The Prison Healer

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of sexual violence, self-harm, death, and addiction.

Kiva walks through the medicinal garden and thinks of her father and the first years of their imprisonment. She reflects that this same stomach sickness also appeared in the prison population nine years ago and left hundreds dead, including her father. Kiva wants to finish what Faran started and find the cure that will stop the illness. Kiva writes down everything she knows about the illness, just in case she dies in the trial or has to leave suddenly.

Kiva goes to the refectory to eat because she wants to know how the other prisoners feel about the trial. In their collective attitude, she senses their anger toward Tilda and their anger toward Kiva for failing to find the cause of the stomach sickness. She also overhears that the rebels tried to break into Zalindov but could not get in. As a result of the attempt, the guards have been doubled at the outer perimeter. Kiva is devastated by the information and leaves without eating.

As she is walking away, a guard called Bones makes her come with him to the guards’ barracks. The guards are having a party, and the barracks also contain prisoners in various stages of undress; they are all clearly under the influence of drugs.