Chapter 36: 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 alone in Gideon's apartment, having waited three hours for his return. She rocks Meadow to sleep and places her in Gideon's bed, then arms herself with two loaded pistols from his weapons closet, setting them within reach in case the Blood Guard arrives. As darkness falls, she lights candles and contemplates leaving Meadow with a neighbor to go search for Gideon, but footsteps on the stairs freeze her. She aims a pistol at the door.
Gideon enters, blood dried on his jacket, and Rune's relief is immediate. But a woman steps out from behind him: Aurelia Kantor, Meadow's mother, gaunt and grimy, her coppery hair hanging in limp strings. She rushes to find Meadow. Gideon explains he surrendered to the guards, was brought to Laila, and talked his way out. In a quiet, intimate gesture, he buttons Rune's cuffs for her.
Aurelia emerges cradling Meadow. Rune identifies herself as the Crimson Moth, but Aurelia is skeptical until Rune proves it: she nicks her palm with her casting knife, draws the symbol for Torch, and a blood-red moth casting mark appears above her head. Rune asks Aurelia to help with a summoning spell—a Majora requiring the willing blood of another—and offers safe passage off the island for Aurelia and Meadow in exchange. Aurelia agrees.
But Gideon blocks the door, invoking his deal: he delivered Meadow, and Aurelia owes him answers. Aurelia draws the second gun Rune had loaded and presses it under Gideon's chin. Rune realizes Gideon is unarmed. Aurelia intends to kill him—and Rune admits the logic is sound. But she cannot let him die: he is Alex's brother, he was tortured and cursed by a cruel witch queen, and she loves him despite everything. Rune aims the second gun at Aurelia.
Aurelia warns that Gideon will betray Rune and be executed if he lets her go. Rune orders Gideon to step back from the door and Aurelia to wait outside with Meadow. Alone, Rune confronts Gideon: she overheard his conversation with William in the cargo hold. She knows he plans to follow her, kill the Roseblood heir, and arrest her to barter with Soren. Gideon admits it. They argue—Gideon accuses witches of doing nothing while people suffered under Cressida, and Rune concedes the truth of it. She asks if she should hand herself over in penance; Gideon looks away, remembering he had already marched her to the purging platform.
Rune concludes she cannot trust him. He is in too deep. She tells him not to follow her. His eyes say he wishes he could promise that.
Key Events
-
Rune waits three hours for Gideon, arms herself with two pistols, and prepares to defend the apartment.
-
Gideon arrives with Aurelia Kantor, Meadow's mother, having surrendered to guards and talked his way out.
-
Aurelia is reunited with Meadow.
-
Rune proves her identity as the Crimson Moth with a casting mark.
-
Rune recruits Aurelia for a Majora summoning spell, offering safe passage off the island.
-
Gideon blocks the door, invoking his deal with Aurelia for answers.
-
Aurelia draws a gun on Gideon; Rune draws on Aurelia.
-
Aurelia reveals Gideon will be executed if he lets Rune go.
-
Rune separates them and confronts Gideon about his plan to follow, kill the Roseblood heir, and arrest her.
-
Gideon admits the plan; they argue about witches' moral complicity.
-
Rune tells Gideon not to follow her; his expression betrays his wish that he could promise.
Character Development
Rune reaches a point of painful clarity in this chapter. She has already heard Gideon's plan, but hearing Aurelia confirm the stakes—that Gideon will be executed if he lets her go—forces her to accept the inevitable. She loves him, but she also knows he cannot choose her over his duty, his friends, and the Republic. Her decision to send him away is not born of anger but of hard-won realism. She also confronts her own moral complicity: when Gideon accuses witches of doing nothing while people suffered, she acknowledges the truth, including her grandmother's and Nan's friends' silence.
Gideon is caught between his oath and his feelings. He admits his plan without denial, but his actions betray his conflict—buttoning Rune's cuffs, hesitating at her questions, and finally the look in his eyes that says he wishes he could promise not to follow. He is trapped by his own loyalties, as Rune observes.
Aurelia is a desperate mother willing to kill to protect her child. She is skeptical of Rune's identity, quick to calculate the value of the offer, and ruthless in her assessment of Gideon's situation. Her warning about execution adds a new layer of stakes to the story.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Trust versus betrayal is the chapter's central engine. Every interaction is shadowed by the question of whether Gideon will follow through on his plan. Rune's decision to trust Aurelia—a woman responsible for deaths—contrasts with her inability to trust the man she loves.
Bargains and deals structure the chapter: Gideon's deal with Aurelia for answers, Rune's offer of safe passage in exchange for help with the spell. Each character is bound by promises that constrain their choices.
Love versus duty is dramatized in Gideon's impossible position. His duty to the Republic and his fellow soldiers demands he arrest Rune; his feelings for her demand otherwise. Rune's love for him is equally tested—she saves him from Aurelia even knowing he plans to betray her.
Moral complicity surfaces in the argument about witches' inaction. Rune's admission that too many witches did nothing while people suffered under Cressida is a significant moment of self-awareness.
Identity and proof is embodied in the casting mark—the blood-red moth that proves Rune is the Crimson Moth. In a world of disguises and deception, the mark is the one thing that cannot be faked.
Execution as punishment is introduced as a real threat. Aurelia's warning that Gideon will be executed if he lets Rune go raises the stakes of his choice.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is the hinge of Rune and Gideon's relationship. It forces both characters to confront the impossibility of their situation: Rune must accept that Gideon cannot choose her, and Gideon must face the cost of his duty. The chapter also deepens the moral complexity of the story by having Rune acknowledge the witches' collective failure to act against cruelty. Aurelia's introduction as a morally gray ally—a woman who has caused deaths but is also a desperate mother—adds nuance to the cast. The summoning spell setup and the promise of safe passage set up the next phase of Rune's plan, while the parting between Rune and Gideon creates the emotional tension that will carry into the chapters ahead.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Rune save Gideon from Aurelia even though she knows he plans to betray her?
Rune saves Gideon for several reasons: he is Alex's brother, he has already suffered torture and a curse at the hands of a cruel witch queen, and—most importantly—she loves him despite knowing he will betray her. She agrees with Aurelia's logic that killing him would be safest, but she cannot bring herself to let him die.
2. What does Rune's admission about witches' inaction reveal about her character?
When Gideon accuses witches of doing nothing while people suffered under Cressida, Rune concedes the truth. She acknowledges that her grandmother and Nan's friends, whom she admired, had known about the cruelty and had not stood against it. This admission shows Rune's capacity for self-examination and moral honesty—she does not deflect or excuse, even when the accusation stings.
3. What is the significance of the casting mark in this chapter?
The casting mark—a blood-red moth appearing above Rune's head—serves as proof of her identity as the Crimson Moth. Aurelia does not believe Rune's verbal claim, but the mark cannot be faked. In a chapter full of deception and hidden plans, the mark is a rare moment of verifiable truth, and it is what convinces Aurelia to trust Rune enough to help with the summoning spell.
Navigation
-
Previous Chapter: Chapter 35