Chapter 39 Summary: Those Hidden Strings
⚠️ 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 Iris walking through the university district toward Attie's town house, a three-story red-brick building with navy shutters and moon-phase carvings on the door. Attie's younger sister Ainsley answers, and Iris is welcomed into the family's breakfast, where she meets Attie's parents and several siblings. Attie notices Iris is wearing the same clothes as the previous day, a quiet sign of how consumed she is by the war effort.
Attie leads Iris to the basement, where she reveals a hidden violin stored in a wall safe behind an oil painting. She explains that only her parents know where it is, and that she has not played since leaving for the front. More importantly, Attie reveals she dreamed of “Alzane's Lullaby” the previous night—the same song Iris dreamed of. They theorize that if Enva's harp could lull Dacre to sleep with that lullaby, then any stringed instrument might work, which could explain the chancellor's ban on strings. Attie plans to visit a former music professor to obtain the full composition, since many versions of the song exist and she needs the correct one.
Tobias Bexley arrives to drive Attie's siblings to school and Attie to work. Iris asks him to take her to the Drill Field outside Oath, where Marisol and Lucy are running a camp for Enva's army. Marisol reports that Iris's article has brought significant civilian support—food, blankets, medical supplies, and volunteers. Iris meets Brigadier Keegan in her tent and shares Roman's sketch of the ley lines, explaining that these underground passages connect to the under realm. Keegan notes that houses built on these lines survived Dacre's bombing of Avalon Bluff, suggesting they could serve as shelters in a future attack. She also urges Iris to learn more about the keys that can shift doorways, since the same passages that offer safety could also lead below.
As Iris, Attie, and Tobias prepare to leave, the ground rumbles. Dacre's forces are approaching Oath from below.
The chapter shifts to Roman, who is under house arrest in the Kitts estate while Dacre and his officers occupy the rooms. Dacre has confiscated Roman's typewriter and is burning pages from Roman's grandfather's myth books—pages that reveal Dacre's true nature. The chancellor arrives covertly in a covered motorcar, and Roman is sent to the west wing with his mother and grandmother. By sundown, Roman has found no way to reclaim the typewriter.
In his room, Roman discovers a tattered letter from Iris on the floor—an old letter he believed lost, one she had written weeks earlier. He reads it with relief, recognizing words she had later spoken to him in the infirmary and on their wedding night. As he clutches the letter, Lieutenant Shane emerges from the lavatory, throws down a stack of typed letters, and accuses Roman of being the mole.
Key Events
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Attie reveals her hidden violin and shares the shared dream of “Alzane's Lullaby” with Iris.
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Iris and Attie theorize that a stringed instrument could tame or kill Dacre, explaining the chancellor's ban on strings.
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Attie plans to consult a former music professor for the full composition.
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Iris shares Roman's ley-line sketch with Brigadier Keegan at the Drill Field.
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Keegan identifies houses on ley lines as potential shelters and asks Iris to investigate the keys that shift doorways.
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The ground rumbles, signaling Dacre's forces are nearly at Oath from below.
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Roman is under house arrest while Dacre burns pages from his grandfather's myth books.
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Roman finds an old letter from Iris he thought lost.
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Lieutenant Shane accuses Roman of being the mole, throwing down typed letters as evidence.
Character Development
Iris continues to act as a bridge between the civilian world and the war effort. She carries Roman's sketch to Keegan, translates its significance, and absorbs the weight of Keegan's warnings. Her exhaustion is visible—Attie notices she is wearing the same clothes—but she remains focused on gathering intelligence and building alliances.
Attie deepens from a supporting friend into a key strategist. Her decision to reveal the violin and her willingness to pursue the full composition show her commitment to the cause, even as she acknowledges the personal cost of having abandoned her music. Her line about magic being the explanation for the shared dream captures her blend of practicality and wonder.
