Summary

In Chapter 14: "A Swarm of Black Flies," Posey reveals she told someone about Charlie’s experience and wants her to meet a graduate student named Madurai Malhar Iyer who studies quickening shadows. Charlie reluctantly agrees and drives them both to the University of Massachusetts. From there, Charlie wonders what would push Vince to run away from a life of ultimate privilege and power.

The two meet Madurai who explains that he started a cultural study of gloamists but later became interested in quickened shadows Madurai believes that, if a gloamist puts pieces of themselves into their shadows, they become conscious long before becoming blights. He asks her to try feeding or moving her shadow, but neither works. However, when he turns on different lights, her shadow does not act as expected. Madurai explains that her shadow is in the process of quickening, and...