The second day, much like the first, passed through the same motions. Ajab noticed, too, that the bandages on Elmah were gradually disappearing. Then came the third day—the day of burial.
The day broke beneath a gloom all its own, as though the sky itself had taken to mourning.
Omah, the capital of Izz, was never short of movement, of people arriving and departing. Yet the days of mourning had stilled it into an unnatural quiet—something ordinarily impossible. The influx of dignitaries had grown with each passing day, and today marked its peak. Common citizens did not attend, observing instead from their distant regions, while only those required before the King—Dukes, Officials, and Generals—gathered in such numbers that the silent city felt thick with presence.
