The Last Mapmaker

Afraid that Grebe will recognize her and reveal her true family origins to everyone, Sai pretends that she is still stricken by seasickness so that she can avoid him. Meanwhile, Paiyoon has brought along every book, chart, ship log, and captain’s diary that he could find containing information about the regions south of the equator. He must read and assimilate all of it to advise the captain on the best course to set. One day, Paiyoon shows Sai several objects that appear to be embroidered handkerchiefs but are actually fishermen’s maps. Made with mottlefish ink on silk, the maps are incredibly resilient, but few people in Mangkon remember this old method of mapmaking. The oldest map depicts an unlabeled chain of islands with a dragon snaking through them.

Sai is inspired to cut her hair into a bob, just like Rian’s. Since her hair is now too short to pull back, the wind on deck blows it into her face, obscuring her features so that Grebe will not recognize her. One day, Sai is on deck taking latitude readings when Rian talks to her for the first time, complimenting her haircut. Sai notices that Rian’s lineal has five links. Rian tells her that it is the Lineal of Honor, which the queen awards for acts of great bravery. In the war, Rian explains, she was nearly killed saving Captain Sangra’s life in battle. Rian also tells Sai that she likes to play cards with the crew at night. At the end of their conversation, Rian calls Sai “little sister” (101).

An all-hands call is given, summoning every crew member and passenger to the deck. In front of the entire crew, a female sailor is brought before Captain Sangra and is accused of theft. She admits to stealing tools and medical supplies, which she planned to sell at the next port. As punishment, she must undergo the Sailor’s Dishonor. For a full day and night, she must stand at the main mast wearing a “thief” sign, and nobody is permitted to give her food, water, or comfort. Afterward, she will be locked in the brig and discharged at the next port. Paiyoon asserts that the punishment is too harsh and will make the young crew fear their captain rather than respecting her; in fact, the punishment may even make them hate her. Sai witnesses Rian secretly passing the dishonored sailor a chunk of bread.

Sai enjoys working on maps with Paiyoon, but two things weigh on her. One is the fear that Grebe will discover her true identity. The other matter involves her dread of returning to An Lung and resuming her hopeless life with Mud. To distract herself from these worries, Sai daydreams about becoming friends with Rian. She can’t imagine that Rian has a background as low as Sai’s, but she knows it is low enough that her family didn’t give her a lineal. Instead, Rian only has the Lineal of Honor from the queen. Contemplating this, Sai realizes that Rian has overcome her station in life, and Sai is eager to learn how this might be accomplished.

After a month of sailing, the ship reaches Pitaya Island, one of Mangkon’s earliest conquests in the war. The passengers are given a few hours to spend in the port town while the ship is loaded with rations and supplies. Rian warns Sai to be careful of swindlers in Pitaya’s market. Sai finds Pitaya to be a diverse place, full of different languages and diverse skin tones. Paiyoon sends Sai to eat, shop, or wander while he sees to his personal business. Sai watches him entering what appears to be a fortune teller’s shop. In the market, Sai catches a boy trying to pick her pocket. An onlooker alerts police, who chase and catch the boy. He curses up a storm and calls Sai a snitch. The insult wounds her sense of loyalty and forces her to question what life must be like for the people in Pitaya.

The ship heads south toward the next planned stop at Fahlin. Rian shows Sai an additional part of the queen’s announcement that wasn’t printed in the newspaper. This section of the announcement states that the purpose of the expedition is to confirm whether a “Great Southern Continent” (134) truly exists. If it does, the expedition is charged with claiming it for Mangkon. Returning with accurate geographical knowledge of the continent will earn the captain another 50,000 leks and a Lineal of Honor. This southern continent is more popularly known as the Sunderlands. Rian says that this information was kept secret from almost everyone on board, but she tells Sai that Paiyoon also knows about it. The Sunderlands can supposedly be found in the middle of the Harbinger Sea, which, according to legend, marks the boundary between the world of humans and the world of spirits. The stories say that humans are forbidden from crossing this body of water, and any that try will be doomed.

Captain Sangra does not want to seek the Sunderlands, for she is battle-weary and longs to return home and enjoy the social benefits of being a hero. She also dislikes the idea of taking unnecessary risks. Rian, on the other hand, wants to achieve new heights of glory and honor. She tells Sai that they have competition and must take advantage of their head start. Claiming that she and Sai are partners in this endeavor, she urges Sai to convince Paiyoon to search for the Sunderlands, knowing that Paiyoon would then be able to convince the captain. Later, Sai finds a stowaway hiding in a closet and recognizes the boy who tried to pick her pocket in Pitaya.

The stowaway runs from Sai. She chases him, but then she helps him avoid being discovered by Mr. Lark. While the boy hides, Mr. Lark tasks Sai with helping to set up his collection nets. When Mr. Lark finally leaves and the boy comes out of hiding, his foot gets caught in a loop of the net, and he is dragged overboard.

Sai finds the boy dangling upside down on the side of the boat, right next to the window of Paiyoon’s cabin. She is unable to haul him up from the deck, so she runs to Paiyoon’s cabin to pull the boy in through the window. He continues to curse and insult her even after she saves him. Nevertheless, Sai agrees not to turn him in and undertakes to help him stay hidden until the next port. The boy introduces himself as Bo. Just before leaving Paiyoon’s cabin, Sai sees a paper with the word Alang written over and over in Paiyoon’s handwriting. Sai doesn’t know what the word means, but it gives her an unsettled feeling.