Row 5 · 1
Counting in sevens
The Code counts nights, and it counts them in sevens. Its digits are marks under the notch, and its places run 1, 7, 49 and 343.
| Digit | Marks under the notch | Word |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | a ring | o |
| 1 | one dot | ti |
| 2 | two dots | nes |
| 3 | three dots | rum |
| 4 | four dots, set as a diamond | kas |
| 5 | a bar | mot |
| 6 | a bar and one dot | nir |
Seven is khi, a full row. Forty-nine, seven sevens, is khe: a square of nights. Three hundred and forty-three is khu, the full count. The biggest place is written first, as in English.
| Place | Value | Word |
|---|---|---|
| first (rightmost) | 1 | (the digit alone) |
| second | 7 | khi |
| third | 49 | khe |
| fourth | 343 | khu |
The Hotel’s own catalogue numbers its worlds in decimal; the ledger numbers them in sevens. The two never quite agree on how a number looks.
Try it
One exercise draws on a later chapter and is hidden at your spoiler level.