Scythe

While Citra is being revived, the Thunderhead speaks to her. Citra asks how it happens, since it is illegal for the Thunderhead and scythes to communicate. The Thunderhead tells her that she is currently dead, so the rule does not apply to her. It says that it has been running algorithms about possible futures of the Scythedom, and “in a large percentage of possible futures, [she] play[s] a pivotal role” (334). Even if she is gleaned, the Thunderhead says that will be a critical event in Scythedom’s history.

Citra asks who killed Faraday, but the Thunderhead cannot answer because that would be “a blatant interference in scythe matters” (336), which is illegal. Then the Thunderhead says it can give her a piece of information that she has a 100 percent chance of discovering on her own. It says the person responsible for Faraday’s demise is Gerald Van Der Gans. Then the Thunderhead says good-bye.

Citra is revived and returns to the jurisdiction of the Scythedom. Curie is there. She tells Citra that the Nimbus agents took her far south, where Xenocrates will have a hard time reaching her. Upon Citra’s revival, however,