The Blade Itself

Logen and Bayaz sail to Adua, the “city of white towers” (248) and the urban center of Angland. Adua seems beautiful but is corrupt and fractious behind its high walls. They disembark, and the crush of people on the docks makes Logen claustrophobic. The hard looks that he gets from passersby suggest that the Union’s war against Bethod has begun on a rhetorical front as a propaganda war directed against all Northerners. Bayaz leads Logen toward the Agriont, the seat of government and commerce. On the way, a ragtag group of soldiers—too young or too old and too ill-equipped—marches past on their way to war. Bayaz stops at a theatrical shop and purchases costumes to give them the air of nobility. Bayaz means to take a seat on the Closed Council.

Jezal, recently sober, jogs along the outer wall of the Agriont, his mind consumed with thoughts of Ardee. He arrives at the training compound where Varuz has assembled a small audience—including Ardee—to observe his practice duel with West. Initially nervous, his training takes over, and he defeats West easily. He accepts the congratulations of the high-ranking observers, but when Ardee tries to speak with him, he walks away, remembering West’s warning.

Jezal arrives for guard duty where he finds Yoru Sulfur sitting against the wall, awaiting his master. He is about to run Yoru off when Bayaz, Quai, and Logen approach. Jezal is reluctant to allow the barbarian to pass, but Chamberlain Hoff has left orders to admit all three. Jezal escorts them to a chamber containing Sult, Hoff, and High Justice Marovia, “[t]hree members of the Closed Council” (267). The door shuts in his face.

Glokta and Sult recount the details of the conspiracy: Sult’s secretary leaked Rews’s list to the Mercers, who then killed all those named; Sult knew his secretary was the source of the leak but allowed suspicion to be cast on Kalyne, all the while keeping Glokta in the dark. The plan works to perfection. Glokta’s next task is to investigate Bayaz’s claim to the empty seat on the Closed Council, a body “privy to the workings of the very heart of our government” (271-72). Sult wants Bayaz exposed as a fraud.

Yulwei smuggles Ferro past a security officer on their way to Dagoska. Their ultimate destination is Adua, but Ferro protests, saying “These northerners are mad, everyone knows it…Mad! Godless!” (274). From a high cliff, they gaze down at a Gurkish fortress. (Gurkhul is an empire in the South.) A mighty armada of ships is moored there. Yulwei fears that the empire is an unexpected force to be reckoned with and rushes off to warn “the others.”

On the road, they encounter a large group of shackled prisoners (people who were taken and enslaved after a failed rebellion against the Emperor). The soldiers’ brutal treatment triggers memories of Ferro’s own abuse as an enslaved person, and she prepares to retaliate, but Yulwei persuades her to stand down. A soldier, attracted by the commotion, offers to sell one of the prisoners—a young girl—to Ferro, believing that Ferro is a young man. The urge to kill rises in her, but she resists, and the phalanx of prisoners shambles forward.

Logen and Bayaz stroll through the Agriont where Logen sees unfamiliar sights: carpenters constructing stadium seating for the Contest, meticulously planned gardens, and women dressed in high fashion. He watches a military training exercise and wonders how these men would fare in the chaos of real battle. He finally rests on a bench near the towering House of the Maker. A woman joins him, unafraid and desperate for conversation. She confesses that she feels “invisible” in the big city. They chat briefly, and she leaves.

That night, a woman appears to Logen and appears to be an exact replica of his dead wife. As she reaches for him, the room explodes in a flash of brilliant light. When he opens his eyes, the woman is gone, and the room is shattered. Bayaz—responsible for the explosion—wades into the wreckage. Logen’s “wife,” he claims, may have been an Eater. Logen asks Quai what an Eater is, and he answers: “It is forbidden…to eat the flesh of men…” (289).

Severard reports the incident in Logen’s quarters to Glokta. Glokta then orders his Practical to inquire about a particular bank (mentioned by Kault before his suicide). This inquiry is in direct violation of Sult’s orders. Later, Glokta visits Logen’s quarters to survey the damage. Logen tells him about the woman and the destruction caused by Bayaz’s “base magic.” He also tells the Inquisitor about his status as Bethod’s former champion; Bethod is now his mortal enemy. Bayaz enters, and Glokta questions him about the intruder, but the Magus is not forthcoming with information. Glokta suggests that Bayaz might be an imposter, an accusation which angers the wizard. Even the power of Bayaz’s presence is not enough to convince Glokta that they are who they say they are.

As Jezal readies himself for the Contest, he notices a note on the floor: an invitation to meet that night. The note is from “A,” and Jezal assumes it to be from Ardee. Later, he files into the arena alongside 16 other contestants, including the formidable champion, Bremer dan Gorst. The referee enters the ring and signals the start of the first round. Despite his nerves, Jezal beats his opponent easily. After the match, Jezal, West, and several other comrades celebrate. They discuss the war, but West tamps down their naïve optimism with a dose of reality, saying, “Home before winter? Next winter, maybe, if we come back at all” (312). He pulls Jezal aside and tells him that they must leave for the North in four weeks. West leaves, and Jezal, bored of his friends’ company, departs soon after. He tries to rationalize a “middle ground” with Ardee—more than friendship but not a full-blown relationship. He realizes that it can never work, but he still finds himself at the meeting place. Ardee surprises him from the shadows and seduces him. They kiss briefly, but she pulls away. She has complete control over Jezal, and he knows it.