That night, Paige leaves the tower to meet the Overseer’s Oracle, David, who has summoned her via a psychic message. She meets him outside the library, and they walk together and discuss the Rephs’ strategy of indoctrination. David tells her of his encounter with the Emim. When he and a group of other “pink shirts” (those voyants who have passed the first of their two tests) battled the creature, at least one died, but the rest survived and were awarded their red jackets. David tells her that Nashira has been raiding the Syndicate in search of “higher order” voyants because she fears the mime-lords and wants to capture and control the more accomplished voyants for herself. From this information, Paige can see that David clearly despises the Rephaim and would love to overthrow them. Paige then asks about the rebellion from Bone Season XVIII, and David explains that a group of Rephs rose up against Nashira but were betrayed, and the rebellion was crushed, with all but two humans devoured by the Emim. (One survivor was a small girl whom they assume did not survive.)

David walks Paige back to Magdalen and hands her an envelope, saying only, “See if you can make anything of it” (166).