Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire, Book 3)
Chapter 28
by Mark, Lawrence,Chella, a once-powerful necromancer now weakened after being drained by the Ancrath boy, travels in a carriage with Kai, a younger necromancer whose confidence and ease with dark magic irritate her. The cold autumn weather exacerbates her discomfort, and she reflects bitterly on her diminished state, contrasting it with Kai’s untroubled demeanor. Chella resents Kai’s ability to treat necromancy as a casual skill, while she has paid a heavy price for her power. Her frustration grows as she endures the physical pains of being alive, a stark reminder of her fall from grace.
Kai’s nonchalant attitude and his proficiency in necromancy gnaw at Chella, who sees his lack of suffering as an affront. She recalls how he was once terrified when she first encountered him, but now his smugness and charm only deepen her disdain. Chella muses that true necromancy must exact a toll, yet Kai seems untouched by its horrors. Her bitterness is compounded by her own losses, including her power and the life she once knew. The chapter highlights her internal struggle as she grapples with envy, regret, and a longing for the darkness she once commanded.
The carriage halts near a town where smoke rises, prompting suspicion. Axtis, a guard, reports the anomaly, but Chella dismisses the concern, urging them to press on. Kai uses his wind-sight to observe a pyre in the town square, noting its lack of bones—a detail that unsettles Chella. She senses something hidden, a presence of agony or death, and prepares to use her remaining power to uncover it. The tension between the two necromancers simmers as they approach the mystery, with Chella determined to prove her superiority despite her weakened state.
A flashback reveals Chella’s childhood memory of losing a stolen brooch in a cesspit, symbolizing her early encounters with desperation and moral ambiguity. This memory mirrors her current struggle—reaching into darkness to reclaim what she’s lost. The chapter ends with her and Kai preparing to confront the unseen horror, their dynamic fraught with rivalry and unspoken threats. Chella’s resentment and Kai’s arrogance set the stage for a clash, both with the lurking danger and each other.
FAQs
1. How does Chella’s relationship with necromancy differ from Kai’s, and what does this reveal about their characters?
Answer:
Chella views necromancy as a profound, costly burden that has fundamentally changed her—physically and emotionally. She resents Kai for treating it like a “secret vice” or skill (comparing it to juggling) that doesn’t seem to weigh on him. This contrast highlights Chella’s bitterness and trauma from her power being drained by Jorg, while Kai’s casual mastery reflects his arrogance and adaptability. The text emphasizes this through Chella’s internal monologue: “Necromancy has to cost you… Golden Boy had picked it up as though it were nothing,” revealing her belief that true necromancy requires suffering, which Kai has yet to experience.2. Analyze the significance of the “funeral pyre without bones” in Gottering. What might this foreshadow?
Answer:
The pyre suggests unnatural violence rather than a traditional funeral. Chella’s immediate recognition that it signifies death (“She knew death”)—coupled with the absence of bones and the presence of celebration flags—implies a mass disappearance or consumption of bodies, possibly by supernatural forces like the lichkin mentioned earlier. This foreshadows a looming threat tied to necromancy, as the scene mirrors Chella’s earlier warning: “Lichkin are no one’s friends.” The dissonance between festive flags and hidden horror also reinforces the chapter’s theme of deception, aligning with the Dead King’s cunning plans for Congression.3. How does Chella’s flashback to the cesspit and Nan Robtin’s brooch deepen our understanding of her motivations?
Answer:
The brooch memory reveals Chella’s lifelong pattern of justifying morally ambiguous actions (“It’s borrowing if you bring it back”) and her willingness to endure revulsion for personal gain—mirroring her relationship with necromancy. Her childhood desperation to retrieve the brooch (lying in filth, resisting bodily urges) parallels her current struggle to reclaim power. The visceral details (“coldness surprising… stomach heaving”) show how trauma and obsession shape her, explaining her resentment toward Kai, who acquires power without similar sacrifice. This backstory contextualizes her petty cruelty and fixation on control.4. What role does physical discomfort play in characterizing Chella and advancing the chapter’s themes?
Answer:
Chella’s acute awareness of cold, dampness, and pain (“bones ached so it hurt to sit”) underscores her alienation from life after years of necromancy. Her complaints (“I hate being alive”) contrast with Kai’s ease, symbolizing how necromancy has eroded her humanity. The discomfort also mirrors her psychological state: just as the “insidious cold” seeps into her body, her envy and bitterness permeate her thoughts. These details reinforce the chapter’s exploration of power’s costs—while Kai remains untouched, Chella’s suffering reflects the “darkest instinct” she surrendered to.5. Evaluate the Dead King’s strategy in sending Chella and Kai to Congression. Why are they effective emissaries despite their differences?
Answer:
The Dead King exploits their complementary weaknesses: Chella’s diminished power makes her seem harmless, while Kai’s novice status avoids suspicion. As Chella reflects, they are “close enough to life to pass as untainted.” Their tensions also serve the Dead King—Chella’s resentment ensures she’ll push Kai toward darker necromancy, while Kai’s untested confidence makes him a malleable tool. Their pairing embodies the chapter’s duality (life/death, experience/ignorance), allowing them to infiltrate human politics while hiding the Dead King’s true agenda. This cunning mirrors Chella’s realization: “Now she appreciated his cunning too.”
Quotes
1. “Necromancy at its heart is a guilty pleasure, a surrender to the darkest instinct.”
This quote captures Chella’s perspective on necromancy as both an addictive corruption and a fundamental violation of natural order. It reveals her bitter resentment toward Kai, who treats it lightly compared to her own costly sacrifices.
2. “Necromancy has to cost you. It had certainly cost Chella.”
A pivotal contrast between Chella’s irreversible transformation and Kai’s casual mastery of necromancy. This underscores the chapter’s theme of power demanding sacrifice, while hinting at Kai’s impending reckoning.
3. “The Dead King’s cunning had set them on this path… necessary the fact that they stood close enough to life to pass as untainted.”
This reveals the strategic deception at play - Chella and Kai are pawns in a larger game, their diminished/emerging powers making them ideal covert operatives for the Dead King’s plans at Congression.
4. “Drawing forth dead things from behind the veil always put Chella in mind of the cesspit back in Jonholt.”
A powerful analogy comparing necromancy to childhood trauma, linking Chella’s dark power to formative experiences of violation and loss. The subsequent brooch story illustrates how small corruptions escalate into damnation.
5. “YOU WILL BREATHE. And in the end the body’s wants prove stronger than the…”
The truncated final line poignantly captures the chapter’s core tension - the irresistible pull of base instincts (whether survival or necromantic power) overriding higher morality. This mirrors Chella’s own surrender to darkness.