Five years later, Antain, the oldest of his six brothers, is now almost 18 and still an Elder-in-Training. Despite his efforts, he is unable to please the Elders. He is also unable to please his mother, the Grand Elder’s sister, who is upset at his lack of progress. She feels that she deserves the prestige of having an Elder for a son. Antain doesn’t understand why he is not yet an Elder but doesn’t mind too much. He enjoys woodworking and making toys for his youngest brother, Wyn. Antain also likes helping the kitchen staff and the gardeners. He attends school because he enjoys learning but misses the one person he wishes he had talked to, a girl named Ethyne who left school and joined the Sisters of the Star.

Antain dreads the Day of Sacrifice. The memory of the dark-haired madwoman fighting for her baby has stayed with him, aching like a “great needle in his soul” (46). He thinks of the madwoman often; she is still incarcerated in the Sisters’ dark Tower. Antain guiltily wonders why the Protectorate must keep up the sacrifices. He believes there must be a better solution and laments what the town has become.