Chapter 22: 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 with Rune leaving the ship’s after-work party, where she has just watched Gideon take Abbie’s hand and lead her into the dancers. The sight stings: Gideon had called Abbie an old friend, but Rune can’t help wondering if there was more between them, and why he never asked her to dance. She pushes the feeling aside and follows William down into the boiler room.

William guides her through the noisy, steam-filled lower decks, past stokers shoveling coal into glowing boilers. Rune is struck by the scale of the ship—far larger than the wind-powered vessels her grandmother used to own—and for a moment she forgets her jealousy. But she quickly remembers a more urgent problem: beneath her silk gloves, her hands are sweating. A spellmark drawn in blood on her thigh keeps her disguised, and if the mark smudges, the illusion will fail and expose her as a witch. She knows she can’t stay down here long.

Hoping to scout the ship for her smuggling plan, Rune asks William about the cargo holds. He explains that the hold on this level is used only for coal and ship supplies, so it isn’t bolted. The other holds are sealed from the outside before departure, after witch-hunting hounds check the luggage. Rune realizes she could unlock a door with magic, but she couldn’t unbolt a hatch without drawing attention. When William takes her hand and suggests they investigate the unbolted hold, Rune feels uneasy—Gideon’s warning about William echoes in her mind—but she decides to play along. She needs to see inside that hold if she wants to smuggle witches aboard the Arcadia.

Before they can go far, Gideon appears from the steam, furious. He shoves William against the bulkhead and demands to know what Rune is doing alone with him. Rune defends William, but Gideon quickly realizes the truth: she’s using the ship to smuggle witches out of the Republic. He accuses her of luring William down here for her own purposes, and of making a fool of him. Rune tries to leave, but Gideon blocks her path and pulls her close. He says he was worried she was falling prey to a cad, but then reminds himself that the Crimson Moth only pretends to be prey—in truth, she’s the predator.

The argument escalates. Gideon accuses Rune of being in love with his brother, Alex, and points out she’s still wearing Alex’s ring. Rune finally erupts. She tells Gideon the truth: she would have married him in a heartbeat, even knowing he might hand her over to her killers once he learned what she was. She says yes to Alex because Alex loved her and didn’t want her dead. She admits she loved Alex only as a dear friend, and wonders if Alex had loved a version of her that didn’t exist—a quiet, safe version. Deep down, Rune realizes she craves adventure and danger, and that Alex’s desire for a peaceful life would have asked her to be less herself.

She pulls off her glove, slides Alex’s ring from her finger, and presses it into Gideon’s palm. She tells him she was just a girl to Alex—someone to be loved and cherished—but to Gideon she is a witch, something to be hated and hunted. She waits for him to deny it, but he stays silent. Stepping around him, Rune runs for the stairs.

Key Events

Rune sees Gideon dancing with Abbie and feels a painful surge of jealousy.
William leads Rune into the boiler room, where she worries her disguise spellmark might smudge from sweat.
Rune learns the cargo hold on this level is for coal and supplies and isn’t bolted, while other holds are sealed before departure.
William takes Rune’s hand and suggests they investigate the hold; Rune decides to play along to gain access.
Gideon arrives, confronts William, and then realizes Rune’s plan to smuggle witches aboard the Arcadia.
Gideon accuses Rune of using him and of being in love with his brother.
Rune admits she would have married Gideon, but Alex loved her and didn’t want her dead.
Rune removes Alex’s ring and gives it to Gideon, saying she was just a girl to Alex but a witch to Gideon.
Gideon remains silent, and Rune runs for the stairs.

Character Development

This chapter is a turning point for Rune’s self-understanding. She begins by suppressing her jealousy over Gideon and Abbie, then shifts into her practical, mission-driven mode when she sees an opportunity to inspect the cargo hold. But the confrontation with Gideon forces her to confront her own feelings. She admits she would have married Gideon despite the danger, and she acknowledges that her love for Alex was friendship, not passion. More importantly, she recognizes that the safe, comfortable life Alex offered would have required her to shrink herself. Her decision to give back the ring is both an act of honesty and an act of self-definition: she chooses the life she actually wants, even if it’s dangerous.

Gideon also shows a new layer of vulnerability. His anger is mixed with hurt—he says he can’t forgive Rune for making him fall for her while she loved his brother. His silence at the end is telling: he doesn’t deny Rune’s claim that he sees her only as a witch. That silence confirms her fear and deepens the tragedy of their relationship.

William serves as a foil. He is polite and seemingly helpful, but Rune’s unease and Gideon’s warning suggest he may have his own motives. His role highlights how Rune is willing to use others—and be used—to achieve her goals.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Trust and Deception: Rune lies to William to gain access to the hold, while Gideon accuses her of deceiving him. The chapter explores how survival and mission goals can justify manipulation, but also how that manipulation wounds the people who care.
Identity: Girl vs. Witch: Rune’s disguise spellmark is a literal symbol of her hidden identity. Her final speech to Gideon draws a sharp line between how Alex saw her (a girl to be cherished) and how Gideon sees her (a witch to be hunted).
Predator vs. Prey: Gideon’s line about the Crimson Moth pretending to be prey but actually being a predator captures the central tension of Rune’s double life. She is both vulnerable and dangerous, and others keep misreading which one is real.
Letting Go: Rune’s removal of Alex’s ring is a physical act of release. She lets go of the safe future Alex represented, and also lets go of the hope that Gideon might see her differently.
Adventure vs. Safety: Rune realizes she craves challenge and danger, and that a peaceful life would have made her less herself. This theme ties directly to her choice to keep fighting as the Crimson Moth.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 22 is a pivotal emotional and plot-driven scene. It advances Rune’s smuggling plan by giving her crucial information about the ship’s holds, but it also forces a major rupture in her relationship with Gideon. By confessing her willingness to marry him and then giving back Alex’s ring, Rune strips away her defenses and lays her true feelings bare. Gideon’s silence is a rejection that may shape her choices going forward. The chapter also clarifies Rune’s internal conflict: she is no longer pretending she can be the safe, cherished girl Alex wanted. She is embracing the witch, the predator, the adventurer—and she is ready to face the consequences.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Rune agree to go with William to the cargo hold, even though she feels uneasy about his intimate gesture?

Rune’s primary goal is to find a way to smuggle witches aboard the Arcadia. She knows she may not get another chance to inspect the hold, and she decides that playing along with William is worth the risk. She tells herself this is a game she excels at, and she uses her charm to keep him cooperative.

2. What does Rune’s decision to give Alex’s ring to Gideon signify?

The ring represents the safe, loving future Alex offered her. By giving it back, Rune acknowledges that she cannot be the version of herself Alex loved—a quiet, protected girl. She also confronts Gideon with the truth: he sees her only as a witch, not as someone to cherish. The act is both a release and a challenge.

3. How does the boiler room setting reflect Rune’s internal state in this chapter?

The heat and steam threaten to smudge her disguise spellmark, mirroring the pressure Rune feels as she tries to maintain her false identity. The confined, noisy space also amplifies the emotional heat of her confrontation with Gideon, and the machinery’s relentless motion echoes her own frantic need to keep moving and avoid being caught.