The Priory of the Orange Tree

Sabran invites Ead and Linora—another lady of Sabran’s household—to dine with her in her privy chamber. The conversation turns to the different religions of the South and West. Ead has converted to Virtudom, the religion the Inysh people follow. One key feature of Virtudom is an absolute belief in “the Saint”: Prince Galian, the founder of Inys and the husband of Queen Cleolind, the first Inysh queen. Galian’s descendants—all women—are believed to be his embodiment, and thus living saints themselves. The other feature of Virtudom is the “Six Virtues,” each embodied in a different figure: the Knight of Courtesy, the Knight of Justice, the Knight of Fellowship, the Knight of Courage, the Knight of Temperance, and the Knight of Generosity. All children of Virtudom choose their patron knight when they reach the age of 12.

Roslain asks Ead to tell Sabran the story of the “Saint and the Damsel,” or Galian and Cleolind. Ead senses a trap: The religion she followed before her conversion (and secretly still follows) has a different version of events. She carefully tells the story as Sabran wants to hear it. Over 1,000 years ago, the magma beneath the earth’s surface gave rise to a terrible fire-breathing dragon known as the Nameless One.