland says that Sister Ignatia is out on her own business. Ethyne approaches the soldiers, who blush as she approaches. She asks if the tiger prowls and silences Gherland when he tries to stop her questioning. The soldier hesitates and then says that the tiger is gone and everyone can sleep. Ethyne says that Sister Ignatia must be in the forest to kill Antain and turns on Gherland, who blinks in the horribly bright sunlight. He crumbles as Ethyne accuses him of sending Antain to die. Ethyne ignores him and asks the soldiers for help. The soldier named Mae takes Ethyne’s arm, and the other follows behind. To nobody, Gherland says that there are rules.

As Sister Ignatia and Luna look at each other, the paper birds and the crow don’t move. Sister Ignatia seems to look old and then young. She asks Luna if she made the paper birds and then her vision bores into Luna’s head, hurting Luna. Sister Ignatia declares that it’s not Luna’s magic and asks if the pain is sorrowful, but Luna says it’s just annoying. Again, Sister Ignatia asks if the birds were a gift, and Luna says that nothing is the result of her magic—she doesn’t have any. Sister Ignatia laughs meanly, which makes Luna vow to hate her. She says that Luna is magical, but someone has tried to hide it from her. She recognizes the “spellwork.”

The paper birds roost next to Luna and seem suddenly sharper and more dangerous. Sister Ignatia steps back as the rocks under Luna’s feet shudder. Sister Ignatia warns that the birds attack and says that their maker is wicked, broken, and mad. Luna has no idea why this makes her so angry, and growls that she and Sister Ignatia won’t be friends. Sister Ignatia says that she’s just here to collect something and tries to call her boots. Luna remembers a dream in which Fyrian brought boots back. Now, they’re in her trunk. Angrily, Sister Ignatia brings the tower to the ground and Luna falls.

Sister Ignatia approaches Luna, magically brings Luna to her feet, and says that Luna has touched her boots. She demands that Luna tell her where they are, but Luna gasps for her to go away. Sister Ignatia laughs until the paper birds rise, make the air shake, and then attack Sister Ignatia. Luna runs.