King of Scars

Chapter 16 introduces Captain Isaak Andreyev, who was summoned before the Grisha Triumvirate two days ago and was told the king and Zoya are missing. As long as Nikolai is without an heir, they told Isaak, “[I]t is essential that no one discover [Ravka is] without a ruler until the king can be found or a strategy put into place” (270). Nikolai thus set up a contingency plan should something like this happen—and he chose Isaak to play the role of king in his stead. They need Isaak to pretend to be Nikolai at the party to avoid scandal and unrest. Now, as part of the scheme, Isaak sits as Genya transforms him to resemble Nikolai.

Isaak thinks about everything that led to this point in his life: His time serving in the army under Nikolai Lantsov; his discharge from the army after the war; his love of languages; his placement as a palace guard and translator. As part of Nikolai’s plan, Isaak also learns about such kingly political matters as deportment and takes elocution lessons to learn to speak like Nikolai. Genya doubts their ruse will work; she doesn’t believe that Isaak can pass for the king because his mannerisms are too different. To Genya’s surprise, however, Isaak performs an arrogant drawl, mimicking Nikolai’s voice perfectly.

The sand carries Nikolai, Zoya, and Yuri to the Saints’ palace while Juris, in dragon form, flies alongside, and the shifting grotesque form and Elizaveta follow. Once inside the palace, Nikolai asks for an explanation, and Elizaveta explains that they each died and were reborn in this state. The grotesque mass introduces himself as Grigori, the Saint who was torn apart by bears. He explains that they are in a version of the Shadow Fold. Elizaveta further clarifies that they were trapped there when “the Darkling tampered with the natural order of the world” (279). They cannot leave, and they cannot take physical form outside the Fold; they will only be free when the Darkling and his power dies. While the physical body of the Darkling perished, his power lives on in Nikolai, so they created the miracles throughout Ravka to lure Nikolai to the Fold. He must summon the monster and kill it with the thorn wood to free himself and the Saints. Once free, the Saints will return to mortal form to live one final lifetime before permanently dying. Nikolai agrees to the obisbaya ritual.

After Leoni falls asleep, Nina sneaks out, following the Springmaidens who load a cart with packages. She hurries to the dining hall and finds Hanne’s hidden uniform under a loose floor tile. She reaches the factory in time to see the cart enter the gates—and once the last Springmaiden enters and the gates close, Nina approaches the guard, claiming she fell behind. He lets her in when she starts crying.

The whispers in her head guide her toward the abandoned east wing. She hears the high-pitched wail of a baby. A Springmaiden appears with a lantern, and Nina, hiding in the shadows, follows her. She enters a dormitory with women and girls laying in narrow beds. Babies in bassinets line the far wall. Nina watches a pregnant girl pace the room. The Wellmother pushes a cart of syringes into the room, and the Springmaidens inject the women with the orange liquid. Nina doesn’t recognize this drug. It isn’t parem, but it could be what’s poisoning the river. Nina recognizes the mother and daughter from the docks whom Birgir pulled from the ship. He sent them here. Nina remembers, “girls go missing from Kejerut” (293). These are Grisha women who are captured, drugged, and impregnated. Nina must help them.

A bell sounds, summoning the Springmaidens to return to the convent. Nina follows close behind. At the gate, the guard asks the Wellmother if the straggler caught up. The Wellmother doesn’t know anything about a straggler. The guard has all the Springmaidens line up for a head count, and Nina sprints away down the hall.

An alarm sounds, and she breaks a window and jumps, tumbling into the forest and running to the convent. Nina makes it back to her room, waking Leoni as she strips and throws her muddy clothes into the trunk. Nina dives into bed just as the door opens and two Springmaidens enter. They spot mud on the floor and search the trunk, finding the muddy Springmaiden dress. The Wellmother appears in the doorway with Hanne in tow. Hanne claims the dress is hers and that Nina was hiding it for her until she could wash it. The Wellmother accepts this story and says she will write Hanne’s father and reconsider Nina giving Hanne language lessons.

After Juris and Grigori depart, Elizaveta waves her hand, and the main room transforms into three separate bedrooms. She lets them rest. Zoya enters her room but leaves moments later to talk to Nikolai to tell him she thinks the ritual is too risky; Nikolai could die, and she doesn’t trust these so-called Saints.

As Zoya protests to Nikolai, Juris appears and takes Zoya to her first lesson. Zoya enquires about his dragon amplifier, and he explains that he and the dragon became one: “When I slew the dragon, I took his form and he took mine” (303). Zoya doesn’t need her amplifier cuff to strengthen her powers. Wanting to share his knowledge with Zoya, Juris tells her about slaying the dragon: They died together and now live eternally together. It’s the same with Grigori and the bear, and Elizaveta and the bees. Juris wants to teach Zoya how to harness all of her power, so he provokes her into a swordfight. Juris encourages Zoya to open the door to her power. She doesn’t need to summon it; “the storm is in [her] bones” (312). With the strength of a hurricane, Zoya shatters Juris’s sword. After her success, she wants to learn more and accepts his help.