King of Scars

Isaak, masquerading as Nikolai, sits on the throne accepting gifts from his guests. He feels uneasy wearing the king’s face and clothes and tries not to gawk at everything. Tamar suggests looking as if he owns everything instead. The people’s stares frighten Isaak. Tamar explains, “You are no longer one man. You are an army. You are the double eagle. You are all of Ravka. Of course people stare” (327). Isaak gives his welcoming speech and leads his guests into the dining room. He slips into guard mode and stands at attention inside the doorway letting those of higher rank pass before him. The Shu princess is first to enter and hesitates at the sight of him. Isaak covers his flummox saying he is a host first and a king second, and she continues to her seat. The other guests file past. The rest of the evening passes uneventfully, and after dinner, Tamar and Tolya whisk Isaak away to the king’s chambers. However, before they enter, Tolya smells arsine gas. They take Isaak to another chamber and investigate the gas.

Nikolai tries to rest but can’t. The Fold is outside time: no sleep, no hunger, no sweat. He wonders what is happening back home and whether they enacted his plan to use Isaak as a stand-in. When his reverie is interrupted by a noise outside, he opens his door and finds a bear cub. He steps outside and sees Grigori. They discuss his shapeshifting: Grigori once was a healer, until bears ravaged him for using the dark power of merzost. When the bears and he became one, people sought him out to learn his secrets. These followers took his name, Grisha, and became the first Healers and Heartrenders.

Grigori tells Nikolai that he must succeed because “everything is connected. The world is changing, and so is Grisha power. If the Fold continues to exist, it will not remain the same either” (337). Parem has altered everything. It is the reason the monster awoke inside Nikolai. The lure of power is too strong.

Yuri appears, ending the conversation between Nikolai and Grigori. Grigori leaves, and Yuri tells Nikolai that Elizaveta would like to start his training. Nikolai is glad to begin, and they set off to find Zoya. During their search, they discuss the Darkling. Nikolai agrees with his motives for peace but disagrees with his methods. He notes that the Darkling claimed “to serve Ravka” and “to love the Grisha” but stopped when they wouldn’t serve or love him in return (340). That is why Nikolai gives more decision-making power to the local governors; he believes Ravka may not need a monarch in the future. He thinks about appointing Zoya First Minister and Protector of the Realm to guard Ravka in his stead until his future heir becomes of age. Just then, Nikolai and Yuri come upon Zoya and Juris locked in battle. Nikolai interrupts their duel. Against Juris’s judgment, Zoya joins Nikolai and Yuri.

They find Elizaveta in her spire. She begins by explaining the ritual: She will raise the thorn wood, and he will summon the monster and stab a thorn through both their hearts. If Nikolai’s will is strong enough, he will survive. He must practice controlling the monster; if he fails, the monster will take him over completely.

To draw the monster out, Elizaveta uses Zoya as bait, encasing her in amber with sap slowly surrounding her. It works. Nikolai becomes the monster and tries to free Zoya, but the case doesn’t budge. As Elizaveta frees her, the monster catches Zoya’s body. Zoya wakes and immediately struggles in his arms. Nikolai fights for control, remembering who he is and who Zoya is. He focuses on her terror and demands the monster leave—and Nikolai becomes human again. They rejoice in his success. Now, hopefully, he can do it again.

After three days of parties and meetings, Isaak and his guests enjoy a morning boat ride on the lake. Tamar and Tolya review the agenda: Isaak is to meet with Shu Princess Ehri and learn as much as he can about her guards, one of whom may be defecting. Tamar gives Isaak tips on charming the princess, saying Isaak should listen and ask questions, not strategize on winning her over. Isaak turns to converse with Genya, who shares her history—how the Darkling gave her as a gift to the queen of Ravka. She was one of the queen’s favorite servants until the king noticed her beauty. The Darkling left her to die.

Genya’s story is interrupted by a splash. A Kerch merchant’s daughter has fallen overboard and is sinking into the lake. Genya tells Isaak to jump in and save her. Unfortunately, Isaak can’t swim, but Genya insists, and Isaak sinks beneath the surface fighting the urge to move. Nadia appears, grabs his arm, and pulls him into an air bubble. They propel toward Birgitta Schenck, the drowning damsel. Isaak grabs her, and they emerge on the tiny island in the lake’s center, where Tolya and Tamar meet them. They revive Birgitta and scatter, leaving Isaak the sole hero. He picks her up and heads to the shore closest to the boats. The onlookers break into applause.

Later, Isaak joins the Triumvirate in the sitting room. They decide the heroic stint is a good thing for the king’s reputation. Genya gives Isaak notes for that evening’s dinner. Tomorrow, they hunt as “an excuse to ride and get to know the hopefuls” (362). They depart, and Isaak goes for a walk to clear his head. Isaak enters the conservatory, where he notices Princess Ehri by a pond. Her guards surround the room’s perimeter. Isaak sits by the princess on a wide rock, and they talk about royal duties and their dreams of a nonroyal life. The princess confesses to wanting to be a soldier. They discuss the rough day of the near drowning, and she tells Isaak that Birgitta threw herself in the lake to draw his attention. They proceed to banter and flirt, finally citing poetry back and forth until the other hopeful princesses and their chaperones interrupt them.

Nina, Leoni, and Adrik plan the rescue of the factory women. They will place bombs throughout the factory to cause a distraction while they and the women escape. They will sedate the women to keep them manageable, and, enlisting Hanne’s help, they will go in disguised as a guard and Springmaidens. Nina hopes Hanne will leave with them.

The next day, Nina enters the classroom to meet Hanne for language lessons. Hanne is not alone. Kori, another Springmaiden, also wants to learn Zemeni. Before the lesson progresses too far, a novitiate interrupts, summoning Hanne and Nina to the Wellmother’s office: Hanne’s father is here and wants to meet Nina.

They enter the office, and Nina immediately recognizes Jarl Brum, the man who tried to imprison her at the Ice Court. She fought back and left him barely alive, ripping his scalp from his head. He now stands there with his scalp sewn on as he praises his daughter, Hanne. Nina behaves in a groveling manner, and she wins his approval. After the two women leave the office, Hanne calls out Nina’s dubious behavior, and Nina explains that men like Brum are ruthless. She will do what it takes to help Grisha women like Hanne. They reconcile, and Nina shares her rescue mission.