Idaan Machi

Idaan Machi is the only daughter of the Khai Machi. She now lives in exile as Sian Noygu and is married to Cehmai.

A Betrayal in Winter

Idaan is described as a plain woman who could be the most beautiful woman in Machi due to her skill with cosmetics. She is known to be rebellious and irreverent, and dismissive of gender roles. These were all allowed by the Khai Machi since she was his favorite child. As a daughter he did not have to worry about her eventual death at the hands of one of her brothers. However, this dismissive attitude as well as her bitterness at not being able to do more in life causes her to plot to kill her family and install her husband as Khai Machi.

She is first seen after the death of Biitrah, her oldest brother, visiting his widow and seemingly being consumed by grief. It is then revealed that she is actually working with the Galts and her lover, Adrah Vauyanti, so that Adrah can succeed the Khai and the Galts can gain access to the Khai's library. Idaan is frustrated and impatient at Adrah's nervousness and fear of being discovered and plots how to eliminate her last two brothers. When Maati comes to study the Khai's library she is fearful because she does not know it is a cover for Maati's true mission. She tells the Galt assassin Oshai to kill Maati but he fails and is captured. Idaan tries to convince Adrah and his father to take action and mocks them for their cowardice. They decide to follow her plan to set a fire in the tunnels where Oshai is kept and break him out during the confusion but find that they cannot open the locks on his cage. They resort to killing him to silence him and sneak back out. Idaan and Cehmai start an affair when Idaan realizes she can be herself in front of Cehmai and sees him as innocent while Cehmai has loved Idaan for awhile.

Adrah goes before the Khai to ask for permission to marry Idaan and is granted it. The Khai tells Idaan he wants her to be happy and she is struck by his sincerity and frailty and hopes that he dies soon so that he never knows what she has become. Adrah and Idaan's relationship further devolves when Idaan tells Adrah that he can take concubines even though they had originally agreed that he would not. Adrah responds that if he can take more lovers than she would expect to too and confronts her about Cehmai, which she neither confirms nor denies.

Later, when Otah is locked in the Khai's tower, Adrah proposes to kill the Khai and blame it on Otah which will goad Danat to ride out in order to avenge the Khai and can then be ambushed. Idaan originally dismisses his plan and is very opposed to killing her father but Adrah reminds her how her plan to free Oshai failed and gains her support. Idaan regrets not admitting her affair with Cehmai because she believes this is Adrah's way of punishing her. The murder of her father seems to destroy what is left of Idaan and Adrah's relationship.

Danat is goaded by Idaan to ride out and hunt down Otah and she goes with him. While the rest of their group is away she shoots him with a cross bow. When they return they find her cradling Danat and singing dirges and accept that Otah has killed Danat.

The families of the utkhaiem now vie for who will become Khai and it appears that Adrah's house has more support than expected for a weak and poor house. It becomes apparent that the Galts have been making terrible trade dealsto buy support for House Vauyanti. On the day of the vote someone releases wasps in the assembly room and everyone panics and flees. Adrah later confronts her angrily saying that while he won't bar her from having an affair with Cehmai she has now made it as good as public when she called out his name in the stampede. She later goes to Cehmai, overburdened by the secrets and deaths she is responsible for and tells Cehmai everything because she believes the promise he made that he will protect her.

During the assembly, when she realizes Cehmai has betrayed her, she jumps from the balcony she is standing on and breaks her ankle but continues to try to run towards Cehmai and claw at him. She is taken away by guards and imprisoned.

In the epilogue it is revealed that her husband and his family were destroyed but Otah refused to execute her. After imprisoning her for a time, Otah has Sinja transport her to Chanburi Tan to live in secrecy so that he does not have to execute her. He makes her promise that she will never reveal her identity or plot against him again or else he will kill her and she responds that she has no wish to and that Machi is as ashes in her mouth now.

The Price of Spring

Idaan has been living under the name of Sian Noygu with her husband Cehmai, who found her while she was working as a judge. She says that she did a lot of good but felt ironic that she was dispensing justice. After Maati goes to Cehmai asking for help Idaan goes to Otah to warn him that the poets were coming back and would not be loyal to the Empire. She works with him to discover who is backing Maati and comes to the conclusion that it is Eiah. She is sent to Parthai to try to find Eiah and offers to kill her but is forbidden by Otah.

When Otah rides out to find Eiah and Maati himself, Idaan meets him outside of Parthai with Ashti Beg. En route, she comforts Ana, who is pregnant.

When they reach Udun and Eiah is attempting to bind Wounded Eiah snaps at Idaan to stop constantly mentioning how she killed her father and guilting people.

In the Epilogue, she has found her place in the world and found the family she has always wanted. She says that if anyone tries to hurt her family she will kill them.