Chapter 10 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 have been warned.

(If you are looking for a spoiler-free overview, check the book hub instead.)

Now, let's dig into Chapter 10.

Summary

The chapter opens with Marra, the dust-wife, and Fenris traveling together. Marra quickly realizes that Fenris makes the journey easier: he can build fires faster, shares his gear (though he has none of his own, so the dust-wife sacrifices a measuring cup and Marra gives him a knife), and he is calm and good-humored even when the dust-wife needles him. After two days, Marra no longer seriously fears that Fenris will betray them, though she remains cautious, remembering that no one suspected Prince Vorling of turning on his wives. She also recalls the farmer who tried to kill her, and she sometimes puts extra steps between herself and Fenris, though he never seems to notice.

As they travel north, the cold sets in. They trade firewood for food at farmhouses, and Fenris's stomach stops growling. One night, Marra offers to share her blanket with Fenris, who has no bedding. After a brief, awkward exchange—the dust-wife snorts, and Marra clarifies she means nothing improper—they lie down back-to-back under the single blanket. Marra finds it hard to sleep; she fidgets, worries about waking Fenris, and reflects on how long it has been since she slept near another person. She remembers creeping into her sister Damia's bed as a child, and the scent of lavender under the pillow. She cannot recall Damia's face, but she remembers the lavender.

The next day, they cross back into Marra's own kingdom. The border is unmarked and porous, and Marra steps over a faded wooden marker with a crude royal crest. She expects to feel something—a sense of homecoming—but feels nothing. Fenris shares his own experience: he once returned from a campaign and didn't notice he was in his clan's lands for half an hour. He explains that he can never return to Hardack; doing so would start a war of vengeance, and he will not sentence people to die for his homesickness. Marra thinks about her own future: if they succeed and Prince Vorling is dead, will she have to return to the convent? She prays to the Lady of Grackles to let her remain insignificant, a weaver and midwife, not a princess.

The dust-wife asks about Marra's godmother, who lives near Trexel. Marra recalls a vague memory of her mother pointing out the godmother's home during a hawking trip. The dust-wife decides they will go to Trexel. Marra feels anger toward the godmother, who sent her sisters out into the world so ill-prepared, and who could have stopped the tragedy long ago.

In a small gray town, while Fenris splits firewood at an inn, a drunk man confronts the dust-wife, calling her a witch and grabbing at the brown hen. Marra steps in, pretending to be a nun of the Lady of Grackles, and the man backs off—until Bonedog barks at him and the man kicks the dog. Bonedog bites him, and the man shouts for the crowd. Fenris appears and tries to defuse the situation, but a bystander's taunt enrages the drunk, who pulls a knife. Fenris punches him twice, knocking him down, and the three of them flee the town. Afterward, Marra is angry at Fenris for risking his life, but she realizes her anger is really fear that has nowhere to go. The dust-wife tells them to keep moving while they still can.

Key Events

Marra and Fenris settle into a rhythm of travel; Fenris proves resourceful and good-natured.
Marra offers to share her blanket with Fenris, and they sleep back-to-back, prompting her to recall childhood memories of sleeping with her sister Damia.
They cross into Marra's kingdom, but she feels no sense of homecoming.
Fenris reveals he can never return to Hardack, and Marra reflects on her own uncertain future.
The dust-wife decides they will visit Marra's godmother near Trexel.
In a town, a drunk man confronts the dust-wife; Marra impersonates a nun, but Bonedog bites the man, and Fenris punches him to escape.
The group flees the town, and Marra processes her anger after the fear.

Character Development

Marra continues to grow as a protagonist. Her trust in Fenris is tentative but expanding; she still harbors caution, but she also feels a