“To say that Joka was furious would be an understatement. He, the son of the ruler and the future ruler himself, was not even asked! As luck would have it, this happened on the eve of the cherished night when he would be named the legal heir, when he would become a full co-owner of the Lower Mosses. Why, the young man gritted his teeth, did his father not say a word against when the priests doomed Elina as a Gift to the Ruler of the Three Hills? - Why? - he demanded an answer when the priests retired to the guest chambers. The father was not alone. Joka did not know the woman's name and did not seek to find out. Her head was shaved, and her whole body from head to toe shone with gold...”