Empire of Silence

Hadrian’s new alias holds a lower rank than the Mataro family, and etiquette requires that he behave in an accommodating manner with them. Specifically, he is not permitted to refuse their requests or to leave the Count’s palace to visit his myrmidon friends.

One day, Hadrian meets another visiting resident of the palace, Doctor Valka Onderra. Valka is a xenologist from the Demarchy of Tavros, a democratic system of clans that has a precarious peace with the Sollan Empire. Hadrian is struck by her beauty, intelligence, and fierceness. She is on Emesh to study local ancient ruins called Calagh, and she also studies the enslaved Umandh.

Valka dislikes Hadrian because of his background as a Colosso fighter. The Tavrosi do not believe in enslaving others, nor do they approve of the violent spectacle of the Colosso. She asks if he enjoys killing enslaved people, and Hadrian explains that he fought with them against the gladiators. He then asks her several perceptive questions about her work, surprising her with his knowledge.

The narrator-Hadrian reflects on his time in Balian’s palace, stating that after his time there, rumors claim that he tricked his way into the count’s service and seduced his daughter, only to be seduced in turn by “a witch of the Demarchy and turned thence to darkness” (386). The narrator-Hadrian asserts that this is not true. Rather, he was caught by his own mistakes and was forced into a cage as dangerous as his father’s had been.

The day of Dorian’s Ephebeia (coming-of-age ritual) arrives, and Hadrian is required to attend. There, he encounters Valka, who acidly remarks that he must feel at home here. He disagrees, saying that he feels uncomfortable standing with the nobiles. While he did not enjoy the fighting in the Colosso, he would rather be standing with his friends than standing above them, watching them die.

Hadrian also meets Sir Elomas, an elderly knight who is Valka’s sponsor while she is a guest on Emesh. Then Gilliam joins them. Recognizing Hadrian, he calls the protagonist a barbarian, disgusted by the fact that Balian has hired him as a tutor. Elomas accuses Gilliam of being jealous, and the priest leaves in a rage.

The Chantry priests begin the ceremony for Dorian’s Ephebeia. Guards drag the Cielcin, Makisomn, into the arena. Two Chantry guards called cathars behead Makisomn, then give the head to Dorian to present to the people.

Later, Pallino surprises Hadrian with a visit. The older fighter has earned respect among the guards, who allow him to enter a courtyard. However, Hadrian cannot leave the vicinity, so they cannot speak privately. Pallino is angry that Hadrian never sent word of his circumstances, but Hadrian explains that he is “not exactly a prisoner, but […] not exactly free either” (402).

Pallino explains that Switch told him about Hadrian being a nobile. Hadrian insists that he is there because he must be, not because he is playing games. However, he cannot explain himself any further, and he asks Pallino to trust him. Pallino believes him. Hadrian suggests that he could still buy the ship and hire Pallino and the others as crew. He still harbors the hope that he might escape Emesh. Pallino promises to think about it, and to speak to Switch and try to mend the broken friendship between Switch and Hadrian.

Hadrian joins Valka, Dorian, and Anais on a visit to Ulakiel, an island habitat for the Umandh. The overseer of the island, Engin, claims that this place is an example of the Umandh’s natural environment. However, Hadrian and Valka know this to be false, as the huts are human-made and the surrounding water is super-heated to prevent the Umandh (who can walk along the seabed) from escaping. While Engin gives Dorian and Anais a tour, Hadrian and Valk wander away to speak privately, temporarily free of the surveillance in the count’s palace.

They discuss objects that the Umandh make, which consist of overlapping circles that Hadrian calls anaglyphs. No one knows if these objects have meaning, and Valka is frustrated that she cannot simply ask the Umandh. She explains to Hadrian that their singing is not a language; it simply conveys basic feelings such as hunger or pain. Valka and Hadrian note that some Umandh have gouges in their coral-like skin: signs that Engin and his men use physical violence. Hadrian whispers that the situation is vile, and his comment surprises Valka, who asks if such a belief is blasphemy for his people. He says it is only blasphemy if he is heard.

Anais beckons Hadrian away.

