Chapter 40: Mayu — Summary, Analysis, and Study Notes
⚠️ 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 Mayu and the khergud arriving at a battlefield where Fjerdan troops have surrounded King Nikolai and his Ravkan forces. Tamar, carried by the khergud Harbinger, demands to be set down so she can find her wife. The khergud dive toward the ground, and the Ravkan Grisha on the field initially raise their hands to defend themselves, mistaking the winged creatures for enemies. Tamar shouts for them to stand down, and Nikolai, recognizing the khergud as allies, orders his troops to keep their eyes on the Fjerdans.
The Fjerdans open fire on the winged Shu. Reyem shields Mayu and Bergin with his own body, taking bullets across his back and wings. The khergud attack with brutal efficiency: Nightmoth uses his horns like a battering ram, and Scarab tears a rifle from a soldier's hands before disarming him violently. Tamar reunites with her twin Tolya, and the two stand back to back, weapons drawn. Nikolai asks whether they have come to kill him; Tamar replies that she has come to save him. When Nikolai notes that the queen forbade reinforcements, Mayu explains that, as far as the Shu government is concerned, the khergud do not exist.
A flashback reveals the conversation at the summer palace. Mayu tells Tamar that Queen Leyti has decided Makhi will rule side by side with Ehri as regent—no trial, no punishment, and the Taban line remains unblemished. Bergin observes that justice is a luxury people like them cannot afford. Reyem worries about exile, wondering how long the khergud will be allowed to live when their very existence threatens the Taban. Tamar vows that Ravka will protect them under the new treaty, but Mayu questions what good the treaty will do if Ravka falls to the Fjerdans. Bergin decides to fight for the king who gave him freedom, and Mayu, moved by the bond between Bergin and Reyem, declares that the khergud should fight too. Reyem agrees, noting that a khergud warrior is worth ten ordinary soldiers. Princess Ehri appears and delivers the key political fiction: the khergud do not exist, and phantoms may go where they please. Mayu realizes that if she survives, she will gladly return to serve Ehri as Tavgharad.
Back on the battlefield, Mayu fires a rifle while the khergud tear through Fjerdan ranks. Fjerdan flyers begin dropping bombs—killing their own soldiers along with the Ravkans. Tamar observes that they intend to win at any cost. Nikolai orders a retreat, recognizing that Brum does not care about casualties. Reyem and the shadow creature (Nikolai's demon) attack the flyers, tearing wings from one. Reyem tries to carry Mayu to safety, but she refuses to abandon Tamar and the others. Tamar urges Nikolai to let the khergud fly him out, but the king refuses, declaring that if Ravka's independence dies that day, he dies with it.
Nikolai climbs onto a tank, his demon hovering above him, and asks the khergud to help destroy the line of bombers so everyone on the field—Fjerdan and Ravkan alike—can escape. Tolya warns that if the demon dies, Nikolai dies too. Nikolai gives a stirring speech, asking the khergud to fight for every Grisha, every soldier, every child, every father, every artist, carpenter, stoneworker, and farmer. The soldiers roar their response. The demon shrieks and leaps into the sky, and Harbinger and Nightmoth launch after it.
Mayu chooses to stay, recognizing this as penance for Isaak—the innocent boy who might have loved her and who will never return. She tells Reyem to take their hearts, and he arcs upward with the other khergud, joining the demon in formation, an arrow aimed at the Fjerdan bombers. Nikolai's mortal body kneels on the tank as if in prayer. Tamar orders the troops to protect the king. Tolya says they are going to watch them die, and Mayu softly quotes a poem about mourning the first blossom while the rest fall. Tolya places a hand to his heart and bids Nikolai farewell, saying he dies a king. Mayu whispers goodbye to her brother.
Just before impact, a roar splits the air. A massive shape tears across the field between the khergud and the Fjerdan bombers, scattering them. Silver lightning crackles through the sky. Mayu opens her mouth to scream: she is looking at a dragon.
Key Events
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The khergud arrive at the battlefield and engage the Fjerdan forces, saving Nikolai's troops from encirclement.
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Nikolai recognizes the khergud as allies, and Mayu reveals the political fiction that they do not exist.
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A flashback establishes that Makhi will rule with Ehri as regent, and the khergud are to be exiled.
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Princess Ehri grants the khergud permission to fight by declaring them nonexistent.
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Fjerdan flyers bomb their own soldiers, demonstrating Brum's willingness to sacrifice anyone for victory.
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Nikolai orders a retreat but then chooses a last stand, climbing onto a tank with his demon.
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Mayu decides to stay, framing her choice as penance for Isaak.
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The khergud and the demon fly toward the Fjerdan bombers in a suicide formation.
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A dragon appears, scattering the attackers and changing the course of the battle.
Character Development
Mayu undergoes the most significant transformation in this chapter. She moves from a reluctant participant to a willing fighter, choosing to stay on the battlefield even when Reyem offers her an escape. Her decision is framed as penance for Isaak, the boy who might have loved her and who will never return. This is a crucial shift: Mayu is no longer merely surviving or following orders; she is actively choosing sacrifice for a cause she believes in. Her whispered goodbye to Reyem—calling him brother—reveals how deeply the khergud have become her family.
