Xandra: The Tragic Bariwolf of Rites of the Starling

Overview

Xandra is Caspia’s cousin and a Quiescent Starling—one born with Starling blood who never undergoes the shapeshifting ritual known as the ritus. Unlike the ruling queens and their warrior daughters, Xandra lives in the shadow of her mother Ophelia and elder sister Hara, both of whom also failed to shift. Her deepest fear is that the gift will never manifest, a fear she shares with Caspia. When Caspia decides to flee Nelfinex to pursue her visions and begin her own ritus, Xandra chooses to stow away on the ship Cirrina, determined to share the journey and perhaps finally feel the thrum that heralds transformation.

Plot Role

Xandra functions as Caspias closest confidante during the early voyage and as a foil to the protagonist’s emerging destiny. While Caspia is driven by prophetic visions and a need to avenge her sister Emery, Xandra is driven by hope—the desperate hope that the Divine will finally call her to become a true Starling. She negotiates passage with the pirate Cap, tames a marroweel with her Starling blood, and serves as an emotional anchor for Caspia.

Yet Xandra’s role shifts abruptly when the cousins enter the migration lands. The ritual she yearns for proves catastrophic. Instead of earning a graceful animal form, she transforms into a bariwolf—a monstrous, feral beast that loses all human consciousness. Her attempted last act is to order Caspia to run, but she nearly kills her cousin before Caspia escapes by leaping off a cliff. Xandra disappears into Calandra, her fate left uncertain as the story progresses. She becomes a symbol of the dangers of the Starling rite and the fragility of the magical bloodline.

Motivations and Traits Shown Through Actions

Xandra’s primary motivation is the desire to belong fully to the Starling lineage. When she learns that Caspia is sailing away to answer the call of the ritus, she does not hesitate to follow. Her stowaway act—hiding on the Cirrina in black clothing identical to Caspia’s—shows her boldness and refusal to be left behind. She flirts fearlessly with Cap, trading all her elfalter bands for passage, and later laughs off the captain’s gruffness. Her wit and charm are a shield; beneath the teasing lies genuine vulnerability.

When the ritual begins to go wrong, Xandra’s bravery emerges. She endures days of illness without complaint, clinging to Caspia’s hand. In the final moments of her human consciousness, she senses that the transformation is not the graceful shift she imagined. She tells Caspia, “I don’t want to die here,” and mourns the life she will never lead. Even as she becomes the beast, she retains a flicker of protective instinct—she orders Caspia to run and attacks the other jackal-beasts. But the transformation is too powerful; her human self is erased.

Chronological Arc

Xandra’s arc spans from palace life in Nelfinex to her monstrous disappearance in Calandra. In the opening chapters, she is seen in the mews, stroking the swift Bisten, and listening anxiously to Queen Oleana’s plans. She stows away on Caspia’s ship, secures her passage, and helps tame marroweels. The cousins land on a strange continent and trek for three suns, both suffering severe illness. They take shelter in a cave with stalactites like teeth. When a pack of black jackal-beasts attacks, Xandra’s shift begins: she enters a trance, then transforms into a large, powerful beast that dominates the pack. She defends Caspia at first but then turns on her. Caspia jumps off a cliff to escape. Later, Xandra is mentioned as still roaming free; Caspia hopes to someday save her, but by the end of the novel she remains a bariwolf.

Relationships

• Caspia: Xandra is Caspia’s favorite cousin. They share a deep bond: Xandra hugs her on the ship, reassures her during illness, and gives her a final protective command. Caspia later grieves her loss and seeks a way to restore her humanity.
• Cap: The pirate captain of the Cirrina. Xandra flirts with him immediately, trading her elfalter bands for passage. Cap seems intrigued by her boldness, and she likely intends to pursue a romance. The relationship is cut short when Xandra leaves the ship.
• Family: Xandra’s mother Ophelia and sister Hara are Quiescents—a source of shame and anxiety for Xandra. She fears following their path. Queen Oleana dismisses her potential; Oleana reserves the swift Bisten for Caspia, not Xandra.

Key Decisions and Consequences

Decision to stow away: This is Xandra’s defining choice. She abandons her secure life in the palace and follows Caspia into unknown danger. The consequence is that she undergoes a failed ritual and becomes a monster. Had she stayed, she might have remained a Quiescent but alive and human.

Decision to stay with Caspia during the journey: Even when ill, Xandra refuses to turn back. This loyalty deepens their bond but also seals her fate.

Decision to begin her shift: When attacked, Xandra chooses to let the transformation take hold. She cannot control it. The consequence is that she loses her mind and becomes a bariwolf, attacking her own cousin.

Decision to order Caspia to run: In her final lucid moment, Xandra acts with sacrificial love. She knows she is losing herself and tries to save Caspia. This act of love defines her character as more than a monster.

Theme and Symbol Connections

Xandra embodies the theme of identity and transformation. Her crisis is the worst-case scenario: a beloved family member becomes something unrecognizable. The failed shift illustrates that transformation can be destructive when it is forced or when the magic goes awry.

She also connects to fate and prophecy. She feared she would never shift, and her fear is ironically fulfilled by a horrific version of the very thing she desired. Her fate seems predetermined by her Quiescent lineage.

The bariwolf form itself symbolises the perversion of Starling magic. The creature is a pack hunter, mindless and bloodthirsty—a mirror image of the graceful swift or marroweel that Starlings hope to become. Xandra’s fall suggests that the nature of magic is not inherently benevolent; it can turn on its wielder.

Her sacrifice—ordering Caspia to flee—ties to sacrifice and redemption. Though she is lost, her final action is redemptive, preserving Caspia’s life so that the quest can continue.

Finally, Xandra is a product of family secrets and legacy. The Quiescent line is a secret shame of the Starling dynasty. Her mother Ophelia was the first known Quiescent, and Xandra inherits that burden.

Five Book-Specific Questions and Answers

Why does Xandra stow away on Caspia's ship? She fears she may never undergo the ritus and wants to share Caspia's journey in hopes that the call will finally come. She also does not want to be left behind.

What happens to Xandra during her transformation? After three days of severe illness in the migration lands, Xandra shifts into a bariwolf—a large black beast with scales and claws. She loses her human consciousness and becomes feral, attacking the jackal-beasts and then turning on Caspia.

Does Xandra ever regain her human form? Not within the events of the novel. She remains a bariwolf roaming Calandra. Caspia later considers whether it is better to let her roam free rather than cage her.

What is Xandra's relationship with Cap the pirate? Xandra flirts with Cap, trades her elfalter bands for passage, and the two share an immediate spark. Caspia notes that Xandra would probably end up in his bed. However, the relationship is cut short when Xandra leaves the ship.

How does Xandra's fate connect to the theme of family legacy? Xandra comes from a line of Quiescents: her mother and older sister never shifted. She desperately wishes to break that pattern, but instead her transformation goes wrong, becoming a monster. Her fate underscores the weakening and corruption of the Starling bloodline.