Castrima spends two days preparing on the edge of the desert. They prepare what food they have left, make alterations to their storage wagons so that they will pull more easily in the sand, and redistribute supplies so that losing a wagon will not be critical. Ykka and Essun know there will be heavy losses, but Essun is committed to helping them in whatever ways she can.

The night before they enter the desert, Danel, the former Rennanis general and one of the prisoners Ykka freed, tells Essun that she has heard she plans to end the Season and volunteers to go with her. She reveals that before being a general in the Rennanis army, she was actually of the lorist caste. She claims she can tell when new stories are being written and wants to be there to witness and record them. However, Essun does not trust Danel and is reluctant to accept her offer. Later, after Essun has sex with Lerna for the first time, he tells her that he is planning to go with her as well.

During the march through the desert, Essun’s menstrual cycle stops. She feels herself slowly becoming detached from reality and does not feel much of anything, even hunger or tiredness.