Nikolai is shown at his most kingly. Despite being wounded and facing certain death, he refuses to flee, declaring he will die with Ravka's independence. His speech to the khergud is a masterclass in leadership: he acknowledges he has no right to command them, so he asks instead, appealing to shared values of freedom and the ordinary lives people deserve to live. His bond with the demon is also clarified—if the demon dies, so does he—making his decision to attack the bombers a genuine act of self-sacrifice.
Reyem demonstrates loyalty and love. He shields Mayu and Bergin with his own body, tries to carry Mayu to safety, and ultimately follows her command to attack the bombers. His earlier despair about exile and purpose is resolved through action: he finds meaning in battle, fighting for the Grisha who gave him back his humanity.
Tamar and Tolya reaffirm their commitment to Nikolai and to each other. Tamar's insistence on being put down to find her wife shows her priorities, while her vow to protect the king during the last stand underscores her loyalty.
Bergin chooses to fight for the king who gave him freedom, even though Ravka is not his homeland. His decision inspires Mayu and Reyem to join the fight.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Political deception and the power of official fiction. The chapter's central irony is that the khergud can fight only because the government claims they do not exist. Princess Ehri's line about phantoms going where they please turns a lie into a weapon. This theme echoes throughout the book: the gap between official truth and operational reality.
Justice vs. stability. Bergin's observation that justice is a luxury people like them cannot afford captures the moral compromise at the heart of the Shu political settlement. Makhi escapes punishment, and the khergud are exiled, all in the name of peace and stability.
Exile and identity. Reyem's fear that the khergud are not meant to live in isolation without purpose speaks to a broader question about what gives life meaning. The khergud were built for battle; without a mission, they are adrift.
Penance and sacrifice. Mayu's decision to stay is explicitly framed as penance for Isaak. Her choice transforms guilt into action, suggesting that redemption is possible through self-sacrifice.
The demon-king bond. The chapter clarifies that Nikolai and his demon are linked—if one dies, so does the other. This makes Nikolai's decision to attack the bombers a genuine act of self-sacrifice, elevating his character from clever strategist to true king.
Win at any cost. The Fjerdan flyers bombing their own soldiers is a chilling demonstration of Brum's philosophy. It stands in stark contrast to Nikolai's refusal to line up his people for slaughter.
Mourning the fallen. The poem Mayu quotes—about mourning the first blossom while the rest fall—captures the tragedy of war, where individual losses are overshadowed by mass casualties.
The dragon's arrival. The dragon is a symbol of unexpected intervention, a deus ex machina that changes the battlefield's fate. Its appearance suggests that forces beyond human politics are at play.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 40 is a turning point in Rule of Wolves. It brings together several major threads: the khergud's search for purpose, Mayu's personal redemption, Nikolai's willingness to sacrifice himself, and the escalating war with Fjerda. The chapter also delivers a stunning cliffhanger—the appearance of a dragon—that fundamentally alters the stakes of the conflict.
The chapter deepens the book's exploration of political deception: the khergud can fight only because they officially do not exist. This irony underscores the novel's broader commentary on how governments use fiction to achieve real-world goals.
Mayu's arc reaches a critical moment here. Her choice to stay and fight, framed as penance for Isaak, transforms her from a character defined by guilt into one defined by action. Her relationship with Reyem, and her recognition of him as a brother, adds emotional weight to the chapter's climax.
Nikolai's last stand is also a defining moment for his character. His refusal to flee, his speech to the khergud, and his willingness to die with his demon all cement his status as a king willing to sacrifice everything for his people. The dragon's arrival, however, suggests that his story—and the war itself—is far from over.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Mayu choose to stay on the battlefield when Reyem offers to carry her to safety?
Mayu stays because she sees the fight as penance for Isaak, the innocent boy who might have loved her and who will never return. Her guilt over his death transforms into a decision to sacrifice herself for the cause. She also refuses to abandon Tamar, Tolya, and the others, demonstrating that her loyalty now extends beyond the khergud to the broader fight for freedom.
2. How does Princess Ehri's declaration that the khergud do not exist function as a political tool?
Ehri's statement allows the khergud to fight without violating Queen Leyti's order against sending Shu troops. By declaring them nonexistent, she creates a legal fiction that gives the khergud freedom to act while protecting the government from responsibility. This reflects the novel's broader theme of political deception: official truth can be manipulated to serve practical ends.
3. What does Nikolai's decision to attack the bombers reveal about his character and his bond with the demon?
Nikolai's decision reveals his willingness to sacrifice himself for his people. He knows that if the demon dies, he dies too, yet he climbs onto the tank and leads the attack anyway. His speech to the khergud—asking them to fight for every Grisha, soldier, child, and ordinary citizen—shows that his leadership is rooted in a genuine care for the lives of his people, not just political power.
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