Chapter 12 Summary: Twelve. Rune

⚠️ 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

The chapter opens in Rune's bedroom, where Gideon has just spilled wine on his expensive jacket. Rune, feeling guilty and flustered, offers to clean it with her shawl, but Gideon backs away, insisting it's fine. Before she can press further, Verity bursts in, looking windblown and shocked at finding them together. Gideon takes this as his cue to leave, folding his stained jacket and excusing himself.

Once he's gone, Verity confronts Rune, furious that Gideon—the Blood Guard captain—is not on their carefully curated list of suitors. Rune explains that Gideon has never shown interest before, but tonight he gave her a silk rose, which she pulls from her hair to show Verity. Verity is skeptical, warning that Gideon might be playing her, and that he doesn't court girls like Rune. Rune brushes off the sting of that comment, but internally she acknowledges that Gideon turned the tables on her—his enchanted wine, his knowing hands, and his refusal to reveal Blood Guard secrets despite her attempts at distraction. She admits to herself that she's in over her head.

Verity, gripping Rune's hand, pleads with her to reject Gideon and choose someone safer, confessing that she doesn't want to lose Rune too—a reference to the sisters Verity has already lost. Rune is too exhausted to argue, and as she lies on the bed, Verity leaves, but not before handing the silk rose to Alex, who has just entered the room.

Alex lies down beside Rune, and they share a quiet moment. He warns her to stop whatever she's doing with his brother, saying that if Gideon discovers what Rune truly is, he won't hesitate to kill her. Rune asks why Gideon hates her so much, and Alex explains that Gideon witnessed horrible things at the palace—things that damage a person irreparably. Rune remembers that Gideon has disapproved of her since they first met five years ago, long before that damage, and she wonders what it is about her that he can't abide.

As Alex tucks his arm under her head and pulls her close, he tells her that it's too late for Gideon, but she can still be saved. Rune, drifting toward sleep, recalls meeting Alex seven years earlier at the Royal Library, when she was eleven and he was playing music that brimmed with emotion. She thinks about how many times she's needed saving, and Alex responds that it's the one time she'll need it and no one will be there that worries him. Too tired to argue, Rune nestles into him, breathing in the clean smell of his shirt, and falls asleep mid-conversation.

Key Events

Gideon spills wine on his jacket in Rune's bedroom, and Rune offers to clean it.
Verity interrupts, and Gideon leaves abruptly.
Verity confronts Rune about courting Gideon, who isn't on their list of suitors.
Rune shows Verity the silk rose Gideon gave her, and Verity warns that Gideon may be manipulating her.
Verity asks Rune to reject Gideon and choose someone safer.
Alex enters, and Verity departs, leaving the rose with him.
Alex lies beside Rune and warns her to stop pursuing Gideon, saying Gideon would kill her if he discovered her secret.
Rune asks why Gideon hates her, and Alex reveals Gideon witnessed terrible things at the palace.
Rune recalls meeting Alex at the Royal Library seven years earlier.
Exhausted, Rune falls asleep while Alex is still talking.

Character Development

Rune shows a rare moment of vulnerability in this chapter. She's physically and emotionally drained after her ride through terrible weather, and her usual quick thinking is dulled. Her guilt over spilling wine, her internal admission that she's in over her head with Gideon, and her reliance on Alex's comfort all reveal a softer, more human side beneath her confident facade. Her memory of meeting Alex as a child also deepens her backstory, showing how their friendship began and why she trusts him.

Gideon remains enigmatic. His refusal to let Rune clean his jacket, his abrupt exit, and his earlier use of enchanted wine suggest he's both guarded and calculating. Verity's suspicion that he might be playing Rune adds to his mysteriousness, and Alex's revelation about his traumatic past hints at the reasons behind his obsession with witch hunting.

Verity emerges as a fiercely protective friend. Her anger at Rune's improvisation stems from fear, not control—she's already lost her sisters and can't bear to lose Rune. Her plea for Rune to choose someone safer shows her pragmatic, cautious nature, which contrasts with Rune's risk-taking.

Alex is revealed to be deeply protective of both his brother and Rune. His warning to Rune is blunt, but his actions—lying beside her, removing her shoes, tucking his arm under her head—are tender. His comment about Rune being