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Summary
Chapters 21 & 22
Chapter 21
Alina walks through town and the remnants of the Belyanoch celebration, ruminating on her connection with the Darkling and her distance from everything she loves. Outside Os Alta, the pilgrims await the dawn while chanting variations of her name, including Rebe Dva Stolba, meaning Daughter of the Two Mills. Their fanaticism returns Alina to her senses and sends her back into town, but she is intercepted when an old woman recognizes Morozova’s collar. Alina is surrounded, borne aloft, and in danger of being torn to pieces when Tolya rescues her. They reenter the city with Tamar’s help, and the guards barricade the gates against a frenzied pilgrim riot. They find a hungover Mal when they return to the palace. Tolya and Tamar accuse him of abandoning his shift protecting Alina. Alina orders a meeting with them and Nikolai in the war council, where she suggests that the Two Mills might be the site of the ancient ruins of the arch in the image of Sankta Ilya and the firebird. Over Alina’s objections, Mal volunteers to track it.
Chapter 22
Mal and Alina attend Nikolai’s birthday dinner, held in the Eagle’s Nest, a massive chamber whose ceiling depicts Ravka’s golden double eagle in all its splendor. The table is packed with the Ravkan family, its nobility, and its military leaders. Despite the city’s poverty, the dinner is lavish, including a fawn-shaped gelatin mold. As Nikolai is toasted, Alina stares at Mal, distraught at the distance between them. The nichevo’ya bite at her shoulder begins to itch and throb. Nikolai reassures her as the toasts continue. Finally, Vasily toasts Nikolai and announces that he was on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the King, and successfully brokered a peace deal with Fjerda. In return for western port access, troop support along the southern border, and reopened logging roads in the north, the Fjerdans promise to come to Ravka’s aid against the Darkling. Nikolai accuses Vasily of ordering their northern defenses to stand down and opening an access route to the Darkling. Nikolai notes that while Fjerda is not present to celebrate the treaty, all of Ravka’s leaders are, making them a perfect target for the Darkling.
His suspicions prove correct. Alarms sound throughout Os Alta, and the Eagle’s Nest is filled with nichevo’ya. Nikolai protects the King, and Mal stands by Alina. Saber held high, Vasily charges, but the nichevo’ya rip off his arm, and he falls down dead as Nikolai leads the King and Queen to safety. Under cover from Alina’s Cut, Nikolai heads for the Kingfisher while Mal and Alina head for the Little Palace, which swarms with nichevo’ya. Paja, one of the Materialki chosen for Alina’s Grisha council, lies dead on the front lawn under one of the mirrors as soldiers from the First Army fire on the enemy from the roof. Mal and Alina scale the stairs to join the attack, but they only manage one amplified Cut before the nichevo’ya descend en masse on the remaining mirror. The Grisha manning it barely escape before it’s destroyed. Mal and Alina cover the remaining Grisha as they retreat to the Hall, although they have to drag Sergei away from the corpse of Marie, an Etherealki. The room is sealed, and the few remaining Grisha discuss their dwindling options. Zoya suggests they fight their way to upper town, and the others agree. They burst from the room using grenatki and Alina’s Cut to discover a pilgrim army laying undercover, led by Tolya and Tamar.
Analysis
Vasily’s betrayal of Ravka is not so much sinister as it is a catastrophic mix of ignorance and arrogance. Vasily can be cruel, but his dismissal of other people’s pain arises from his self-absorption and not necessarily from evil intent. Vasily squandered his young adult life, favoring horse racing and hunting parties over training and education. Even after the Darkling brought Ravka to its knees, Vasily had delegated the work of governance to counselors and ministers. This leaves him ignorant of the nuances necessary to broker strong and trustworthy alliances. Vasily is simply unprepared for the hard work of planning and negotiating, so he takes a shortcut. Meanwhile, Nikolai and Alina know the risks the Darkling would face approaching either from Shu or Fjerda and have established many outposts and instituted early warning systems. But Vasily assumes the Darkling will wage a traditional battle with a vast array of soldiers and weapons on a long march. In his arrogance and stupidity, he refuses to acknowledge Nikolai and Alina’s experience and he does not consider the possibility of betrayal by a cheaply bought ally. Nevertheless, his schemes result in the downfall of the royal family, the destruction of Os Alta, and his own demise.
Alina’s fears of the Darkling, his power, and their connection reveal to her the strongest weapon in her arsenal once she finally learns how to wield it. Ever since the Darkling bound Alina with the stag collar, he has shared in her power. He further binds her with a bite from his nichevo’ya, so each time Alina feels the Darkling’s apparition nearing, this bite begins to throb and itch. In addition, Alina has been haunted by the Darkling’s apparitions, making her uncertain whether she is losing her mind or falling under his spell—possibilities she finds equally frightening. But in these chapters, she realizes that their bond could also give her an unexpected advantage: if the stag collar allows him to access her power, it can allow her to access his. To date, the Darkling has wielded her power, but she has not even contemplated what it would mean to tap into his. One thing she knows for sure is that just as her use of the light strengthens her, his use of the dark weakens him, making his power a possible weapon. In his presence and assured of their connection, she makes this last logical leap and uses it to her advantage.
Any ambiguities about the characters’ loyalties are swiftly resolved now that war is upon Ravka. Mal and Alina remain in lockstep, as they have been since their youth in Keramzin. Although Nikolai has prepared the army and the people extensively for war, he has also prepared for a strategic retreat. He now enacts that arm of the plan, protecting his family and those leaders who hold power but cannot fight, ensuring a legacy of leadership for Ravka should it survive. Although Baghra has disappointed Alina in her quest for the firebird, she still ensures the old woman has a seat on the Kingfisher, remembering their former friendship. Suspiciously, Tolya and Tamar are absent, and their absence reminds Alina of her former doubts. She fears that they have aligned with the Apparat and the pilgrims in an effort to move against her, and she is grateful to be proven wrong when she sees them leading a pilgrim army in order to defend and protect her. However, she remains suspicious, since the loyalties a person shows during life-and-death moments represent their true colors. Tolya’s and Tamar’s loyalties are religious, not Ravkan.
