Hello and welcome dear CCL readers-I take the reins from u/Neutrino3000 as we head towards the end of this epic saga. Please be patient with me as I’m posting from my phone as I travel!

This section is beginning to clarify some of the threads holding this story together. Both Anna and Omeir are fleeing west to escape the siege and will potentially be the source of the book, later discovered and translated by Zeno, who might have a connection to the version read by Kostance's father.

Chapter Summaries:

Chapter 13- Aethon escapes as a crow from the leviathan that had swallowed him. He is caught by a spout of it's water and sent towards the moon, dreaming of the peace of his old life in Arkadia.

Anna's sister, Maria, is now blind and ill. Anna continues to read CCL to Maria to sooth her. In Constantinople, the Hodegetria, a Byzantine icon, said to safeguard the city is paraded around the city until a storm breaks up the procession and the icon falls face down. Lightning hits the Hagia Sophia. Maria dies as Anna creates the missing passages in CCL, by remembering the scenes from Ulysses arriving on Circe's island. Anna keeps the last piece of embroidery Maria was working on before she dies, showing five birds and blooming vines. Funeral rites are carried out for her. Anna continues her work rebuilding the walls but morale is suffering. Chryse takes her aside, offering her the benefit of her experience, and cuts her hair, gives her provisions-and of course, Maria's embroidered Samite hood, and her precious CCL book as she hides to escape. Widow Theodora and the other women take deadly nightshade and leave this world for a better one. Anna takes Himerius's sack and boat as the siege begins-dreaming of heading to Scheria or Urbino or CCL. She has a last look at Constantinople as she drifts away.

Meanwhile, Omeir is distraught by the death of Moonlight, who dies suddenly (not Tree with the bad leg). Moonlight is slaughtered to feed the troops. He thinks about his Grandfather that night. He finds Tree in bad shape in the morning and he joins his brother. Without oxen, Omeir is reassigned to latrine duty. The siege looks to be entering the final stages of preparation with the walls of Constantinople weakening and the most inexperienced forces expected to be sent over first. He is homesick and prompted by something deep inside of him, takes the halters of his oxen and quietly escapes from the camp, heading back towards Edirne as the first wave of soldiers are sent over.

Chapter 14- Aetheon is taken into the high heavens and glimpses golden towers, far from earth below.

Konstance searches the Library for Cloud Cuckoo Land and Antonius Diogenes, receiving back many entries but not the version translated by Zeno that her father had-the limitations of the Library and Sybil becoming suddenly apparent. Instead, she searches for Zeno Ninis. The Library offers her a lot of information on Zeno's life, from Korea to his death in 2020, protecting the school kids and library. There is nothing about Cloud Cuckoo Land. She dreams of her own hidden library-separate from Sybil's store of knowledge. She works on creating ink from the resources available to her and memorizing texts from the Library. She turns 14 in Vault 1- trapped by Sybil in there for 276 days. She tried to understand more by traveling to Lakeport Public Library in the Atlas-and finds Seymour's owl return box, which she can touch. It starts to snow.

Zeno plans his trip to London to see Rex and Hillary in 1971.Hillary (as some predicted) is a flamboyant man who picks him up at the airport. He and Rex live together in a one-bedroom flat. Rex arrives and they catch up in a fashion, never discussing their shared time in Korea. Rex shows him a book he has written, focusing on ancient texts that have been lost to time. Zeno is jet lagged and heart broken. His is taken around London by the pair, Rex continuing to talk about his time in Egypt, sorting Oxyrhynchus. Zeno dreams of Hillary and Rex breaking up and of confessing his feelings to Rex. They take him out to a club for a birthday party, introducing him to gin and the swinging gay scene-which overwhelms Zeno and he flies back home the next day, carrying Rex's book, Compendium, along with a Greek-English lexicon, with Rex gives him to encourage him to return to translating.

Meanwhile, in 2019, Seymour becomes obsessed with Bishop's lectures on militant environmentalism. Marian the librarian has a surprise planned-an owl-shaped return box for Seymour but he misses the dedication. Bunny is fired from her job but has taken out a pay-day loan and brought him a "Ilium" tablet and smart speaker; they don't have internet. Janet, his only friend, is annoyed he is always on her phone as his obsession with Bishop spirals and he stops his medication. He breaks into one of the Eden's Gate townhouses and steals a modem and cake for Bunny's birthday. He is about to smash the window of a motor home with the motor running when Janet stops him.

Chapter 15- Aetheon, as a crow, lands in Cloud Cuckoo Land and two owls stop him and entreat him to solve a riddle to enter.

Seymour, in 2020, hears a thud upstairs. Sharif is blocking the stairs with his body. He goes upstairs, entering the Children's Section. He comes across the detritus of the children's play and begins to read the CCL script, having a vision of Trustyfriend. Sharif shouts he has his backpack.

Zeno tries to keep the children hidden and silent upstairs as Seymour arrives.

Chapter 16- Aetheon accidentally solves the riddle of the owls by confessing he knows nothing and is allowed to enter.

Anna hits the rocks and is dumped in the water, managing to save her meager belongings and make it to shore. She has not gotten very far floating in the night. Avoiding soldiers she tries to rest and make her way quickly through the undergrowth, avoiding villages and people. She finds a fire with a roasting bird on it that beguiles her appetite and is about to eat it when she is hit on the head.