payment page
Summary
Chapters 9 & 10
Chapter 9
In a Grisha tent outside Kribirsk, Mal and Alina argue about Sturmhond’s motives. Mal asks Alina what happened on the ship, but she does not tell him about the Darkling. Sturmhond, who they now know to be the Ravkan prince Nikolai Lantsov, interrupts them with an explanation for his disguise and an offer for Alina to save Ravka from the Darkling, the Fold, and his inept older brother, Vasily. He proposes that Alina marry him to unite the First and Second Armies. Mal confronts Nikolai, but after Alina uses the light to stop them from fighting, Nikolai makes matters worse by suggesting she keep Mal on as the captain of her personal guard and have an affair with him. Alina rejects the marriage proposal but agrees to work with Nikolai if she can command the Second Army. They agree, and Nikolai leaves so Alina and Mal can discuss his future, which is now uncertain. He is reluctant to help Alina track the third amplifier, and he is afraid that her ambition will drive a wedge between them. He storms out. Alone, Alina wonders about the wound on her shoulder and her strange new connection with the Darkling.
Chapter 10
Alina helps Nikolai ferry his pirated bounty across the Fold to resupply the Ravkan forces, but she refuses to engage with the volcra. Nikolai leads his crew and the Ravkan soldiers along the Vy to Os Alta. Alina finds Kribirsk a ghost town, with the church acting as a shrine. On it, the names of the dead are enumerated in red. Mal tries to comfort her, but she insists on reading each name before continuing. Further into town, some merchants hawk their wares, and Alina believes she hears one call her by name. Nikolai informs her that they are selling what they claim to be her bones in the wake of the rumors of her death. In Vernost, a regiment joins them from the Second Army with whom Nikolai served. They offer him a regal carriage adorned with the Ravkan double eagle and a golden sunburst.
As they greet the villagers, Nikolai advises Alina to be more discreet about her relationship with Mal and more brazen about her status as the Sun Summoner. Nikolai tells Alina how he got the nickname Sturmhond: as a pirate, he boarded a Fjerdan ship and the captain threatened him, and in response, Nikolai sliced off the captain’s fingers and gave them to his dog to eat. She accuses him of being cruel like the Darkling, which startles and offends him. On the march to Os Alta, Alina watches Nikolai charm and bribe the people. While she exhibits her power to satisfy him, she accuses him of giving the people false hope and endangering their lives.
As they travel, Mal’s tension begins to ease. He suggests that Tolya and Tamar join him as part of Alina’s guard, and Alina realizes that the Palace will view him as a traitor. Alina reminisces about Morozova and Rusalye, and she ruminates about the firebird, feeling guilt about their fates. Pilgrims join the procession. They worship Alina, calling her Sankta, along with many other names, including Rebe Dva Stolba, or Daughter of Two Mills, a reference to where she was born. Alina worries about the pilgrims’ fervor, but Tamar tells Alina of the Shu belief that Grisha are saints with magical powers. Alina asks her to stop talking about saints once she becomes a member of Alina’s personal guard.
Analysis
When she commands the Hummingbird’s forces, Alina begins to see the possibilities and perils that may arise should the First and Second Armies unite. Mal and Alina are orphans and outsiders, and they have longed for a sense of belonging since their days at the orphanage in Keramzin. They catch a glimpse of this belonging while onboard Nikolai’s ships, and as a result, Alina begins to formulate a plan to unite the Ravka’s First and Second Armies, which have been socially and militarily divided for generations. The First Army, while poorly outfitted because of the country’s failing monarchy, is treated with respect. Meanwhile, Ravka treats the Second Army as second only to royalty as they are the country’s only source of protection from the Fold. As such, they have the best lodging, food, and selection of romantic partners. Yet in Ravka, despite the lavish lifestyles they enjoy, Grisha are still seen by the nobility as servants and outsiders, bound to the Second Army and strictly separated from the rest of society. On Nikolai’s ships, Alina witnesses a different social hierarchy, one that treats warriors and Grisha equally. They train together, keep the ship running smoothly, and fight side by side. The sight offers Alina hope for a future in which Ravka can attain a new, unified strength by bringing its armies together.
Ravka is an aristocratic society, meaning it has a strict social hierarchy in which a person’s status is determined at birth. Unlike democratic cultures, in which everyone is born equal, or meritocracies, in which social status is based upon skill and talent, an aristocracy privileges a small few who are served by the remainder. Ravkans believe that some people are born better than others and that birth and blood determine a person’s social status and destiny. These values are embedded in Vasily’s seemingly harmless attitude toward horses’ bloodlines and their racing abilities. These values can also be seen in the generally suspicious sentiment toward Nikolai, whose legitimacy as an heir is questioned. Some people suspect that he is not the king’s son and therefore not part of the royal bloodline. Most dangerously, these values are manifest in the Ravkan attitude toward the Grisha, who are treated as peasants whose unusual abilities bind them to the royal family as a special servant class. In a different society, Grisha might be recognized for their unique talent and permitted to fully self-actualize in ways that could benefit society. As it is, Alina is only raised from orphan to commander by virtue of her enormous power as the Sun Summoner, whereas Mal remains a lowly otkazat’sya. No matter how skilled Mal is as a tracker, with an unknown bloodline, he can never rise to a leadership role in the First Army.
Nikolai’s marriage proposal complicates Mal and Alina’s relationship and increases Alina’s internal strife. The relationship between Mal and Alina is already strained, as her growing power troubles him and she hides the Darkling’s manifestation from him. Nikolai has proven himself devious and untrustworthy, poor qualities in a prospective mate. Meanwhile, Mal longs to protect her from both Nikolai and her worst impulses. Nikolai’s reputation is not improved by his suggestion that Alina should employ Mal as the captain of her guard, allowing them to continue their relationship, albeit clandestinely. For two young idealists, the notion is repulsive. Still, Alina’s priority is to restore Ravka, a goal that would be well served by an alliance with its effectual and beloved prince. Nikolai has innovative ideas for how to defend Os Alta and make the people’s lives more comfortable, and he hopes to help the commoners move beyond mere subsistence farming to a more sustainable lifestyle. These goals are appealing to Alina both as a ruler and as an orphan and commoner. The offer is also flattering, and it feeds into her growing desire for power. Ultimately, therefore, it complicates Alina’s conflicting feelings over her power, her duty, and her attachment to Mal.
