To Kill a Kingdom

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2018

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Chapters 30-32Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 30 Summary

Lira wakes with her wound wrapped and is greeted by Kye. He has come around to the idea of her being there after watching her sacrifice herself for Elian. Lira thinks about how she stayed on the ship so that she could kill Elian, but when someone else tried to kill him, she stopped them without thinking. Loyalty is not something she’s felt before, except to Khalia, and she’s conflicted. She begins to realize that she could use the Eye of Keto to put an end to her mother’s war rather than follow her orders to kill Elian. She remembers the words of Crestell, who told her to become the queen that they needed her to be, and she realizes that she meant for Lira to become a different kind of queen than her mother. Kye offers to let Elian know that Lira is awake, but she decides to find him herself, sliding off of the makeshift bed.

Chapter 31 Summary

The Saad travels closer to Págos, the air growing colder. The crew has imprisoned Rycroft below the ship, allowing him to cling to life long enough to receive his punishment from the Págese for stealing from them. Lira, wrapped in a blanket, finds Elian on the decks. He tries to help her, but she viciously refuses help, determined to prove that she is strong enough to recover without assistance. Lira asks what Elian plans to do with Rycroft, and he reveals that he plans to hand him over to the Págese, hoping that it will be added leverage to allow them access to the mountain.

Lira asks if Elian really hates the sirens so much. He retorts that they kill humans, but Lira points out that he and his crew kill sirens He insists that they only kill sirens as retribution and that sirens cannot be reasoned with. Lira ponders the idea of a peace treaty between their kinds. Elian wonders why Lira is so concerned about what he plans to do to the sirens, reminding her that she said the Sea Queen took everything from her. He laments the death of Prince Cristian of Adékaros, and Lira suddenly realizes that she killed one of Elian’s friends. Lira asks what Cristian was like, but Elian struggles to put it into words. He remembers the gentle proverbs that Cristian would say. A storm approaches the ship, and Elian wonders aloud if the Princes’ Bane will feel it when the Sea Queen dies. Speaking of herself, Lira replies that she wonders if she can feel anything at all.

Chapter 32 Summary

Lira has a nightmare about a battle between humans and sirens ending in bloodshed. In the nightmare, Elian asks her if she killed Cristian and she confesses that his was the last heart she stole. The dream version of Elian offers her his own heart, angrily accusing her—in her mother's voice—of trying to steal it. She wakes covered in sweat, afraid of Elian’s inevitable reaction to her betrayal.

Chapters 30-32 Analysis

Lira’s change-of-heart solidifies in Chapters 30-32. She feels remorse for planning to betray Elian and for initially wanting to steal his heart. Worst of all, she feels remorse for killing Cristian, who was friends with Elian. Furthermore, while this guilt is itself proof of her “humanity,” Lira continues to feel confused about who she is and what she feels, even expressing doubt that she has emotions at all. This disconnect is the result of her mother’s abuse; Lira is so used to suppressing her feelings that she struggles to recognize them even once she has decided that they are a strength rather than a liability.

The nightmare is a manifestation of her worry, but it also foreshadows for the final battle between the humans and the sirens. Lira is afraid that Elian will reject her when he realizes what she really is. She wants to figure out a way to create peace between their kinds, but Elian struggles to believe sirens can be reasoned with. Elian doesn’t like the idea of committing a genocide but fears that he has no choice. As the book approaches the climax, or the turning point of the plot, the sense of dread over the coming battle looms over both Elian and Lira.