Chapter 36: Let Them Be—Matilda
⚠️ 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
Matilda emerges from the river at dawn and scales Maiden Tower, finding hidden footholds and a secret door. A sentry recognizes her and lets her in. She follows the scent of food to the octagonal hall, where warriors are breaking their fast. Nathaniel spots her first; the hall falls silent. She asks to share a meal, and Nathaniel arranges porridge for her. As she eats, Vincent arrives, wet from searching for her, and orders the room cleared. He accuses her of leaving without warning; she defends her autonomy as a herald. Their confrontation softens when Matilda explains she went to Warin’s camp. She recounts overhearing the baron and Warin discuss a toll. Vincent refuses to negotiate with the river god. When Matilda reveals that Warin once wanted her, Vincent responds that a weak god clings to what has slipped away. Matilda then produces Vincent’s blood-stained prayer—Matilda, help me—and consumes the parchment in front of him. The words become a tether between them. She offers to cut the prayer out if he wishes; he stops her, saying “Let them be.” He tells her the evacuations to Drake Hall have begun and that he will ride to seek Hugh’s warriors. She promises to meet him with allies of her own. After he leaves, she decides to find the hidden door to the under realm.
Key Events
- Matilda scales Maiden Tower using carved footholds and gains entry through a hidden door.
- She joins the warriors’ breakfast; Nathaniel and others react with surprise but welcome her.
- Vincent arrives, visibly shaken and wet; he clears the room and confronts Matilda about her disappearance.
- Matilda reveals she went to the enemy camp, spoke with Warin, and learned of a toll demanded by the river god.
- Vincent refuses to pay any toll, calling Warin cruel, greedy, and sly.
- Matilda confesses that Warin once desired her, but she was never his.
- Vincent, seeing a torn chemise, asks if Warin hurt her; she says no, but he sees old bruises.
- Matilda retrieves Vincent’s old prayer parchment and eats it, creating a magical tether.
- Vincent stops her from cutting the prayer out, speaking the line “Let them be.”
- Vincent confirms the evacuation to Drake Hall is underway; he will ride to gather allies.
- Matilda declares she will meet him with allies and then seeks the under-realm door in Maiden Tower.
Character Development
- Matilda demonstrates growth in vulnerability and commitment. She swallows Vincent’s prayer to prove her dedication, a ritual that binds her to him beyond mere allegiance. Her decision to seek the under realm signals a return to her origins, embracing both halves of her identity.
- Vincent sheds some of his guardedness. The chapter shows his fear when he thinks she drowned, his sharp jealousy regarding Warin, and his eventual trust when he tells her “no gate will be barred from you again.” He allows the prayer to remain, accepting the tether.
- Nathaniel appears as a gracious ally, quickly bridging the awkwardness of Matilda’s arrival and ensuring she is fed and cloaked.
- Warin is further characterized through Matilda and Vincent’s dialogue: a possessive god who demands tribute and once tried to claim Matilda.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- The tether: The consumed prayer forms an invisible cord between Matilda’s rib and Vincent’s, symbolizing a sacred bond that transcends mortal-divine boundaries. It echoes earlier motifs of prayer as sustenance and the cost of connection.
- Blood and wounds: Vincent’s blood-stained prayer, the torn chemise, and the threat of cutting the prayer out all evoke past and potential injury. The motif underscores that trust and alliance require sacrifice.
- Gates and sanctuary: Vincent grants Matilda authority over all gates. This grants her freedom of movement and symbolizes his commitment to protect her and let her come and go without suspicion.
- The river as threshold: Matilda’s emergence from the river at dawn suggests renewal and transit between worlds, echoing her hybrid nature as half-Underling.
Why This Chapter Matters
Chapter 36 anchors the central relationship of the book. By consuming Vincent’s prayer, Matilda transforms his desperate plea into a living promise, moving them from guarded allies into something deeper. The chapter also resolves the tension from Matilda’s disappearance and clarifies the stakes of the coming battle: Vincent refuses to bow to Warin, while Matilda prepares to enter the under realm. The phrase “Let them be” becomes a refrain that rejects further bloodshed between them, allowing trust to flourish.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Matilda choose to eat Vincent’s prayer rather than simply keep it? She eats it to show that she takes his words into herself, making them part of her being. This act transforms an old, unanswered plea into a binding tether, demonstrating her dedication to stand by him in the coming trial.
2. What does Vincent’s reaction when he sees Matilda in the hall reveal about his feelings? His fury and relief show deep concern: he thought she drowned and raced to find her. His trembling voice and flushed cheeks betray a vulnerability he usually hides. The confrontation ends with him granting her the power to lift gates, signaling a shift from suspicion to acceptance.
3. How does this chapter set up Matilda’s journey to the under realm? After Vincent leaves, Matilda decides to look for the hidden door in Maiden Tower that opens to the under realm—a bejeweled place of her birth. This choice indicates she will seek allies or resources from her own lineage, adding a new dimension to the conflict.