Chapter 26 Summary: Gideon's Chapter, Key Events, and Analysis

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Summary

Gideon returns to the cabin he shares with Rune, only to find her absent. He assumes she has used her invisibility spell to avoid him, and he knows that if she doesn't want to be found, he won't find her. Alone, he removes his shirt and studies the brand on his chest—the scar left by Cressida's curse—which still glows ember-red and feels hot to the touch. The memory of Rune's soft sound when he touched her throat floods back, tightening every muscle in his body. He is painfully aware that he can never be with Rune, no matter how much he might want to; Cressida has made sure of that. In a moment of despair, he considers finding Rune's casting knife and cutting the brand out of his skin, but a knock on the door interrupts him.

Hoping it might be Rune, he opens the door to find Abbie instead. Her auburn curls are loose, and her white blouse is half tucked into her pants. She steps inside, closing the door behind her, and says they need to talk. Gideon agrees, though he wishes the cabin were larger. Abbie insists that their meeting on the Arcadia must be more than coincidence—she is transferring out in a week, and he shows up now. She tells him there are things she needs to say before she regrets not saying them. She assumes he married Rune to escape trouble or a scandal, and she offers to help him get out of the marriage, saying she has been saving up and can settle whatever debts got him into this mess. Gideon is confused, but before he can clarify, Abbie takes his hand and kisses him.

Gideon is taken aback, but a question burns in his mind: would the curse activate with anyone else, or only with Rune? He cups Abbie's neck and kisses her back. The seconds pass, and old memories from after the revolt surface—the two of them together—but they feel hazy, like a book he once read and has forgotten. He feels nothing: no flaring scar, no pain, but also no passion, no unquenchable thirst, no fusing of souls. Kissing Abbie is nothing like kissing Rune; it only makes him want Rune more. He realizes that Rune has utterly ruined him for anyone else.

He pushes Abbie away and asks directly if she is the spy Harrow planted on the ship. She looks stunned and denies it, reminding him that she ran away from that life. He presses, asking if she knows who the spy is, since she spoke with Harrow the last time the Arcadia was in port. She says they didn't talk about work, and she steps away, hurt that he didn't seem to hear anything she said about them. Gideon apologizes, saying whatever they once had is in the past. When she asks why he kissed her back, he touches his scar and admits he needed to answer a question. She asks why he would marry Rune unless he had to, and he murmurs, “Why indeed,” thinking of Rune pouring out her heart in the boiler room. Stricken, Abbie flees the room.

Gideon is left alone, running his hands over his face. He reflects that Rune got him into this mess, and she is still missing. He worries that her invisibility spell might wear off, and if her crimson moth signature is found, she'll be in danger. He paces the cramped cabin, thinking about the spy. If he were a spy closing in on a witch, would he keep his distance or get close and lower her defenses? He recalls William, the young man who has been circling Rune like a hawk since they boarded. Gideon wonders if he was wrong about William—maybe it wasn't Rune who lured William to the boilers, but the other way around. Perhaps William isn't a flirt who wants Rune in his bed, but an assassin who wants her in a grave.

Key Events

Gideon finds Rune missing and assumes she used her invisibility spell to avoid him.
He examines the brand on his chest, which remains hot and painful, and recalls Rune's sound, deepening his longing.
He considers cutting out the brand but is interrupted by a knock.
Abbie enters, believing their meeting is fate, and offers to help him escape his marriage.
She kisses him; Gideon kisses back to test whether the curse activates with anyone else.
He feels no pain but also no passion, realizing only Rune triggers the curse and that he wants only her.
He pushes Abbie away and asks if she is Harrow's spy; she denies it and leaves hurt.
Gideon suspects William might be the spy, possibly an assassin rather than a flirt.

Character Development

Gideon is torn between his growing feelings for Rune and the curse that makes a relationship impossible. His physical reaction to the brand—hot and painful—mirrors his emotional turmoil. He is so desperate that he contemplates self-harm to remove the curse, showing his depth of despair. His decision to kiss Abbie to test the curse reveals his analytical side, but also his vulnerability: he hopes that maybe the curse isn't exclusive to Rune, so he could be free to love someone else. Yet the experiment backfires, confirming that Rune is the only one who can trigger the curse, and that he is now incapable of feeling passion for anyone else. This realization is both a relief (the curse won't hurt him with others) and a prison (he is bound to Rune emotionally). His suspicion of Abbie and then William shows his paranoia and his protective instinct toward Rune, even when she is invisible.

