In this chapter, we are introduced to a new character, the "child of light" . The child of light is a person who is healing from an injury and who will appear wherever the tower rises. In this case, it is the boy who was sentenced to death and who was shot in the abdomen. He is the child of the light, and he has been searching for him for many years. He finally finds him. He tells the boy to "bite what's you stop" and to "get offa me" , but the boy refuses, saying that he will "swallow every last drop" soon enough. The boy tells the corporal that he has all the luggage on board, and the corporal tells him to "whip no un" and not to leave anything behind. The corporal says that they're good, and that he's not going to die in a "crash" after coming all this way. He says that he won't leave a drop of blood on his body, so he'll become the son of light.