The Stars Have Cold Fingers

No matter what time of year a child is born, invisible rays behind them soar upwards in the Month of Birth — that is why the count of human existence is measured by the springs lived. The day of the vernal equinox grants the triune soul a connection to the sky. Until the end of their time on Orto, a person with solar reins can count on the help of the gods.

Since the Autumn of the Storm, when the high priest Sandal brought a newborn girl to the yurt of Manikhai and Lakhsa, almost ten springs have passed. They named her Ilinè, and she grew up bright-faced, lively, and quick in household affairs, much to her adoptive mother's delight.
But not a day went by without Sandal remembering his grave deed. By separating Ilinè from her true father — the warlord Khorсун, the priest wanted to punish him for his arrogance. He was not seeking revenge for himself, but for the White Creator — this is how Sandal reassured himself during sleepless nights.

Meanwhile, the fearsome wanderer returned to the valley of the Elen River to prepare for the reconfiguration of the earthly world. And only the indifferent stars took notice of him.