The Toll

Citra, also known as Scythe Anastasia, is aboard The Spence, headed to SubSahara for refuge. She asks Jeri about Rowan, and from Jeri’s silence, understands that Rowan has been captured. She feels sick with misery. Jeri tells her that her devotion to Rowan is inexplicable. She tells Jeri that Jeri knows nothing about Rowan. The conversation turns to Jerico’s Madagascan roots and gender-fluid identity: Jerico is a man under the clouds and a woman under clear skies. Jeri finds Anastasia’s frankness on the subject refreshing.

Meanwhile, Rowan is taken to North Merica and revived. He is tied to a glass column in the center of Goddard’s chalet. Goddard and Ayn visit Rowan. Goddard’s happiness on seeing Rowan seems partly genuine; Rowan realizes it is because Goddard has the body of Tyger, Rowan’s best friend. Tyger’s body has retained its muscle memory. However, Goddard’s plans are less than friendly. He wants to glean Rowan publicly to make an example out of him. Once people watch Rowan, whom everyone believes is responsible for sinking Endura, die, their faith in Goddard will be infinitely enhanced. Goddard asks Ayn to keep a close watch over Rowan.

After Goddard leaves, Ayn asks Rowan why he did not tell Goddard that it was she who set him free on Endura. Rowan tells her he kept quiet to pay her back for her favor. Now they are even. Rowan is more interested in knowing when Ayn will realize Goddard is destroying the world. Scythes were meant to make the world a better place for people; Goddard is making people serve scythes instead. Ayn suspects Rowan is right but cannot admit this even to herself.

In SubSahara, Citra/Anastasia is hosted by High Blade Tenkamenin (Tenka) in his palace, the Pleasure Dome. Anastasia insists Jeri be treated with the same courtesy. Touched, Jeri decides to stay with Anastasia for a few more days, even though Jeri was supposed to return after safely dropping her. Meanwhile, Tenka tells her that he has come across extremely important information that he wants her to discover for herself. Tenka hands Anastasia an origami swan as a clue.

Goddard invites everyone around the world to a stadium in Mile High City to watch the public execution of Rowan. People accept the invitation because they blame Rowan not just for the sinking of Endura, but also the silence of the Thunderhead.

Goddard travels to Mile High City with Rowan and the scythes in an enormous motorcade. Even though Rowan pretends nonchalance, he grows melancholy at the prospect of the pain in store for him. He tries to distract himself with thoughts of Citra, thankful that she at least is probably in a better place than he is.

Written inside the swan are three dates, which Citra figures are linked with the destruction of the moon, Mars, and the NewHope orbital colonies (The Thunderhead established these colonies to solve the problem of overpopulation, but the colonies were annihilated, ostensibly due to technical issues). Citra researches the Thunderhead’s enormous backbrain for leads and finds the name “Carson Lusk.” Lusk is listed as a survivor of the Mars disaster, yet no records remain of him. Meanwhile, she notes that though Tenka is a warm host, his method of gleaning—giving people their heart’s desire before killing them—is still cruel.

One day, Tenka toys with Jeri, asking him his final wish. Knowing that this is the question Tenka asks people before gleaning them, Citra leaves the dinner table with Jeri. She asks Jeri to kiss her new scythe ring—given to her by Possuelo— so he has immunity from gleaning for a year. Jeri refuses because Jeri cannot be indebted to anyone, not even to Scythe Anastasia. Citra asks Jeri for news on Rowan. Jeri tells her Rowan is alive for now, but even the Thunderhead cannot know what will happen tomorrow. Citra understands from the cryptic answer that something terrible may be about to happen to Rowan, and there is nothing she can do to intervene.

Ayn cannot understand why Goddard must glean Rowan publicly. She tells the Overblade he is being excessive, but he dismisses her, warning her against angering him. He tells Ayn he wants Rowan to be gleaned in this fashion because “it’s entertaining to [him]” (311).

Rowan wonders if his mother and siblings are still alive. He does not want them to watch him die, but perhaps they too hate him for his purported crimes. When Rowan gleaned scythes as Lucifer, he did so painlessly, but Goddard will show him no such mercy. Rowan prepares himself for his imminent death. The tech who is to execute Rowan wands off his pain nanites so Rowan can experience the fullest agony of burning. The tech sadistically shows off the three-story pyramid of wood on which Rowan will be burnt. Ayn appears on the scene and asks the tech to leave. She tells Rowan to breathe in the flames when they reach him to hasten his painful death, gags him, and leaves. Unknown to Ayn, three Texan scythes appear next to Rowan, cut his bonds, and whisk him away.

Ayn cannot stop thinking of the painful fate that awaits Rowan at 7 pm, the hour ordained for his gleaning. At the assigned time, Goddard announces the execution grandly, but Constantine draws his attention to the giant screens placed around the stadium. The figure on top of the burning pyramid on the screens is not Rowan, but the tech who was to execute him.

Goddard erupts in fury at the discovery of Rowan’s escape and turns his anger on the 30,000 people present in the stadium. He yells in the microphones that the gleaning was about them, and not Rowan, all along. He had deliberately invited them there to test their appetite for voyeurism. They failed the test, and will now be gleaned. The stunned audience tries to escape, but Goddard’s scythes are all around.

Ayn begs Goddard to take back his orders, but he pushes her away. Meanwhile, Constantine shows mercy and kills the tech on top of the burning pyre to spare him a painful end. Later, Goddard tells Ayn that everything worked out in his favor after all since from now on people are bound to respect him out of fear. Ayn stays quiet but knows that nothing will work out in anyone’s favor from this point on.