Siege and Storm

In Os Alta, Alina sees a group praying to Sankta Alina (Alina’s new saintly incarnation). This feels to her like madness and desperation. When an old woman recognizes Alina, the crowd surrounds her, ripping her hair and tearing her clothes. She decides to let them tear her apart but then hears a loud shout as Tolya pushes back the crowd. He and Tamar fight their way to the gates.

On their way back, Alina realizes that the pilgrims are calling her “Daughter of Dva Stolba” and decides to go to the library to research a hunch. Tamar and Tolya confront Mal for not doing his job and drinking too much. Alina interrupts the fight to send for Nikolai. Once the prince arrives, she tells everyone to put their tensions aside. Dva Stolba (or “two pillars” in Russian) is in Keramzin, where Mal and she were raised—a reference to a road with two ruined spindles of rock on either side. Alina now realizes that these spindles were once part of an archway that matches the one in the illustration of St. Ilya. This must be the home of the firebird.

Alina doesn’t want Mal to go find the third amplifier, worried he might be killed, but Nikolai knows it must be Mal—facing danger is what heroes do. Alina points out that heroes and saints mostly wind up dead.

Mal has been avoiding Alina, so she is surprised when he and Tamar show up to escort her to Nikolai’s birthday ball. She realizes Zoya is not to blame for the rift between her and Mal. Nikolai doesn’t think the party is appropriate given the looming war, but he pretends to be his usual, easy-going self.

At the celebration, Vasily smugly announces that he has helped negotiate an alliance with Fjerda to help fight the Darkling—all they wanted in return is access to ports in Ravka. Nikolai realizes that this means Ravka has been double-crossed: The blockades have been lifted and Ravka is now in grave danger because Fjerda is assisting the Darkling. Just then, warning bells sound.

Nichevo’ya infiltrate the Grand Palace, killing Vasily. Nikolai rushes his parents and Baghra to the Kingfisher, while Mal and Alina retreat to the Little Palace. Almost everyone there is already dead. Nadia, David, and Fedyor are fighting on the roof. They try to set up David’s mirrored dishes, but nichevo’ya destroy them.

After more losses, Alina counts the survivors: Nadia, Adrik, Zoya, Sergei, and David. There are few escape routes, so they will try to make it to town. As they run into the open, Alina attempts to fend off the nichevo’ya. It’s a losing battle until a band of people in ragged clothes with sunburst tattoos appears, led by Tolya and Tamar. Alina realizes the twins have been working with the Apparat’s army.