Lapvona

Life returns to Lapvona after the rainfall. The people pack up their possessions and return to their homes, willfully forgetting the acts of cannibalism they engaged in to survive and ignoring the deaths of half their population. Villiam sends them so-called gifts of grain and fruit as a celebration, but he adds the cost of these items to their taxes so that he can turn a profit in the long run. Feeling like a ruined man, Jude does not return to Lapvona, choosing instead to live as a vagabond in Ina’s old cave. Ina, by contrast, does return to the village as a medicine woman. She creates tinctures that she claims will return fertility but that are actually made from her urine. Strangely, she has two huge new eyes and can now see; though no one else knows it, the eyes came from Dibra’s horse. Ina feels she has been reborn and is no longer interested in communicating with the birds, choosing to fully integrate into village life.

Marek spends every night in Agata’s bed, but she never shows him any care or attention. Unbeknownst to him, Agata is pregnant again. Agata both hates and pities Jude, believing him to be “stupid” and incapable of an adult relationship, and she sees Jude’s parasitic neediness mirrored in Marek.

Villiam does not mention Dibra’s absence, but the servants move Jacob’s taxidermied animals into Dibra’s old room for storage. Villiam plans to take a new wife and decides to inspect Agata as a candidate. When Agata undresses, he and Father Barnabas realize that she is pregnant. Neither Villiam nor Father Barnabas understands female anatomy, so after examining her, they conclude that she is a virgin who conceived immaculately. Villiam is excited by the prospect of marrying her since this will make him father to the son of God. He assumes that will increase his social status and bring more visitors and development to Lapvona. Father Barnabas seems less convinced by the supposed miracle but doesn’t contradict Villiam. As they inspect Agata’s body, Marek watches in secret. Afterward, he tells Agata, “If you love that baby more than me […] I’ll kill myself” (203).

Villiam decides to throw a large wedding and invite the entire village. He insists that all of the flowers should be red and all of the villagers should dye their clothes red to represent the nobility of Villiam’s bloodline. Villiam conceived his plans for the wedding in a dream and believes that God has favored him.

The only person who does not trust Ina is Grigor, the grandfather of the children whom bandits killed in the spring. Grigor has also begun to suspect Lord Villiam: “How was it logical that the bandits would pillage Lapvona last Easter while the lord sat in his manor with all his riches?” (192). Grigor goes to confession and tells Father Barnabas that he suspects Ina of being a witch, and the priest instructs him to bring her a gift so that she can relieve him of the vague anger he feels toward everyone. When Grigor visits, Ina recognizes him as one of the babies that she nursed. Grigor brings her a gift of canniba (i.e., cannabis), and she asks him to smoke it with her so that they might remember together. In the ensuing conversation, Ina tells Grigor the details of his birth. He initially resists hearing this but slowly realizes that Ina carries more knowledge and memories than anyone else in the village. When Grigor expresses confusion about the bandits and the drought, Ina tells him that Villiam kept the water for himself. They end the visit with Ina inviting Grigor once more to nurse from her.

On the day of the wedding, Villiam and Agata form a processional to the church, trailed by Marek. The villagers are shocked to see Marek alive and well. Marek is overcome with jealousy and anger, and in a violent impulse, throws a rock at Agata and knocks her down. Villiam doesn’t even notice. Ina recognizes Agata and knows that Agata isn’t her real name—simply the name Jude gave her. She also notes that Marek’s actual father is the pilloried bandit who was hanged back in spring, having gleaned this information from the birds. At the wedding, the villagers touch their palms to Agata’s pregnant belly, hoping the holy child will bless them.

On the way back from the wedding, Villiam is exhausted and sits down in the dirt, insisting that only his kin carry him. Marek kneels and carries Villiam on his shoulders, hoping to impress Agata with his strength and usefulness, but Agata refuses to look at him. After growing tired of this, Villiam joins Father Barnabas on horseback and tells him quietly that he loves him. He thinks hopefully of the unborn baby, believing this to be a second chance at fatherhood and hoping to raise this child to be unquestioningly loyal.

Grigor does not attend the wedding, having finally learned the truth of Villiam’s actions. All of his former anger toward Ina now fixates on the lord and the priest. He feels drawn to Ina, finding that their conversations expand his mind and perspective and hoping to learn more from her. He begins to provide for her and hopes that in time he will recognize her beauty.