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Mal represents a past that grows increasingly distant as he and Alina return to Os Alta and prepare to face the Darkling. Initially, he is Alina’s center, her grounding force in the foreign world of Novyi Zem. Highly adaptable, he interacts comfortably with the sailors and townspeople and carries himself with confidence. But that attitude changes when Alina takes on the sea dragon amplifier, leaving Mal in awe of her new power and a little bit afraid of her. As Alina seeks the firebird and returns to Os Alta, Mal becomes increasingly irrelevant in her new life. Whereas Alina transitions from orphan to leader, Mal finds his status as an outcast continually reinforced. Mal becomes defined by who and what he is not: not a Grisha, not a royal, not Nikolai, not the Darkling, and not even Alina’s lover—just an otkazat’sya, a commoner. At times he lashes out, and his temper gets the best of him. But he hurts only himself, and it is a testament to his character that he remains true to Alina.
