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Summary
Chapters 13 & 14
Chapter 13
Alina travels with Mal, Tolya, and Tamar to the Little Palace. They are all nervous after their reception at the Palace, and Tolya and Tamar sense an aura of defeat. Outside the Little Palace, the First Army guard the Grisha. Inside, the remaining Grisha wait, and Alina recognizes a few of them. Sergei greets her, and she introduces herself as their new leader. Sergei challenges her authority, but Zoya offers the Etherealki’s support. Accusations fly about Alina’s competencies and loyalties, as do claims about what it means to be an authentic Grisha, which offends Tolya and Tamar. The Grisha level even more offensive claims against Alina, insinuating that she was engaged romantically with either the Darkling or the second prince of Ravka. The Grisha threaten to confine her to the chapel and to sainthood rather than allow her to lead them. Alina interrupts with a display of power, intending to kill Sergei. She relents at the last minute and cracks the Golden Dome instead.
Alina leaves for the war room, where Mal, Tolya, and Tamar join her. Alina realizes she has won her first battle, so she orders dinner and examines her new quarters. These are still decorated for the Darkling, who last inhabited them, and she feels his presence everywhere. The room is near the war room and the chambers set aside for her personal guard, for which Alina chooses Mal, Tolya, and Tamar. Alina retires to examine the Darkling’s bedchamber further, and he appears to her, talks to her, and even touches her, so she screams. Her guard comes to her rescue, but, uncertain whether what she experienced was real or a figment of her imagination, she offers them no explanation.
Chapter 14
Alina awakes in the Darkling’s bed to the sounds of the Grisha leaders arguing with her guard. The previous night, Alina had sent a command for each Grisha order to send two representatives to the war council, putting an end to the precedent that had privileged the Corporalki under the Darkling’s leadership. Alina silences them, reinforces her command, and orders the Fabrikators to start military training. Nikolai and Mal join her at breakfast, and Nikolai sends Mal on a wild boar hunt. Soldiers are deserting to join the Apparat, which the King blames on Alina. To keep the peace, Mal needs to ingratiate himself with the palace. Nikolai intends to remain and gather information about the Darkling’s plans. Again, Alina accuses Nikolai of acting like the Darkling, and he admits that he is not sure how far he would go to attain power.
Alina searches for Baghra, whom she finds in her overheated hovel. Baghra demands to see Morozova’s collar, and when Baghra turns toward her, Alina realizes that the Darkling blinded her in retaliation for helping Alina escape. Alina also lets Baghra feel Rusalye’s scales and asks her where to find the firebird. When Baghra refuses, Alina threatens to take her home away. Baghra laughs in her face, and Alina leaves in shame. Alina sits in the woods staring at the illustration of Sankta Ilya, focusing on the arch near the firebird.
Analysis
At the Little Palace, Grisha operate according to a strict hierarchy, which leaves Alina on their fringes and excludes Mal altogether. Corporalki are the highest ranking and the best fighters, so they are closest to the Darkling. This means that the other Grisha also consider the Corporalki the least trustworthy, and their ranks are the thinnest as many have joined the Darkling or have gone into hiding. Second are the Etherealki, and last are the Materialki. Yet individual personalities transcend the ranks, and Alina discovers that new alliances and divisions have arisen in her absence. Previously, she was treated as an object of ridicule, so she intends to forestall such behavior by instituting an egalitarian system. It is not well received. The Corporalki resent their loss of status, the Etherealki are angry that they are not being promoted, and the Fabrikators are too humble to say much, but even they resent the inclusion of so-called outsiders, Grisha born outside Ravka. Alina has seen firsthand Tamar’s and Tolya’s prowess in battle, and they have demonstrated their loyalty at least to Nikolai if not to her. The accusation also reminds her of her own past treatment, strengthening her determination to implement her plan, which nevertheless rests on the thin authority of the King.
At the Little Palace, Alina steps into the Darkling’s shoes, taking his place as leader of the Second Army, commandeering his table in the war room, and inhabiting his bedchamber. This implies an uneasy connection between them that remains poorly defined. She clearly intends to rule differently than the Darkling, as evidenced by her first orders to the Grisha. Alina breaks down the long-established Grisha hierarchy and orders that they mingle their orders at all levels, from simple meal-sharing to strategy sessions. However, hints begin to emerge that she shares some traits with the Darkling. Alina enjoys wielding her newfound power, and in her confrontation with the Grisha, she nearly allows that power to get the best of her. Sergei is the leading voice against her, and as tempers flare, Alina contemplates simply killing him. Furthermore, although Alina realizes the Golden Dome needs to be repaired, she tells the Fabrikators to leave some of the signs of damage to serve as a reminder, like the scar the Darkling allowed the nichevo’ya to leave on Alina’s shoulder. Alina is strangely comfortable wielding this power over the Grisha, while she despises the fact that the Darkling can do the same to her.
Alina returns to Ravka as the Sun Summoner, intent on taking command of the Second Army, but it is difficult for the Grisha to accept her as such. Alina must learn to assert her authority and distance herself from her subjects while remaining accessible enough to ensure their loyalty. She feels uncomfortable issuing orders, and she is so ill-tempered that the Grisha and her servants fear her. To her horror, she realizes that she enjoys their fear, and a thirst for vengeance grows inside her, which she directs first at Sergei and later at Baghra. Alina has been treated harshly by many people including the Ravkans and Grisha, and neither the King nor the First Army has any love for her despite the power and protection she offers. Even now, she cannot trust many of those with whom she works closely, as many of her former allies now side with the Darkling. Alina is surrounded by enemies and has many reasons to be angry, but she has just as many reasons to be grateful. She has a loyal friend in Mal, command of the Second Army, and Nikolai’s advice upon which to rely. She ignores these blessings at her peril, allowing the Darkling to strengthen his hold over her.
