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Summary
Chapters 5 & 6
Chapter 5
Mal and Alina take a moment to rest and assess their new situation onboard Sturmhond’s boat. Sturmhond congratulates his crew and approaches Mal and Alina with a knife. Mal stands up to protect Alina, but Sturmhond gives her the knife to kill the sea dragon, Rusalye. Alina hesitates, wondering whether the act is merciful or cruel. She remembers the legends claiming that Rusalye was a prince who lured unsuspecting maidens to his underwater lair where they starved to death. Mal helps her drive the knife into the creature’s body, and Tamar and Tolya scale it. Privyet requests that the men be allowed to take the remaining scales for profit, and Sturmhond agrees, although Alina is disgusted. She and Mal both want to know his reasons for betraying the Darkling. He claims to have another buyer for Alina. He offers her the book about saints that the Darkling gave her. In it, she finds her personal inscription, confirming that it is the same copy the Apparat gave her in the Little Palace. She flips through the book and stops at the picture of Sankt Ilya in Chains, realizing that it depicts Rusalye and Morozova. Alina and Mal agree to hear whatever offer Sturmhond’s client makes on the condition that, if they wish to turn it down, Sturmhond will set them free.
Sturmhond and Alina watch the crew hoist the sea dragon’s body overboard. He asks her what she intends to do with the scales, and she recalls how the Darkling pinned the stag’s collar on her and partook of its power. She knows the scales will act as an amplifier to give her more power, but the teachings say not to combine amplifiers, and she is unsure what might happen if she does. Alina asks whether Sturmhond actually intends to set them free, and he accuses her of wanting to leave Ravka again. She considers how her actions have hurt her country and wonders whether Sturmhond might be a loyal Ravkan citizen. He promises to be true to his word.
Alina and Tamar head for their bunk aboard the ship, named the Volkvony, meaning “Wolf of the Waves.” The ship is provisioned for war, as is Tamar. She washes her hair and remarks on Mal’s good looks. Alina asks if Tamar ever feels threatened by the male crew. Tamar points out her shark tooth amplifier and her hidden knife, which she gives to Alina for her protection. Alina and Mal eat with the captain, and while Mal talks about weapons and battle with Sturmhond, Alina worries about the implications of taking a second amplifier. She takes a hard look at Sturmhond and realizes some of his features are oddly disproportionate. After dinner, she has a moment alone with Mal and shows him the picture of Sankt Ilya. Mal realizes there’s a third amplifier.
Chapter 6
The illustration of Sankt Ilya depicts him with a collar around his neck and fetters on each wrist. The iron chains that formerly bound him are now broken. Surrounding him are Morozova, Rusalye, and a firebird. The firebird is central to Ravkan mythology as it represents the land, its first ruler, and the nation. Alina tells Mal she thinks she should use the sea dragon’s scales as a second amplifier and that they should hunt the firebird as a third. Neither of them recognizes the arch where the bird flies. While they have misgivings, Alina believes she needs the amplifiers to defeat the Darkling and the Fold, and moreover, she wants the power. That night, Sturmhond summons his best Fabrikator, who binds the golden scales to Alina’s wrist. Alina summons the light and it overwhelms her. Only Mal’s embrace saves her, allowing her to join the power to her body and become one with it. Sturmhond and the crew huddle by the railing in fear. The next morning, they move quickly, afraid Alina’s display may have given them away. Alina tries to assure Mal that she is in control, but he remains troubled by her new power.
Analysis
Alina believes she is ready for not only a second but a third amplifier, but events prove that she is not equipped to take such a serious step alone. She needs Mal’s help attaining and wielding such power. While Alina believes that she needs the amplifiers’ power to defeat the Darkling and destroy the Fold, she is uncertain about the ramifications: the power will change her, but so will the moral responsibility of taking the life of another creature. Thus, it is fitting that her quest begins with a blood sacrifice, an offering of both Rusalye’s life and Alina’s innocence. She shares her current power with the Darkling, who killed Morozova and set the collar on her neck. Although hunting Rusalye was the Darkling’s idea, using it as an amplifier is Alina’s decision, and she must be the one to slay the creature. In the moment, though, she needs Mal by her side to help her bind the Grisha knife to the harpoon handle and thrust it into Rusalye. She further enlists Mal’s help to find the firebird, but the signs suggest that her next quest might be a solo adventure.
Alina’s decision to adopt the second amplifier is heavily influenced by the picture of Sankt Ilya in the Istorii Sankt’ya, depicting the Saint with a collar around his neck and a fetter on each wrist. Because the picture also shows a stag at his feet, a sea dragon leaping from the ocean behind him, and a firebird soaring over his right shoulder, Alina assumes that they are the amplifiers’ sources. However, she neglects a few facets of the picture. First, the animals are vibrant with life, whereas Alina has just witnessed the tortured cries of the sea dragon as it was slaughtered. Alina ignores this paradox despite the danger it suggests to her. If the animals must be slaughtered to obtain the amplifiers’ power, then anyone possessing their power also becomes enticing prey. Alina also fails to notice that the Saint’s bonds are broken, the chains dangling from his body. She seeks to bind herself to these powers without asking why or how the Saint freed himself from them. Finally, Alina forgets the fate of all saints, which is martyrdom. By seeking all three amplifiers and the powers they impart, she may elevate her own power to the untenable status of saint, saving her people but losing herself in the process.
Alina’s first time using her newly amplified power overwhelms her, the ship, and the crew. She unintentionally allows the light to emit heat, which threatens to engulf them, and the light’s very existence gives their position away to the Darkling. Alina only regains control when Mal embraces her, returning her corporeal sense and allowing her to integrate this preternatural power with her physical being. Afterward, she feels completely at home and one with the power. She weaves the light together, moves it up and down, and makes it dance in a glorious display for the crew before dimming the display. She feels in full control, and when she is done, she feels more like herself than ever. But Mal continues to look at her warily. In those few moments, he sees his childhood best friend, a fellow outcast and orphan, transform into an awe-inspiring, goddess-like being wielding the power of the universe. He is disconcerted by this experience. As she attempts to reassure him, she does not consider his experience or feelings. Her reaction serves as an early sign of Alina’s naïve belief that she is in control of her power.
Sturmhond, meanwhile, is characterized by contradictions, which makes Alina question his motives and intentions. Sturmhond is a pirate, a profession notorious for treachery and deceit, yet he and his crew sail on the ship the Volkvolny, meaning “Wolf of the Waves,” an allusion to their loyalty. As Alina detects the contradictions in Sturmhond’s personality, she suspects that he might be more virtuous than he lets on. He helps the Darkling kidnap Alina, then turns around and steals her himself supposedly because he has a better offer. Strangely, he promises to let Alina and Mal hear the offer and to help them escape if they do not like it. That promise does not seem consistent with the behavior of someone who is selling stolen goods to the highest bidder. By candlelight, Alina notices that his face is lumpen and misshapen, seemingly on purpose, and he might be more handsome than he lets on. He teases Alina about wanting to leave Ravka, making her suspicious that he might be patriotic. Patriotism seems inconsistent with someone who adventures on the high seas, roaming the world and never settling anywhere in particular. These clues leave Alina wondering whether Sturmhond might actually be loyal, steadfast, and perhaps even kind.