Dorian and Anais convince Hadrian to train them in sword-fighting. While they are training with padded weapons, Gilliam comes to speak with the children. When they leave, Gilliam accuses Hadrian of being too familiar with them, particularly with Anais. Hadrian disputes this point. Believing that that Hadrian is working for Balian under false pretenses, Gilliam implies that Hadrian consorts with the Cielcin and then threatens him with accusations of heresy. Hadrian warns Gillian not to assume that he knows everything.

After their conversation at Ulakiel, Hadrian and Valka begin sharing dinner often so that they can enjoy intellectual conversations. One evening, Hadrian studies Valka’s notes on the Umandh anaglyphs. He notices that the anaglyphs are similar to Cielcin writing, which is a kind of “nonlinear calligraphy” (437) used for art and poetry. Hadrian is happy that Valka no longer seems wary of him. Yet although they are friendly with one another, she shows no signs of sharing his romantic feelings.

Hadrian is invited to a state dinner with the Mataros, the Chantry representatives including Gilliam, the Grand Prior Ligeia Vas (Gilliam’s mother), Valka, Sir Elomas, and others. Hadrian meets a soldier named Lieutenant Bassander Lin. In an aside, the narrator-Hadrian comments he and the Lieutenant will eventually become both friends and enemies. Valka is shocked to learn that Lt. Lin has been in service to the military for over 200 years, though most of that was spent asleep in a creche during his travels between campaigns.

Someone mentions Hadrian’s skill with the Cielcin language. Hadrian expresses his hope that it will be a useful skill when the Cielcin eventually surrender, but Ligeia states that the Cielcin will not be permitted to surrender. She opines that they must be entirely wiped out because humans “shalt not suffer demons to live” (448). Hadrian retorts that she is quoting an ancient text that originally referred to witches. Ligeia counters that someone who speaks the language of demons is a witch; because Hadrian speaks the Cielcin language, her comment implies that Hadrian should also be eliminated. Hoping to stop the conversation, Valka suggests that Hadrian tell a story.

Hadrian fabricates a story about a childhood experience with an uncle. In his tale, he claims to have witnessed a pit fight between a mongoose and a snake. He bet on the snake to win and was surprised when the mongoose won. His uncle explained that the mongoose is a “great [hunter] of snakes” (451). More importantly, the fight organizer altered the mongoose to make it immune to the snake’s venom, thereby increasing its odds. Hadrian claims that the moral of the story is that “you never know which men are snakes and which are mongeese. Not until you bite—or have been bitten” (452).

Later, Hadrian walks through the palace courtyard and once again encounters Gilliam. Accusing Hadrian of insulting his mother and of attacking their family’s dignity, Gilliam hits Hadrian. Hadrian’s alias requires that he accept the insult rather than demanding justice. Hadrian asks why Gilliam has singled him out for harassment. Gilliam again accuses Hadrian of heresy and of colluding with Valka, whom he calls “that backspace whore” (458). Hadrian understands that the true core of Gilliam’s hatred comes from the man’s belief that Hadrian is a spy.

Hadrian and Valka discuss the Calagah ruins over dinner. Valka claims that the ruins are over 700,000 years old and may be as old as 1 million years. Hadrian does not believe her, reasoning that if the Umandh civilization were really that old, the Umandh would be far older and more advanced than human civilization. Valka suggests that the Umandh did not build the ruins. Hadrian looks at Valka’s photographs of ruins that she has visited on other planets. He notices that the ruins all look the same, sporting enormous monolithic towers of an unidentified black stone. Suddenly, he realizes that these ruins, which span many different planets, were all built by one culture. This means that another species traveled the universe before humans did. This topic is the true focus of Valka’s studies.

The idea that humans are not the first interstellar travelers directly contradicts the core beliefs of the Chantry. The empire’s claims of human supremacy are based on the belief that humans are the oldest and most advanced species and that their supposed primacy in the discovery of space travel gives them to right to conquer the stars. From the Chantry’s perspective, to claim otherwise is to commit heresy. The Chantry must know about this older culture or at least suspect its existence, which is why they control access to technology and information. Valka calls this unknown culture “The Quiet” (469) because the towers they left behind contain no tools, remains, or artifacts. All that remains aside from the structures themselves are carvings like the circular anaglyphs of the Umandh and the Cielcin. Hadrian is shocked that the Chantry has not already executed Valka, but she explains that the diplomatic suites are exempt from surveillance; she has been on Emesh for years, pursuing this field of study without repercussions.