Heir

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child death.

The coins magically given to Quil and Sirsha when they take their Adah oath are a physical manifestation of the relationship that builds between them throughout the novel. When they first receive the coins—Quil’s in silver and Sirsha’s in gold—they have no design. While examining hers, Sirsha notes: “If she’d genuinely chosen Quil as her Adah, it would be a source of comfort, its gold surface intricately patterned to symbolize their vow […] Instead, the coin was dull, flat, and unpleasantly heavy” (222). This type of oath is the closest thing the Jaduna have to marriage. If the two did have a connection, their coins would reflect that. However, they are total strangers at this point and only swore the oath to save Sirsha from execution. Sirsha is wary of Quil’s intentions due to her past, while Quil resents the idea of being tethered to someone who outright lies and deflects to get what she wants. Their relationship is functional and necessary but devoid of genuine emotional investment. The coin, though binding them together, does not yet reflect the complexity or intimacy that will come to define their partnership.