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Summary
Chapters 3 & 4
Chapter 3
Alina and company sail far north among the ice floes of the Bone Road. The Darkling summons Alina and confirms her suspicions that he is hunting another amplifier, despite the teachings saying that a Grisha can only have one. The Darkling tells Mal to track the ice dragon, Rusalye, which legend says is a former prince now cursed to inhabit the northern seas. The Darkling threatens to torture Alina to force Mal into compliance, but Stormhund intervenes. The Darkling places a knife to Alina’s cheek, and Mal agrees to help him. Alina fears for Mal and herself in the face of the Darkling’s threats, and she also fears what might happen if they succeed. Ivan pushes her into the captain’s quarters, which the Darkling has made his headquarters after ousting Sturmhond. Alina asks about the Darkling’s scars, and he admits that he got them from the volcra but escaped the Fold because the creatures recognized him as one of their own. Alina reminds the Darkling that his mother, Baghra, always said the amplifiers could not be combined, and Alina wonders what torture he inflicted upon the woman after she helped Alina escape.
The Darkling gives Alina a red book called Istorii Sankt’ya, or The Lives of Saints. Alina had a copy at the Little Palace which was given to her by the Apparat. The Darkling suggests that its simple drawings and stories hold deeper truths about Morozova. The Darkling implies that Alina’s feelings for Mal make her weak, and he acknowledges Alina’s fear that her power will alienate her from Mal and Ravka. When Alina is threatened, Sturmhond steps in, claiming that Alina is under his protection. The Darkling ignores him, angering Sturmhond’s crew. The Grisha are upset that it is taking so long to find their quarry. Daily, the Darkling brings Alina above deck to watch Mal track the sea dragon. Halfway through the week, the Darkling again threatens her to keep Mal motivated. On the sixth day, Genya wakes her with the good news that Mal’s efforts are paying off. As the Grisha slow the ship, Ivan spots another ship closing in on them. Sailors in longboats from a nearby ship enter the water, and Alina and Mal seize the opportunity to check in on one another before Rusalye breaches the waves.
Chapter 4
Alina is surprised that Rusalye is real. The crew and the dragon begin to battle, and they wield harpoons against its whipping tail and open mouth. Alina hears singing and realizes it is the sound of the sea dragon crying out in pain. She wishes that the Darkling would kill it mercifully, but the Sturmhond commands that the sea dragon be netted even as the longboats begin moving away from the whaler and the nearby ship attaches itself to them with grappling hooks. The ship bears a Ravkan flag, and its crew begins barking, yipping, and howling, a chorus in which Sturmhond joins, as he summons these new sailors to him in a fight against the Darkling. Tolya hoists Alina up and, along with Tamar and Mal, they flee for the Ravkan ship. Ivan attacks Tolya as an Inferni advances on Tamar and Mal, but Tamar is revealed to be a Heartrender. She kills the Inferni, and in surprise, Ivan loosens his grip on Tolya, who rises up against him. The two duel until Ivan collapses.
Alina stands transfixed at the sight of Ivan’s body until Genya’s sob startles her. Alina barely stops Tolya from shooting Genya before realizing Genya is pointing a gun at Alina. The Darkling turns on them, Sturmhond wings him in the arm, and Alina begs Genya to escape with them, but Genya refuses. Tolya grabs Alina once more and they escape to the Ravkan ship along with Tamar, Mal, and Sturmhond. The Darkling quickly recovers, so Tamar breaks the chains binding Alina’s hands. She summons light to counter his attack, but he sends nichevo’ya to fight for him. Sturmhond orders the Grisha Squallers to hurry the ship away from the Darkling. Alina wields the Cut, and Mal and the crew shoot the shadow creatures, but they only slow the onslaught. Sturmhond orders his Squallers to draw lightning, and they race beyond the Darkling’s reach.
Analysis
Tracking and hunting have both literal and metaphorical significance in this chapter, which foreshadows major conflicts yet to come. Mal tracks the sea dragon while Sturmhond, the Darkling, and Alina each track their own quarries. Mal has both an innate ability and a practical skill for tracking, so it seems likely that he will be successful tracking Rusalye. By the chapter’s end, however, Mal and his companions have become the quarry, suggesting that Mal’s tracking skills might not be sufficient for the remainder of the mission. The boat that appears to ambush their vessel makes it clear that Stormhund has been closing in on his own quarry, the Darkling. The nature of Sturmhond’s hunt suggests that he might stand with Alina, Ravka, and the forces of good. Meanwhile, Alina is tracking her own power in relation to the Darkling’s. She knows that his power has grown since she last saw him, but she is unsure of its extent and of what might happen should she amplify her own power further. Tracking is the precursor to a hunt, which is symbolized by the battle that ensues in the subsequent chapter. However, each character’s individual hunts suggest much larger battles on the horizon. Mal might face a decline in his usefulness. Sturmhond may join with Alina to hunt the Darkling. Alina could continue chasing power while she pursues the Darkling. For now, each of them lies in wait, testing the edges of their ability and that of their opponents.
Alina is afraid of the Darkling less because of the physical threat he poses to her and more because of the spiritual connection she feels growing between them. The Darkling has now kidnapped her multiple times, yet even the cold steel of the Darkling’s blade pressed against Alina’s cheek does not compare with the dread she feels at sharing power with him. She is far more afraid when he caresses the collar he created and locked around her neck after killing Morozova’s stag. The action summons a power they both find seductive, although for different reasons. The Darkling wishes to wield the power to bring the Fold under his control, whereas Alina knows that the Fold cannot be controlled, only destroyed. Alina is instead enchanted by the fact that her power makes it possible to free herself from the Darkling’s grasp, but she fears that fully devoting herself to her destiny will change her future in ways she is not ready to accept.
Alina’s newly amplified power gives her a tremendous sense of fulfillment but drives a wedge between her and Mal. As a mortal, Mal is destined to grow old and die. The first time Alina tests her new power after gaining a second amplifier, the result is a glorious spectacle that leaves the entire crew in awe of her. Mal is dazzled, and perhaps a little afraid of Alina’s incredible power. Despite Alina’s deep feelings for Mal, new priorities distract her from their friendship. Instead, her imagination swirls with the new possibilities raised not only by the sea dragon but also by the possibility of a third amplifier. Alina is unsure of her destiny, but as the Sun Summoner, she will face unique challenges and is unlikely to live what most people would consider a normal life with a spouse and a family. Despite these fears, she enjoys using her power, she likes who she is when she does so, and she longs for more. Those feelings frighten her because they threaten to separate her from Mal and Ravka and estrange her from the only life she knows.
In the heat of battle, Alina learns unsettling truths about the Darkling and Sturmhond. She knew the Darkling created the Fold and has power over the volcra, but she now realizes that he also controls a massive army of nichevo’ya, which requires all of her power and concentration to fight. Although the Darkling commands the nichevo’ya, he is also vulnerable to them, a realization that is significant for Alina as she learns more about Sturmhond. Sturmhond double-crosses the Darkling, stealing his prize (the sea dragon) as well as his prisoners, Alina and Mal. He also has a powerful army of his own, with Grisha who can crew his ship and do battle on par with the Darkling’s heretofore unparalleled soldiers. He even uses his Grisha to draw down lightning, a forbidden practice. His actions leave Alina wondering whether Sturmhond is reckless and unprincipled, or simply determined. This new information leaves Alina uncertain about where she stands with her new captor. Sturmhond is not the Darkling’s pawn, but a powerful leader with motives that Alina has yet to discern. This realization is particularly unsettling given that Sturmhond has control not only over her but also over Mal and Rusalye.
