Chapter 35 (Rune): Summary, Analysis, and Key Takeaways

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

You can return to the chapter hub or go to the previous chapter if you need to catch up.

Alternatively, jump to the next chapter after reading this one.

But first, let's dive into what happens in Chapter 37, titled “Thirty-Five. Rune.”

This chapter is a turning point for Rune's rescue mission and for Verity's backstory, revealing deep wounds and hidden truths.

We'll break down the events, character growth, and themes, and then answer some study questions to help you think critically about the text.

Let's begin.

Summary

The chapter opens with Rune in her shift while Verity pins up her hair. Rune reveals that she has enchanted Gideon's jacket with a Truth Teller spellmark, placing the bloody mark inside an interior pocket. She hopes that if Gideon wears the jacket to the Luminaries Dinner, she can pull the information she needs from him—specifically, details that might help her rescue Seraphine. Rune is determined to be more ruthless tonight, especially after three days of silence from Gideon—no telegrams, no flowers, no requests for walks. She worries he has forgotten her or lost interest, and she hates feeling fragile and unsteady.

As Verity finishes her hair, Lizbeth delivers a telegram from Gideon. It says he will be late to dinner because of an urgent matter. Rune's hopes sink; there is no apology or promise to make it up to her. She wonders if he is avoiding her, and she fears that if he doesn't come, her plan to rescue Seraphine will fail. Verity notices Rune's distress and decides to accompany her to the dinner, offering moral support and a chance to poke around for information about the prison's security. Rune agrees, though she insists Verity borrow a dress from her closet, except for the green gown Gideon made her, which has a hidden pocket.

While Verity searches for a dress, Rune steps into her hidden casting room to retrieve a blood vial. There, she finds a rare spell book left on her desk—one she doesn't remember placing there. The book is one of Nan's rarer collections, full of powerful curses. As she flips through it, it falls open to a spell called Earth Sunderer, which requires someone else's blood and a lot of it. Verity appears beside her and warns Rune not to attempt it, noting that even an unlocking spell makes Rune faint.

The conversation turns to Gideon's accusations about the Roseblood sisters using blood magic. Rune asks Verity if she thinks the sisters used Arcana spells. Verity reveals a painful part of her past: her stepfather accused her sisters of using each other's blood for Majora spells, with permission, and convinced her mother that they were wicked. He then subjected them to abuse—locking them up, beating them, forcing them to kneel on broken glass—and eventually handed them over to the Blood Guard. Verity's mother, still grieving the loss of a baby sister in childbirth, sided with her stepfather and did nothing.

As Verity relives these memories, she digs her fingernails into Rune's hand, nearly breaking the skin. Rune cries out, and Verity apologizes, insisting her sisters weren't corrupt. She explains that witches have used each other's blood to amplify spells for centuries, and there's nothing wrong with what they did. Rune wants to point out that the Roseblood sisters' actions were different—they used blood against others' will—but she sees Verity's distress and lets the matter drop. The chapter ends with Rune grabbing her blood vial and the two friends heading off to find Verity a better dress.

Key Events

Rune enchants Gideon's jacket with a Truth Teller spellmark, hoping to extract information from him at the Luminaries Dinner.
Gideon sends a telegram saying he will be late, leaving Rune anxious and uncertain about his interest.
Verity decides to accompany Rune to the dinner for moral support and to gather intel on the prison.
Rune discovers a mysterious spell book in her casting room, left open to the Earth Sunderer curse.
Verity warns Rune against attempting the curse, explaining its dangerous blood requirements.
Rune asks Verity about the Roseblood sisters' use of blood magic, prompting Verity to reveal her stepfather's abuse and the handover of her sisters to the Blood Guard.
Verity becomes emotionally overwhelmed, accidentally hurting Rune's hand, then apologizes and insists her sisters were not corrupt.
Rune lets the topic go, and the two prepare to leave for the dinner.

Character Development

Rune shows a vulnerable side in this chapter. Her usual confidence wavers as she worries about Gideon's silence and whether she's good enough for him. She admits to herself that she hates feeling rejected and fragile, which is a new experience for her. At the same time, she remains focused on her mission—rescuing Seraphine—and is willing to use manipulation (the Truth Teller spell) to achieve it. Her decision to let Verity's painful story go, rather than press her point about the Rosebloods, shows a growing empathy and sensitivity to her friend's trauma.

Verity is revealed to be carrying deep scars from her family's past. Her stepfather's cruelty and her mother's complicity have shaped her fierce independence and her determination to never return home. Her emotional outburst—digging her nails into Rune's hand—shows how raw those wounds still are. Yet she also demonstrates loyalty by offering to accompany Rune to the dinner, despite her disapproval of the courtship. Her insistence that her sisters weren't corrupt suggests she still carries guilt and a need to defend them.

Gideon remains off-page, but his telegram and absence loom large. His silence and late arrival create tension and uncertainty, forcing Rune to confront her own insecurities. His earlier accusations about the Rosebloods now seem more complex, as Verity's story complicates the idea of blood magic as inherently evil.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Blood magic and persecution are central. Verity's story reveals that blood magic—specifically using another's blood with permission—has a long history among witches, but it has been demonized and used as a justification for abuse. The Earth Sunderer spell, which requires a large amount of someone else's blood, illustrates the power and danger of such magic. The persecution of Verity's sisters mirrors the broader persecution of witches in the story, and it raises questions about how power is policed and who gets to define what is