Summary

Part V is titled “Here Be Dragons” and it opens with an anonymous quote from The Man'yoshu that reads, “Whose word did he fondly follow, That he dared this perilous voyage, These raging seas?” (621). Chapter 58 is titled “West.” Loth will be sailing across the Abyss, the stretch of black ocean that separates the continents. He winds up on the Rose Eternal again, captained by Gian Harlowe. (Gian is the man who reportedly had an affair with Sabran's mother and could be Sabran's biological father, though he never admits to it.) During the voyage, a crew member named Thim teaches Loth about the Lacustrine customs and language. The country is called the Empire of the Twelve Lakes, and is ruled by Dranghien Lakseng, who is known as the Unceasing Emperor. One day, Gian points out a sound to Loth, and identifies it...