Chapter IV

Summary

• The protagonist in the story, Vis, is banished from a gladiatorial theatre after being falsely accused of cheating.
• He fakes compliance with this judgment to avoid scrutiny from the ruling class known as the Hierarchy, who he hides his true identity from.
• Vis works for the management of the theatre, Ellanher, but their relationship turns sour as she banishes him and refuses to help him with his injured shoulder.
• Gaufrid, a patron of the theatre, believes still Vis won his fight fairly and gives him four silver triangles (the wager on his fight) as a show of faith.
• Feeling he can't stay, Vis plots a risky escape to a chain of uninhabited islands. However, he must first return to the orphanage where he resides.
• Upon his arrival at the orphanage, the matron Atrox threatens him with sexual abuse if he doesn't comply with her demands for his earnings. Vis is also expected to help prepare the orphanage for a visit from an important adoption official who outranks the current matron.
• Vis needs a place to hide a stolen travelogue, which is filled with maps and descriptions of his planned escape route.
• He secretly secretes the book along with extra coins in a hidden panel in his room. Vis bandages his shoulder in preparation for the next day, which might require convincing Matron Atrox of the injury's less suspicious origin, in order to avoid revealing the travelogue's existence.