Chapter 38: Leith in Tunder — A Smuggler’s Bargain and a Fiery Escape
Spoiler Warning
This page reveals major plot events from Chapter 38 of Bloodguard. Do not continue if you wish to avoid spoilers.
Summary
Leith and Caelen navigate Tunder’s funnel-like entrance, aware of the archers overhead. They reach the disreputable tavern Your Mother’s Bloomers, where Caelen summons the mountain troll smuggler Xavier with a coded knock. Xavier negotiates harshly to transport Leith’s mother and two sisters to Arrow; when he offensively asks if they are to be sold, Leith seizes his throat, and Caelen’s shifter side briefly flashes. A price is agreed, with delivery promised in two weeks. Caelen later reveals that his final ominous words were for any eavesdroppers. They move to an adjacent tea shop to wait for Giselle, but she fails to appear. Warning bells ring; the city gates are closing early. The pair rush to escape and find Giselle detained by Arrow soldiers. She shouts a diversion and pulls off her gloves. As Leith and Caelen slip through the narrowing gate, a massive fireball erupts behind them.
Key Events
- Leith and Caelen pass through Tunder’s defensible funnel and crowded streets, noting the hostility toward outsiders.
- At a rowdy tavern, a secret knock summons Xavier, a scarred mountain troll and smuggler.
- Xavier’s coarse question about selling the women triggers Leith’s violent reaction and Caelen’s partial shift, establishing their seriousness.
- Caelen pays for three passes; Xavier guarantees delivery of Leith’s family to Arrow within two weeks.
- The two kill time in a refined tea shop, where Caelen admits he wanted to scout the tavern earlier from a safer vantage.
- Caelen grows tense when Giselle does not arrive; the city’s alarm bells signal emergency gate closures.
- Rushing to escape, they encounter Giselle surrounded by blue-and-green-uniformed guards, using her detainment as a diversion.
- Caelen bribes a giant guard to shield them as they exit, just before Giselle removes her gloves and unleashes a cataclysmic fireball.
Character Development
- Leith: His protective fury over his mother and sisters shows his deep love and sense of duty. Despite his natural suspicion, he begins to trust Caelen and feels genuine hope for the first time, imagining his family’s future in Arrow.
- Caelen: More of his hidden nature emerges. He briefly shifts to an amber-eyed beast when angered by Xavier’s games, and later speaks with a rumbling growl. He takes responsibility for Leith’s family by calling Rose his “bride” as a cover. His concern for Giselle reveals a softer layer beneath the soldier’s exterior.
- Xavier (the troll): A hardened professional who plays by his own rules. His X-shaped scar, fresh cheek wound, and willingness to threaten Leith with a knife show a dangerous but competent operator. He instantly recognizes Caelen’s military rank.
- Giselle: Though mostly off-page, her fierce independence shines. She defies the guards with biting insults and willingly triggers a massive fireball, stripping off her gloves to unleash power that hints at a mysterious affliction.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Sacrifice and Loyalty: Giselle chooses to distract the guards at great personal risk, possibly sacrificing her own freedom for Caelen and Leith.
- Hidden Power and Duality: Caelen’s partial transformation reinforces the idea that many characters carry secret, dangerous abilities. Giselle’s gloves become a literal barrier against a cataclysmic fire she can unleash.
- Family and Belonging: Leith’s entire mission is to bring his family to a safer life. The chapter contrasts the filthy, chaotic tavern with the clean tea shop, underscoring the search for a better place.
- Control and Containment: Tunder’s walls, the funnel of archers, the coded knock—all speak to a world where movement is tightly controlled, and the closing of gates early symbolizes how quickly safety can become a trap.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter advances Leith’s desperate plan to rescue his mother and sisters, grounding the arena story in high personal stakes. It expands the worldbuilding by revealing Tunder as a tense, militarized neighbor to Arrow and introduces the resourceful smuggler Xavier. Most critically, it peels back layers from Caelen and Giselle: Caelen’s shifter nature is confirmed, and Giselle’s volatile power becomes a shocking cliffhanger. The early gate closure suggests political tension or a manhunt that will affect future events. Without this chapter, the emotional weight of Leith’s hope and the peril of Giselle’s sacrifice would be absent.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Caelen refer to Leith’s mother as his bride during the negotiation?
He is protecting Leith’s family by declaring them under his own claim and honor. In the rough underworld of smugglers, stating that the woman is his bride signals that any insult or threat will be met with lethal force, a promise he immediately backs by strangling Xavier and briefly revealing his beast side. It buys the family a shield of respect and safety.
2. What does Xavier’s behavior — the coded knock, the scar, and his response to Caelen’s partial shift — reveal about him?
Xavier is a veteran of this shadow world. The code proves his professionalism, while the deep X-shaped scar and fresh cheek wound suggest a violent past. He doesn’t flinch when Caelen slams him against the wall because he has faced dangerous beings before; he simply smirks. His calm under pressure and refusal to be intimidated show he is trustworthy only to the extent that coin and reputation dictate.
3. What is the significance of Giselle’s removal of her gloves at the gate?
The gloves have been repeatedly mentioned as something Giselle refuses to take off, tied to an undisclosed “affliction.” When she peels them off, she removes the only barrier between her and a catastrophic magical power. The eruption of a fireball just as the gate closes suggests that her affliction is not a weakness but a volatile, potentially self-destructive weapon she has been containing — and now strategically releases to save her companions.