The Book of the Long Sun

xodus from the Long Sun is the fourth and final volume of The Book of the Long Sun. Here's a short synopsis of what has happened previously:

Nightside of the Long Sun

Patera Silk, the young priest presiding over a manteion in one of Viron's poorer neighborhoods, learns that the manteion is about to be closed. The Chapter owed taxes on it, and the city has sold it to a citizen named Blood. When he prays for help, a minor god known only as the Outsider instructs him to save the manteion.

Silk tries to break into Blood's estate, but he breaks his ankle and is captured. After Blood's physician, Doctor Crane, treats Silk's injuries, Blood offers a deal -- if Silk can raise twice the amount Blood paid for the manteion within a month, he'll return it to the Chapter.

But Blood also wants Silk to perform an exorcism at a brothel where something has been possessing the women. Silk agrees, and discovers the brothel has one of the monitors, called Sacred Windows, upon which the gods on very rare occasions appear. Before he has a chance to perform the exorcism, Orpine, daughter of Orchid, the brothel's madam, is murdered by a client. Then at the exorcism, the minor goddess Kypris appears and says she is being hunted, but promises to return with a prophecy.

Lake of the Long Sun

The last calde of Viron was deposed by the Ayuntamiento, and now there's an underground movement secretly painting notices calling for the restoration of the Charter, and promoting Silk for the office. Silk's superiors are suspicious, and they assign a young priest to spy on Silk.

But Silk is preoccupied with finding the money to save the manteion. After Orpine's funeral, Chenille, one of the women he befriended at Orchid's, suggests they try to get the money from Doctor Crane. She tells him that he's a spy, and that she has passed secrets from a city commissioner to him.

Chenille tells him this commissioner has visited Lake Limna to meet with councillors from the Ayuntamiento. Silk, with Chenille and his thief-friend Auk, decide to travel to Lake Limna looking for evidence. But there, they get separated, and Silk discovers the network of underground tunnels at the Shrine of Scylla, patron goddess of Viron.

As his friends look for him, he discovers in the tunnels that there is a universe outside the Whorl, and hints that the Whorl is really a giant spaceship sent to colonize another world. But he is captured by the Ayuntamiento's army, who have also captured Doctor Crane. Lemur, the leader of the Ayuntamiento, interrogates them. But Crane seizes a weapon and kills Lemur, and they escape.

Calde of the Long Sun

Chenille, Auk, and two others sail on Lake Limna to Scylla's shrine, looking for Silk. But at the shrine, Scylla possesses Chenille and orders them to help Silk, but resist the efforts of Kypris to take her city. Then Scylla's servant leads them into the tunnels.

Meanwhile, Silk has accepted that he has been chosen to be calde. But it's apparent that the Ayuntamiento has no intention of allowing the Charter to be restored peacefully. And to further complicate matters, Echidna, the mother of the gods, appears at Silk's manteion and orders the citizens of Viron to take up arms against the Ayuntamiento and tear down the prison. One of Silk's sybils, Maytera Mint, becomes the leader of the mob.

Troops loyal to the Ayuntamiento capture Silk. But the commanding officer, Oosik, doesn't tell them, and Silk convinces him to defect. He lets Silk escape. Meanwhile, Mint's army is winning the war against the Ayuntamiento troops.

Silk ends up back at Blood's, captured again by the Ayuntamiento. Councilor Potto tries to threaten him into relinquishing the office of calde, but Silk refuses to agree to his terms. Blood's estate has been surrounded by Mint's and Oosik's troops, who are threatening to attack. In a struggle, Silk kills Blood, and to his surprise, one of the soldiers guarding him shoots Potto. He's free again, but his friends are still lost in the tunnels, and he faces the task of trying to restore peace while looking for them.

ack to Off the Shelf.