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Summary
Chapters 15 & 16
Chapter 15
Alina meets with the Grisha to determine how to convince those who have fled to return to Os Alta. They discuss the Apparat, who makes sporadic appearances to preach the good news of the Sun Summoner. Zoya dismisses Alina’s concerns about the Apparat and suggests that his claims that Alina is a Saint could improve public opinion about the Grisha, but Mal eventually offers to use his First Army contacts to learn more about the Apparat’s whereabouts. Alina explains the Darkling’s new, powerful army of nichevo’ya, and the Grisha are relieved to know that the Darkling’s power is limited by proximity. Alina suspects that David knows more about the Darkling’s power, but she is unable to talk to him alone. After an afternoon of paperwork, she attends her first dinner in mixed Grisha company. It’s awkward and stilted. Mal goes hunting with Vasily and the soldiers, and while he is annoyed at the pomp, he is grateful to be outside and on the move. Alina attends a war council at the Grand Palace with Nikolai. He shows her a place on the lake where he intends to build a replacement Hummingbird. He wants an escape route in case the war effort fails. She insists he take Baghra with him if he flees.
Chapter 16
Alina tracks down David in the Fabrikators’ workroom. He is designing a set of large mirrored bowls to reflect Alina’s light and magnify the power of her Cut. She asks him about Ilya Morozova, whom David calls the Bonesmith, and David claims that Morozova made some of the first amplifiers. He also claims that Morozova’s son, seeking to recreate some of his father’s experiments after his death, accidentally created the Fold, so he destroyed Morozova’s remaining journals. But Alina knows that the son in this story was actually the Darkling in disguise, and she suspects that some of the journals may have survived. David seems nervous upon realizing that Morozova and the Darkling (whom he knows as the Dark Heretic) were experimenting with merzost, and Alina stops questioning David when it becomes clear that he knows nothing about the Istorii Sankt’ya.
Alina searches the library for more information, but the books say nothing about Ilya Morozova, despite his reputation as a brilliant Fabrikator. Alina learns that Sankt Ilya miraculously saved a child mutilated by his father’s plow, but the people feared Sankt Ilya’s power and murdered him. Tolya joins her one evening, and she realizes he can read liturgical Ravkan. In a tableau that feels awkward to Alina, he remains bowed next to her until she places her hand on his shoulder in a seeming benediction. Mal returns and tells Alina he used the hunting trip to swap stories with the soldiers, hoping to build a favorable impression of Alina and the Grisha. They visit the chapel, which is old and dirty. At its front is a triptych depicting 13 saints, including Sankta Ilya. His panel has sustained severe water damage and is mildewed and moldy. As they turn to leave, the Darkling appears to Alina again, but Mal cannot see him. Upon their exit, Vasily emerges from the forest and insists on talking with Alina alone. He escorts her through the woods and, like his brother Nikolai, proposes. Back with Mal, Alina expresses her disgust about the offer.
Analysis
As Alina’s responsibilities increase in Os Alta, Mal is increasingly defined by his absence, as are many of the other figures bearing down on Alina, such as the Darkling, Morozova, and the firebird. Although Mal is the captain of Alina’s guard, both Nikolai and Alina feel that Mal could serve them better on hunting parties away from Os Alta. His presence reminds the Grisha of Alina’s background, and he distracts Alina from the business of commanding the Second Army and considering Nikolai’s marriage proposal. Nikolai also sends Mal to infiltrate the First Army, hoping Mal can make friends and impress the palace with his talents as a tracker and soldier. Though the Darkling is increasingly present in Alina‘s thoughts as she considers ways of amplifying her power to combat him as well as the personal effect it might have on her, he is physically absent from Ravka. Somehow, apparitions of him continue appearing to her, leaving her distressed and uneasy about her connection to his power. Meanwhile, Alina is unable to locate much information about Morozova, which frustrates her and hinders her attempt to find the firebird. Even in the absence of these various personalities and forces, however, she continues to be distracted from her new responsibilities.
Alina is the leader of the Second Army, but other forces impede her role and undermine her authority. Most obvious among these is Nikolai, who makes no secret of the fact that he wants to cement their alliance by marrying her. Their union would strengthen his position within the royal family and in the eyes of the Ravkan people but would do little to aid Alina herself. Vasily knows this, so he proposes to Alina too, but she understands his intent quite clearly. Vasily intends to rule her as well as Ravka, and she rightfully ignores his pretensions. Zoya poses a different kind of threat, as she has social and strategic power that threatens Alina, as well as a history with Mal and possibly Nikolai. Zoya threw the Etherealki’s weight behind Alina, but Alina’s insecurity makes her jealous and her newfound power has a dark side, meaning Alina risks alienating one of the few Grisha who supports her. Alina knows Zoya could retract her allegiance to her, and the Etherialki would follow suit. Alina might be most concerned about the Darkling, but she remains encircled by plenty of forces in Ravka who have their own reasons for getting in her way.
Sankta Ilya Morozova is a shadowy figure in Ravkan history and legend, and the truth of his life remains murky. David’s knowledge of Morozova leaves Alina with more questions than answers, and her late-night library sessions take her down rabbit holes that seem to crisscross endlessly. According to David, Ilya Morozova was the greatest Fabrikator to ever live, with capabilities that no other Grisha has ever possessed, implying that he might have drawn upon the forbidden power of merzost. David claims that Ilya Morozova did not simply use the amplifiers but created them, suggesting that his power exceeded even the Darkling’s. Alina finds out little about Ilya Morozova and much about Sankta Ilya, but the information is confusing and contradictory as he is known by many names, hails from many places, and died in many ways. This leads Alina to suppose that perhaps Morozova is not one person but two, one a miracle-performing martyr and the other a studious magician whose fate remains unknown. Alternatively, storytellers may have conflated the real story of a renowned Fabrikator with legends of a saint to be used to unscrupulous ends by figures like the Apparat. Regardless, for now, the real Morozova remains frustratingly out of Alina’s reach.
