Chapter 40 Summary & Analysis – 35 West

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

After a strange shared dream with a faceless figure, Glorian wakes shaken. Her fear over a recent assassination attempt lingers, and she avoids leaving the castle. Her father, King Bardholt, arrives at Drouthwick. He comforts her, shares a story of his own childhood trauma, and reassures her of his love. Glorian, still troubled by her mother’s coldness and curious why Bardholt missed his summer visit, plots to spy on her parents using a hidden passage her maid Helisent discovered. Helisent warns Glorian about Wulf’s mysterious origin in the haithwood. Through a crack in the wall, Glorian overhears her parents discuss a deadly sickness from Ófandauth that killed the Issýn, and Queen Sabran’s harsh belief that Glorian must be forged like steel. She also witnesses her parents being intimate. Shocked, she flees and encounters Wulf, but refuses his help.

Key Events

• Glorian dreams of a faceless figure on an island; they both claim to be dreamers.
• King Bardholt arrives at Drouthwick Castle and consoles Glorian, telling her about the first time someone tried to kill him.
• Glorian learns that her mother saved her from the assassin, yet has since been cold and distant.
• Bardholt admits he missed his summer visit due to pressing matters in Hróth, but does not elaborate.
• Helisent reveals the legend of the Witch of Inysca and warns Glorian that Wulf may be connected to that old world.
• Glorian uses a secret spyhole to observe her parents’ private conversation in the Great Chamber.
• She overhears that a sickness from Ófandauth killed the Issýn and that Bardholt burned all traces.
• Queen Sabran calls Glorian “too soft” and insists she must be hardened for queenship.
• Sabran confesses she cannot bear another child, implying Glorian is their only heir.
• Glorian witnesses her parents being intimate and flees in shock.
• She runs into Wulf in the courtyard but rebuffs his offer to escort her.

Character Development

Glorian continues to grapple with fear after the assassination attempt. Her conversation with Bardholt reveals her deep need for reassurance and her longing for her mother’s affection. The decision to spy marks a turning point: she actively seeks truth rather than passively accepting what she is told. Her shock at overhearing Sabran’s frank assessment of her perceived weakness and at witnessing her parents’ intimacy forces her to confront uncomfortable realities about her place in the dynasty.

Queen Sabran is portrayed as a cold, pragmatic ruler who believes love must be sacrificed for strength. Her comparison of Glorian to the weak Queen Marian and her admission that she cannot have more children reveal the immense pressure she feels to produce a perfect heir.

King Bardholt is a warm, protective father who openly shows affection. His willingness to share his own vulnerability (the story of being beaten as a boy) contrasts sharply with Sabran’s emotional distance. He is also a decisive leader who has already taken extreme measures to contain the sickness.

Helisent demonstrates loyalty and a superstitious streak, believing in the Witch of Inysca. She acts as Glorian’s confidante and co-conspirator.

Wulf (Wulfert Glenn) appears briefly but his mysterious origin is now highlighted. Helisent’s warning plants a seed of suspicion about his connection to the haithwood.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

The Weight of Royalty: Glorian is caught between her parents’ expectations. Bardholt wants her to have a childhood; Sabran wants her hardened. The chapter shows how the crown demands sacrifice, even of parental love.

Secrecy and Truth: Glorian’s spying symbolizes her transition from protected child to truth-seeking future queen. The hidden passage represents the hidden truths of the realm – the sickness, her mother’s doubts, her father’s past.

Fear and Courage: Both parents offer different lessons on fear. Bardholt tells Glorian that freezing is natural but can be overcome. Sabran’s approach is to forge fear away through discipline. Glorian’s decision to use the spyhole is her own act of courage.

The Old World vs. The New: The legend of the Witch of Inysca and the mention of the Dreadmount (linked to the Nameless One) echo older, pre-Saint beliefs. The sickness from Ófandauth suggests that ancient dangers are awakening, threatening the fragile order Sabran and Bardholt have built.

Family Dynamics: The chapter deeply explores the relationship between Glorian and her parents. Bardholt’s warmth and Sabran’s coldness create a tense contrast. The intimacy scene is shocking to Glorian because it exposes a side of her parents she has never seen – passionate and raw, challenging her idealised view of them.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 40 is a turning point for Glorian’s character. It strips away her childhood illusions about her parents’ marriage and her mother’s love. The overheard conversation provides crucial world-building: a deadly sickness from the far west (Ófandauth) that has already killed the Issýn, and the threat of it reaching Inys. This sickness will likely become a major plot element. The chapter also deepens the mystery around Wulf and the haithwood, while showing the cracks in the supposedly strong Berethnet line. Glorian’s decision to seek truth rather than hide from it foreshadows her growth as a future queen who must navigate a dangerous world.

Study Questions and Answers

1. What does Glorian overhear about her mother’s true opinion of her? Queen Sabran tells Bardholt that Glorian is “too soft,” that she must be hardened like a sword through fire and force, and that she cannot afford to coddle her because Glorian is the only successor Sabran can bear. Sabran even compares Glorian to the weak Queen Marian.

2. Why does Helisent warn Glorian to be careful around Wulf? Helisent recounts a story about a boy found at the edge of the haithwood bearing marks of a “witching.” She believes in the Witch of Inysca, an old spirit who twists trees and torments those who renounce the Saint. She suggests that Wulf’s origin in the haithwood makes him a possible link to that dangerous old world, and that something might still be watching him.

3. What deadly threat does King Bardholt reveal to Queen Sabran? Bardholt tells Sabran that a sickness came from Ófandauth (the domain of the Great Dragon Fýredel) that killed the Issýn, a peacekeeper figure. He claims to have burned every place the sickness touched and the remains of the dead, and that he brought one surviving retainer for examination. He fears the sickness will feed the doubts about the Berethnet line already kindled by the Dreadmount eruption.

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