Chapter 37: Rune — Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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 at the Luminaries Dinner, where Rune is surrounded by admirers after delivering a speech that has been hailed as a triumph. She feels physically ill—her stomach grumbles from barely touching any of the six courses—but she forces a smile and plays the part of a devoted patriot. Despite the crowd, she scans the room for Gideon, hoping he'll appear, but he never does. A pang of disappointment hits her, and she wonders if she's truly so forgettable to him.

As the staff clears the tables and begins assembling some kind of stage in the courtyard, Rune spots Verity across the room. Verity beckons her over with a crooked finger, clearly eager to share a secret. Rune excuses herself from the admirers and makes her way through the maze of tables to join her friend in a quiet corner. Verity, speaking in a low whisper, reveals crucial intelligence she obtained from a prison guard: witches are held in the seventh circle of the prison, past Fortitude Gate—the furthest gate from the entrance. She also explains that every prison worker carries an access coin corresponding to the section they work in, acting like a key that grants passage only to authorized areas.

Rune immediately begins to think about how to use this information to rescue Seraphine. She realizes she'll need to find a guard authorized to go beyond the seventh gate and steal their coin. Verity adds that Blood Guard captains and their seconds carry access coins that allow them to bring witches straight through to Fortitude Gate. This sparks an idea in Rune: if she can steal Gideon's coin and perhaps a Blood Guard uniform, she might be able to walk straight through the last gate. The cogs of her mind turn as she wonders where Gideon keeps his coin.

Before she can plan further, a commotion interrupts her thoughts. Laila Creed enters the courtyard, dressed in her scarlet Blood Guard uniform, gripping the arm of a prisoner. The prisoner's head is covered with a black bag, and iron restraints encase her hands, marking her as a witch. Laila marches the prisoner through the crowd toward the stage that has been assembled in the center of the space. Rune initially thinks it's a stage, but as she sees thick chains hanging from a beam, she realizes it's a purging platform. Laila connects the chains to the witch's ankles, and Rune instinctively starts forward, but Verity grabs her wrist, whispering that there's nothing she can do.

When Laila pulls the hood off the prisoner, Rune and Verity both gasp. The face beneath is shockingly familiar to Rune—she knows it from the gold locket her grandmother Nan used to wear. The locket contained painted portraits of two young women: Kestrel (Rune's grandmother) and Seraphine, who had been best friends since childhood. But the woman on the platform looks no older than twenty-three, while Nan was over seventy when she died. Seraphine appears to have not aged a single day, and Rune's mind spins with confusion.

Nicolas Creed, the Good Commander, ascends the platform, and a hush falls over the courtyard. He announces that there's a surprise in store for the guests, and his gaze lands directly on Rune. He calls her up to the platform, praising her as a model patriot, citing her bravery, loyalty, and refusal to tolerate witchcraft. At the name Winters, Seraphine's head whips toward Rune, her eyes narrowing with hatred. Rune realizes with horror that they intend to kill Seraphine right there, as the evening's entertainment—a private witch purging for the Luminaries guests. She looks around for Gideon, wondering if he knew about this or if it's another trap, but he's nowhere to be seen.

As Rune steps onto the platform, Laila opens a black box and draws out the purging knife, cradling it lovingly in red velvet. She holds it out to Rune with a ghost of a smile, saying, “Rune Winters, I grant you the privilege of purging Seraphine Oakes tonight.” The chapter ends with Rune facing an impossible choice, the knife offered to her in front of a crowd of patriots.

Key Events

Rune's speech is a success, drawing a swarm of admirers, but she feels sick and searches for Gideon in vain.
Verity shares prison intelligence: witches are held in the seventh circle past Fortitude Gate, and access coins are required for each section.
Verity reveals that Blood Guard captains and their seconds carry coins for Fortitude Gate, prompting Rune to consider stealing Gideon's coin and a uniform.
Laila Creed arrives with a hooded witch and chains her to a purging platform.
The hood is removed, revealing Seraphine Oakes, who appears young despite Rune's knowledge of her from Nan's locket.
Nicolas Creed calls Rune to the platform, praises her patriotism, and Laila offers her the purging knife to execute Seraphine.
Seraphine glares at Rune with hatred upon hearing the name Winters.

Character Development

This chapter deepens Rune's internal conflict between her public persona and her true self. She is forced to maintain a facade of patriotism while feeling physically ill from the lies she's spewing. Her disappointment at Gideon's absence reveals her emotional vulnerability, even as she tries to suppress it. The chapter also showcases her quick thinking and resourcefulness: upon learning about the access coins, she immediately devises a plan to steal Gideon's coin and a uniform, demonstrating her willingness to take risks for Seraphine's sake.

