Summary

In Chapter 8, the narration returns to the third person point of view. Syen is frustrated because Alabaster, her mentor, falls asleep regularly in the saddle as they ride. She does not realize until several days have passed that he is tired because he is quelling the shakes around them. Several more days go by before she asks him why he is doing it since she was taught in school not to quell the micro-shakes. He explains that he is easing the burden on the node maintainers, orogenes stationed on outposts to keep areas near hot spots quiet. She understands it is a position given to orogenes with little control. When she comments to Alabaster that these people probably need something to do he realizes she had never been to a node. He tells her that he believes all roggas should visit one.

The...