To Kill a Kingdom

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018

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Chapters 20-23Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 20 Summary

Elian lies to his crew about Queen Galina of Eidýllio wanting to keep him all to herself so that he can meet with her alone, wanting to protect them from her. Kye, the only one who knows the truth about Galina, offers to go with Elian, but the prince refuses. He enters her throne room, which is scarred from burning and smells of smoke and ash. He meets Queen Galina but avoids her touch: Any man who touches a female member of her bloodline becomes devoted to her to the point of losing himself. Galina herself is afraid to remarry because she lost her first husband for refusing to allow him to touch her. She has also resolved not to have any children, so as not to pass on her curse. However, her lack of husband or heirs has made her kingdom vulnerable to Kardiá, a rival country that is gaining power. Elian shows her a piece of parchment that holds the answer to her problem.

Elian heads to the Serendipity, where he and his crew typically stay while docked in Eidýllio. He thinks that he’s rid himself of Lira, but she follows him. She teases him for his princely clothes and uses his magic knife, at his protest, to cut the sleeves on his shirt to look more suitable for a pirate. Lira again asks to come with him to Págos and reveals that she knows the ritual to free the Crystal. They reach the Serendipity, and Elian agrees to let her tag along but threatens to kill her if she’s lying. She says she’ll kill him first.

Chapter 21 Summary

The crew of the Saad play cards at the Serendipity as Lira watches intently. They drink and sing songs from their various homelands. When they ask Lira to sing, she deflects and tells them that they wouldn’t appreciate her song. Elian leans close to Lira to ask her to sing, and she tells him that he stinks of the black sweets that anglers chew—licorice. Amused but vigilant, Elian asks Lira to tell him about the ritual. She declines, knowing that it’s her ticket to stay on the Saad, but she offers him the fact that the Sea Queen’s trident is made from the bones of Keto and powered by her second eye. She warns him that if the Sea Queen gets the second eye, she’ll have enough power to enslave humanity the way she now controls all of the sea. Kye accuses her of lying and threatens her. Elian, curious about her statement, asks if the sirens are under the Sea Queen’s control, and Lira confirms that sirens are not free. She asks Elian how he plans to get up the Cloud Mountain, as only Págese royals can make the climb, and he reveals to her that he has a map.

Chapter 22 Summary

Back on the Saad, Lira remembers the pain that her mother inflicted on Khalia and feels anguish for her. She is standing on the deck, lost in thought, when Madrid comes to find her. Madrid jokes about Kye, and Lira, confused, asks if they’re mates. The word “mates” sounds strange to Madrid, and she clarifies that they’re partners. Lira doesn’t really understand, because sirens only mate with mermen, and then only to have offspring. They don’t form love bonds, and the mermen are monstrous, violent creatures who are more brutal and deadly than even the sirens. Lira is promised to a merman called the Flesh-Eater: “Mermen have no time for names and other nonsenses and so we call them as they are: Phantom, Skinner, Flesh-Eater” (174).

Madrid is happy to have another woman on the ship, which Lira questions. Madrid explains that the men outnumber them since Elian paired down the crew for this mission. Lira suggests that Elian couldn’t trust them, and Madrid accuses Lira of meddling. Kye overhears them talking and comes to find out what they’re talking about. Madrid suggests that Lira shower and change clothes. Kye, still mistrusting Lira, reminds her that she’s a prisoner and reveals that their next stop is Psémata, which Lira recognizes as the land of untruth. She tells them that her mother wanted her to learn as much as she could about the kingdoms. Kye asks her how many languages she speaks, which she recognizes as interrogation. She replies that she hasn’t learned many. Madrid adds that Elian speaks many languages and studied in Glóssa, a land where the royals learn to master every language. Elian wanted to master every language too, but he fell short. Kye suggests she stop telling Lira Elian’s backstory and give Lira something else to change into. Madrid decides to put Lira in a bolder outfit that is more fit for a pirate.

Chapter 23 Summary

Elian notices Lira as she emerges from belowdecks, completely made over and dressed like a pirate princess. Kye warns Elian not to trust Lira just because she looks pretty and seems innocent. Elian takes offense and reminds his friend that the Saad is his ship and that he is the captain.

Elian slides down to the main deck to talk to Lira. He has Madrid give Lira a sword, which Kye doesn’t like. He decides to train Lira in sword fighting because they will soon come across the Xaprár, a pirate ship full of pirates just as ruthless, if not more so, than the Saad’s. Lira, competitive and still as vicious as she was as a siren, fights back with vigor. Elian teaches her to control her fire and make smarter decisions during combat. They sword fight together until the sun sets, both of them truly enjoying each other for the first time.

Chapters 20-23 Analysis

Elian proposes a deal with Galina, which the novel later reveals to be an arrangement getting him out of his engagement to Yukiko. He desires freedom and makes decisions that allow him to keep his freedom for as long as possible. Ironically, as he searches for a way to get out of his engagement, he begins to develop feelings for Lira. While teaching her to sword fight, Elian sees the Lira’s fire and dedication in a positive light. The sparring is the first moment of passion between the two characters, though not an overtly romantic one. Elian is impressed by Lira and is finally starting to not only accept but actually like having her around.

Where Lira is concerned, it is especially appropriate that this first passionate encounter takes the form of (mock) combat. Romantic love is an entirely foreign concept to Lira, as her conversation with Madrid illustrates; sirens only have sexual partners, whom they refer to as “mates”—a word that is more typically associated with breeding animals and therefore underscores both the clinical purpose of the act and inhumanity of all involved. The mermen the sirens reproduce with do not even have names and consequently lack one of the only traits that initially humanizes and individuates characters like Lira. It isn’t surprising that Lira would struggle with the idea of pairing with another person for any purpose but reproduction; the aggressive, competitive quality of her sword fight with Elian reflects the current state of her understanding but opens the door to a fuller kind of relationship.