Keegan emerges as a pragmatic military leader. She immediately sees the strategic value of the ley lines, connects them to the survival of certain houses during the bombing, and pushes Iris to investigate the keys. Her warning about the dilemma—safe from bombs but dangerous from doorways—shows her ability to hold competing risks in mind.
Roman is stripped of agency, confined to his room while Dacre occupies his home and destroys his grandfather's books. His discovery of Iris's letter is a moment of emotional reprieve, a reminder of what he is fighting for. But Shane's accusation shatters that reprieve, forcing Roman into the role of suspected traitor.
Shane reveals himself as an antagonist, using the typed letters as evidence. His accusation reframes the typewriter—a symbol of Roman's secret correspondence—as a weapon against him.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
Music as divine weapon. The shared dream of “Alzane's Lullaby” and Attie's hidden violin suggest that art—specifically stringed music—may be the key to defeating Dacre. The chancellor's ban on strings is reframed not as fear of Enva's recruitment but as fear of humanity's ability to tame a god.
Hidden things and secrets. The violin hidden behind a painting, the letter hidden in Roman's room, and the typewriter that now belongs to Dacre all point to the theme of concealment. What is hidden can protect, but it can also be discovered and used against you.
Ley lines as double-edged protection. Keegan's observation that houses on ley lines survived the bombing—but also connect to the under realm—captures the moral complexity of seeking safety. The same ground that shelters can also betray.
Destruction of knowledge. Dacre burning pages from Roman's grandfather's books is an act of erasure, an attempt to destroy the myths that reveal his true nature. It mirrors the broader war's assault on memory and truth.
Trust and betrayal. Shane's accusation of Roman as the mole introduces the theme of suspicion within the ranks. The typed letters—once a means of secret communication—become evidence of treachery.
Why This Chapter Matters
This chapter is a turning point in the novel's central conflict. It unites two major plot threads: the discovery of a potential weapon against Dacre (the violin and the lullaby) and the escalation of Dacre's forces toward Oath. The shared dream between Iris and Attie provides a concrete plan—obtain the full composition, play it on a stringed instrument, and lull Dacre into vulnerability. Meanwhile, the rumble in the ground signals that time is running out.
The chapter also deepens the personal stakes. Roman's house arrest and the destruction of his grandfather's books show the cost of Dacre's occupation, while his discovery of Iris's letter reminds readers of the love that sustains him. Shane's accusation raises the question of whether Roman's secret correspondence has been discovered, threatening both his safety and his mission.
Finally, Keegan's insight about ley lines and shelters gives Iris a new objective—investigate the keys—while the approaching forces create urgency. The chapter sets up the next phase of the plot: the race to understand the keys, obtain the lullaby, and confront Dacre before his army reaches the city.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Attie believe the chancellor banned stringed instruments?
Attie theorizes that the ban is not about preventing Enva from recruiting humans, but about preventing humans from using music to tame or kill Dacre. Since Enva's harp could lull Dacre to sleep with “Alzane's Lullaby,” any stringed instrument might work if the right song is played. The chancellor's fear, she suggests, is that ordinary people could wield divine power through music.
2. What strategic insight does Keegan offer about the ley lines, and what dilemma does she identify?
Keegan observes that houses built on ley lines survived Dacre's bombing of Avalon Bluff, suggesting these passages carry Dacre's own magic, which works against him. She proposes these houses as shelters in a future attack. However, she also notes the dilemma: the same passages that offer safety from bombs also connect to the under realm, meaning the doorways could lead to danger. She urges Iris to learn how the keys shift these thresholds.
3. How does the discovery of Iris's letter affect Roman, and what does Shane's accusation imply about the typewriter?
The letter is an old one Roman believed lost, and reading it brings him emotional relief and a reminder of his connection to Iris. It also shows how much he treasures her words. Shane's accusation, backed by typed letters, implies that the typewriter—which Dacre has confiscated—may have been used to send messages that betrayed the war effort. The accusation threatens to expose Roman's secret correspondence and his role as a potential informant.
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