Theremon salvages raw meat and attempts to cook it. However, he fails to build a fire before he is discovered by a group of strangers. They destroy his woodpile and tell him that starting fires is against the law. They restrain Theremon and take the raw meat as a fine. Theremon attempts to fight back.

Another group arrives, led by a woman who claims to be from the Fire Patrol. The woman absolves Theremon of his apparent crime since there is no evidence that a fire was actually started. She also forces the other men to leave Theremon and the meat behind. After they leave, the woman is revealed to be Siferra.

Siferra explains that she has become a Fire Patrol officer, which she describes as being “as close as there is to a new local government” (228). Theremon is skeptical about the Fire Patrol, but Siferra notes that at least they aren’t as bad as the Apostles, who have disappeared since the eclipse. When Siferra tells him about another faction that blames the astronomers for the Stars, Theremon expresses his regret over writing against the scientists. Siferra consoles him by acknowledging his sincerity at the time and telling him to engage with their situation in the present.