Abbie is revealed as a character with lingering feelings for Gideon and a desire to rescue him from what she assumes is a forced marriage. Her offer to help him escape debts or scandal shows her compassion and her willingness to sacrifice her savings for him. Her kiss is an act of vulnerability, and Gideon's rejection—though gentle—leaves her hurt and confused. She insists she is not a spy, and her stunned reaction suggests she is telling the truth, at least about that. Her departure underscores the emotional cost of Gideon's single-minded focus on Rune.

Rune is absent for the entire chapter, but her presence looms large. Gideon's thoughts revolve around her, and her invisibility spell keeps her safe for now, but the threat of her moth signature being discovered adds tension. Her earlier confession in the boiler room (from a previous chapter) is referenced, showing how it has affected Gideon's perception of their fake marriage.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Forbidden Love and the Curse: The brand on Gideon's chest is a physical symbol of the curse that forbids him from being with Rune. His desire to cut it out represents his wish to break free from fate, but the curse's persistence shows that some bonds cannot be severed.
Testing the Curse: Gideon's kiss with Abbie is a deliberate experiment to understand the curse's boundaries. This motif of testing highlights the characters' attempts to control their own destinies, even when magic dictates otherwise.
Suspicion and Espionage: The chapter is steeped in mistrust. Gideon questions Abbie's motives, then turns his suspicion to William. The spy subplot underscores the theme of hidden identities and the difficulty of knowing who to trust in a world of deception.
Past vs. Present: Abbie represents Gideon's past—a time before Rune, before the curse. His hazy memories of their time together contrast with the vivid, consuming feelings he has for Rune, emphasizing how much he has changed.
Unrequited Love: Abbie's feelings for Gideon are unrequited, as he is now emotionally bound to Rune. Her hurt and flight highlight the pain of loving someone who cannot love you back.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter is pivotal for several reasons. It deepens Gideon's internal conflict, showing that his feelings for Rune are not just physical but emotional, and that the curse has made him incapable of being with anyone else. It also advances the spy plot: Gideon's suspicion shifts from Abbie to William, setting up a potential confrontation or revelation in future chapters. The chapter clarifies the curse's mechanics—only Rune triggers it—which raises the stakes for both characters. Additionally, Abbie's departure removes a potential ally or obstacle, and her hurt feelings may have consequences later. Finally, the chapter ends with Gideon's realization about William, creating a cliffhanger that propels the reader forward.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Gideon kiss Abbie back, and what does he learn from the experience?

Gideon kisses Abbie back to test whether the curse activates with anyone other than Rune. He learns that the curse does not trigger with Abbie—he feels no pain—but he also feels no passion or connection. This confirms that Rune is the only one who can affect him, and it makes him realize that he is now emotionally bound to Rune, unable to feel desire for anyone else.

2. How does Gideon's suspicion shift from Abbie to William, and what evidence leads him there?

Initially, Gideon suspects Abbie because she spoke with Harrow in port, but she denies being a spy and seems genuinely hurt by his accusation. After she leaves, Gideon reasons that a spy would get close to his target to lower her defenses. He recalls William's persistent attention to Rune and wonders if William might be an assassin rather than a flirt, especially since Gideon had assumed Rune lured William to the boilers without asking her. This shift shows Gideon's growing paranoia and his protective instinct toward Rune.

3. What does the brand on Gideon's chest symbolize in this chapter, and how does his reaction to it reveal his state of mind?

The brand symbolizes the curse that forbids Gideon from being with Rune. It remains hot and painful, reflecting his emotional torment. His impulse to cut it out shows his desperation and willingness to harm himself to escape the curse's hold. His reaction reveals that he is consumed by his feelings for Rune and feels trapped by fate, unable to see a way forward.

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