Verity emerges as a loyal ally, using her own cunning to extract information from a prison guard and sharing it with Rune. Her warning to Rune not to act impulsively shows her protective nature, even as she supports Rune's larger mission.

Seraphine's appearance as a young woman—despite the decades that should have passed—adds a layer of mystery and raises questions about her true nature. Her hatred toward Rune upon hearing the name Winters suggests a deep-seated grudge, possibly tied to the history between her and Kestrel.

Nicolas and Laila Creed are portrayed as manipulative authority figures who use public spectacle to consolidate power. Laila's almost loving handling of the purging knife and her smile as she offers it to Rune highlight her cruelty and enjoyment of violence.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Deception and False Patriotism: Rune's speech and her interactions with admirers are built on lies. She feels sick from the falsehoods, yet she continues to play the role, highlighting the cost of maintaining a double life.
Purging as Public Entertainment: The Luminaries Dinner turns a witch execution into a spectacle for the elite, showing how the regime normalizes violence and uses it as a form of social bonding.
Access Coins as Keys: The coins symbolize control and hierarchy within the prison system. They represent the barriers Rune must overcome to rescue Seraphine, and the idea that knowledge and access are power.
Forced Participation in Violence: By granting Rune the “privilege” of purging Seraphine, the Creeds force her to publicly commit an act of violence, testing her loyalty and potentially exposing her true allegiances.
Seraphine's Unnatural Youth: Her unchanged appearance hints at supernatural or magical elements, possibly tied to witch powers, and raises questions about the nature of time and aging in this world.
Locket as Symbol of Lost Friendship: The locket containing portraits of Kestrel and Seraphine represents a bond that has been broken, and its reappearance in Rune's memory underscores the personal stakes of the conflict.
Manipulation by Authority: Nicolas and Laila orchestrate the entire scene, using Rune as a pawn to demonstrate their control and to test her loyalty.
The Cost of Lies: Rune's internal suffering—her sickness, her fake smile, her disappointment—illustrates the emotional toll of her deception.
Absence of Gideon: Gideon's absence throughout the chapter creates a sense of isolation for Rune and leaves her without an ally in a dangerous moment, emphasizing her vulnerability.
Stage as Spectacle: The purging platform is a literal stage, turning violence into theater for the guests, reinforcing the theme of performance and public image.
Sacrifice and Penance: Rune views her suffering as penance for her lies, suggesting a willingness to endure pain for her cause.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 39 is a critical turning point in Heartless Hunter. It forces Rune into an impossible public dilemma: she must either kill Seraphine—a woman connected to her grandmother's past—or risk exposing her true identity by refusing. The chapter also reveals Seraphine's unnatural youth, which introduces a major mystery that will likely drive the plot forward. Additionally, the intelligence Verity provides about the prison's access coins gives Rune a concrete plan for the rescue mission, setting the stage for the action to come. The absence of Gideon adds tension and leaves Rune without support, heightening the stakes. This chapter masterfully combines political intrigue, personal conflict, and world-building, making it a pivotal moment in the narrative.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Rune feel sick during the dinner, and what does this reveal about her character?

Rune feels sick because she is forced to maintain a false persona of patriotism while knowing she is secretly a witch. She barely touches her food and her stomach grumbles, but she forces a smile and plays along. This reveals her internal conflict and the emotional toll of her double life. She even thinks of her suffering as penance for the lies she's spewing, showing her guilt and her commitment to her cause.

2. What plan does Rune devise after Verity shares the prison information, and what obstacles does she anticipate?

Rune learns that witches are held in the seventh circle past Fortitude Gate and that access coins are required to enter each section. She realizes she needs to steal an access coin from a Blood Guard captain or second, specifically Gideon's coin, and also obtain a Blood Guard uniform to walk through the gate. The obstacles include figuring out where Gideon keeps his coin and how to get a uniform without being detected.

3. How does Seraphine's appearance challenge Rune's understanding of her grandmother's past?

Seraphine looks no older than twenty-three, but Rune knows from Nan's locket that Seraphine and Kestrel were best friends in their youth, and Nan died at over seventy. This suggests Seraphine has not aged, which is impossible for a normal human. This challenges Rune's assumptions about Seraphine's nature and hints at magical or supernatural explanations, deepening the mystery surrounding her.

Continue to the next chapter to see how Rune handles the purging knife and what happens next. Or return to the book hub for more chapter summaries and analyses. If you missed the previous chapter, you can catch up with the previous chapter summary.