Thunderhead

Rowan awakens in a strange place, tied to a bed. He is shocked to see Tyger, who greets him and welcomes him to San Antonio, Texas. Tyger believes Rowan was brought to Texas so he could have a sparring partner, and he scolds Rowan for fighting against his captors instead of coming with them peacefully. When Scythe Rand enters the room, Rowan is horrified because Rand is supposed to be dead. He tries to warn Tyger that Scythe Rand is evil, and “whatever [Tyger] think[s] is going on here, [he’s] wrong” (244) and in grave danger. Still, Tyger doesn’t believe Rowan, and Rand sends Tyger away. Rowan demands to know what Rand is going to do to Tyger, and she replies that she is “turning him into a scythe” (244), though Rowan knows she is lying. Rand reveals that Scythe Brahms was working for her all along, and she plans to enact vengeance on Rowan for trying to kill her. Rand forces Rowan to spar with Tyger, and Rowan is surprised at how strong and agile Tyger has become. Still, he manages to defeat Tyger in their first match. When Rowan tries to warn Tyger again about Scythe Rand, Tyger dismisses his fears and thinks Rowan is just jealous Tyger is going to be a scythe. Rowan isn’t sure what Scythe Rand plans to do with Tyger, but he warns his friend to stay alert to any signs of danger.

Greyson starts to get cold feet about killing scythes, and Purity explains that although she isn’t sure who ordered the attack on the scythes, she plans to carry it out nonetheless. Purity reveals that she was the one who “got rid of [Greyson’s] annoying Nimbus agent” by “pass[ing] word up the line” (257), and Greyson realizes that another scythe must be trying to kill Scythes Curie and Anastasia. Greyson makes an anonymous call to the scythedom and tries to warn them of the coming attack. On the night of the performance of Julius Caesar, Scythes Constantine, Curie, and the BladeGuard watch carefully as Citra performs the gleaning of the actor on stage. Greyson realizes that the unsavories plan to start a fire, and the sprinkler system in the theater—which has been filled with acid—will rain acid down on the unsuspecting scythes and the theatergoers. Greyson breaks free from the other unsavories and tries to warn Scythe Constantine, and in an altercation, Purity is gleaned. However, another unsavory starts the fire. Chaos breaks out in the theater as patrons scramble to escape. Scythe Curie gleans the unsavory who started the fire, and before the sprinkler system can engage, Greyson uses a fire ax to sever the pipes before the acid can begin to travel through the building. The acid sprays out and hits a member of the BladeGuard, Scythe Constantine, and Greyson. Greyson manages to escape, but he is barely able to hide himself before he passes out.

Scythe Constantine receives treatment for his acid burn, and he learns Greyson Tolliver has escaped and is using the alias “Slayd Bridger.” Constantine swears to find Greyson, whom he believes is the one trying to kill Scythes Curie and Anastasia. Citra receives a strange note requesting a secret meeting at the Transportation Museum. Although she assumes it is from Rowan, she is furious to discover that the sender is Greyson. Still, Citra reminds herself that “Greyson [has] saved her life twice,” and if she were to turn him over to Scythe Constantine, he would “glean Greyson piece by bloody piece” (285). Greyson begs for her help because both the scythedom and the Authority Interface are after him. Citra remembers Brother McCloud and the nearby Tonist monastery, and despite the Tonists’ strange beliefs, she knows they “hate the scythedom” and they would “protect [Greyson] with their own lives” (286) if the scythedom came looking for him. She tells Greyson to go to the monastery, ask for Brother McCloud, and tell the Tonists that Scythe Anastasia sent him.

Greyson follows Anastasia’s instructions and goes to the Tonist monastery. He is welcomed and given a quiet, bare room to stay in, but soon he is overwhelmed with despair. Brother McCloud assures Greyson they won’t turn him over to the Authority Interface, but Greyson is expected to join in on the Tonist rituals, which he finds disorienting and ridiculous. Greyson begins to feel like the Thunderhead “[has] millions of more important things to do than lament his troubles” (293), and he becomes more bitter than ever. Back in Texas, weeks pass and Rowan continues to spar with Tyger. One day, Scythe Rand tells Tyger it is time for him to “get [his] ring” (297) and become a scythe. However, Rand shows no enthusiasm and seems saddened by the thought. Rowan becomes suspicious when days pass without Rand forcing him to spar with Tyger. Finally, one day Rand returns and orders the guards to tie Rowan to a chair. Tyger enters the room, but to Rowan’s horror, the “smiling face of Scythe Goddard” (300) is attached to Tyger’s body, which now wears Goddard’s scythe ring.

Rowan’s mind spins with horror. Scythe Goddard wastes no time and starts bragging about how Scythe Rand “rescue[d] the critical part of [him] from the burning cloister” (303) and preserved his head for nearly a year after Rowan decapitated him and burned his body in the Tonist monastery. Rowan realizes they chose to use Tyger’s body to hurt Rowan, and Goddard claims that Tyger’s body was merely “repurposed,” and this is just a consequence of Rowan’s actions. Rowan is furious, and he asks why Rand and Goddard didn’t just kill him and use him instead of Tyger. Goddard replies that “it is [his] wish that [Rowan] live in abject misery,” (304) and he plans to “feed on [Rowan’s] misery day after day for eternity” (305). Goddard leaves Rowan in shambles, and Rand reluctantly tells Rowan that she took care of Tyger’s body and spread his ashes in a field full of flowers.