Emperor of Thorns (The Broken Empire, Book 3)
Chapter 29
by Mark, Lawrence,The chapter opens with Jorg, the protagonist, delirious and feverish in a dark, confined space beside the corpse of Fexler, a long-dead man. Clutching Fexler’s gun and a mysterious thorn-patterned box, Jorg battles hallucinations of his past victims and loved ones, including Lesha and William. The dead of Gelleth and his brothers from the mire haunt him, their presence a grim reminder of his failures. Eventually, Fexler’s medicines take effect, breaking the fever and leaving Jorg weak but alive, with William’s accusatory eyes lingering in his mind as the last vestige of his delirium.
After recovering, Jorg scavenges supplies from Fexler’s body in the darkness, finding tools and artifacts of the Builders, an ancient advanced civilization. He struggles to escape the shaft, enduring a grueling climb that nearly kills him. Emerging into the harsh sunlight, he finds his horses, Balky and the stallion, dehydrated but waiting. The encounter leaves him pondering the nature of Builder-ghosts and their alien existence. With limited water, Jorg presses on to the Bad Dogs’ camp, where he refills his supplies and uses a view-ring to spot a mysterious red dot on a distant coast—a sign he reluctantly acknowledges as a destination he must pursue.
Jorg returns to the provost, the ruler of the city, to deliver the grim news of her granddaughter Lesha’s death at the hands of outlaws. The provost, though hardened by years of rule, is visibly aged by the loss, reflecting on her many grandchildren and the fleeting connections of family. Jorg offers condolences, acknowledging Lesha’s bravery and his own rare bond with her and Greyson, another fallen companion. The provost’s sorrow is tinged with resignation, recognizing the harsh realities of their world, where survival often comes at a steep cost.
The chapter closes with Jorg carrying the weight of his discoveries—Fexler’s gun and the enigmatic copper box—as well as the emotional burden of loss. The provost’s hope that his findings were worth the sacrifice hangs in the air, unanswered. Jorg’s journey is far from over, marked by both physical relics of the Builders and the ghosts of his past, driving him toward an uncertain future. The red dot on the coast looms as a new destination, hinting at further trials and revelations ahead.
FAQs
1. What physical and psychological struggles does Jorg experience while recovering in the Builder’s hall?
Answer:
Jorg endures severe physical suffering—fever, dehydration, and starvation—while lying beside Fexler’s corpse in darkness. Psychologically, he battles delirium, hallucinating conversations with dead companions like Lesha, Sunny, and William, who appear as spectral accusations of his past failures. His grip on reality blurs (“dreams cannot be told from delirium”), yet he clings to rationality by refusing to open the thorn-patterned box despite his madness. The gun and box become talismans of control. His survival hinges on Fexler’s medicines and his own stubbornness, exemplified by his meticulous looting of the corpse despite exhaustion.2. How does the provost’s reaction to Lesha’s death reveal the themes of legacy and familial disconnect in the chapter?
Answer:
The provost’s grief is layered with regret over her emotional distance from her 16 grandchildren, whom she admits she barely recognizes. Lesha’s boldness made her memorable, yet the provost laments prioritizing bureaucratic duties (“sixteen district water marshals”) over familial bonds. Her reflection—”I’m sorry now that I didn’t get to know her better”—highlights a recurring theme in the chapter: the cost of survival and power. Jorg mirrors this disconnect, noting his own rarity of friendships, which underscores the isolation inherent in their roles as leaders.3. Analyze the significance of the red dot Jorg sees through the view-ring. How does this moment reflect his relationship with Fexler’s legacy?
Answer:
The red dot, burning on the coast of Afrique, symbolizes Fexler’s lingering influence as a manipulative guide. Jorg’s immediate defiance—”I’m not your toy, Fexler”—reveals his resistance to being controlled, yet he admits the dot aligns with his preexisting plans. This paradox reflects their fraught dynamic: Fexler’s posthumous schemes still pull Jorg’s strings, much like the Builder-tech (gun, box) that weighs physically and metaphorically on him. The dot’s appearance via the view-ring—a tool of perception—suggests Jorg cannot escape Fexler’s vision, even as he rejects it.4. How does the chapter use contrasting imagery to emphasize Jorg’s transition from the underground to the surface world?
Answer:
The shift from the “deep, dry hole” of the Builder’s hall to the “noonday sun” is stark. Underground, Jorg exists in sensory deprivation (“without light and without sound”), surrounded by decay (Fexler’s rotting corpse). Emerging, he’s blinded by brightness, his body broken but resilient. The stallion and mule’s “unhealthy glitter” mirrors his own strained survival. This contrast underscores rebirth: Jorg’s ascent parallels the Builder-ghosts’ emergence, hinting at his dual identity as both mortal and mythic figure. The dust-covered camp he returns to further bridges death and renewal.5. Evaluate Jorg’s account of Lesha’s death to the provost. What does his selective honesty reveal about his character?
Answer:
Jorg omits his likely culpability, framing Lesha’s death as a heroic struggle against outlaws (“Perros Viciosos”). His bow—deeper than the provost merits—and praise of Lesha as “an explorer” serve to soften the blow, showing tactical empathy. Yet his evasion (“Lesha died in the struggle”) mirrors his earlier hallucinations, where he defensively tells William, “I tried to save you.” This selective honesty reflects Jorg’s survival instinct: he manipulates narratives to avoid guilt while acknowledging loss. The provost’s unspoken thought—”And yet you survived”—captures his enduring moral ambiguity.
Quotes
1. “Without light and without sound, dreams cannot be told from delirium. I talked to myself – mutters and accusations – and sometimes to Fexler, face-down, the back of his head a wet mess of soft and sharp.”
This quote captures Jorg’s fractured mental state as he battles fever and hallucinations in the darkness. It exemplifies the blurred line between reality and madness that permeates the chapter, while also introducing his haunting conversations with the dead.
2. “‘I tried to save you.’ Same old story – no new excuses from Jorgy. He shook his head, blood and curls. We both knew thorns would not have held him.”
A poignant moment where Jorg confronts his guilt and failures through a hallucination of William. This exchange reveals Jorg’s self-awareness about his patterns of justification and the futility of his past actions.
3. “I sensed their attention. As blank and unreadable as the mule’s and surely more alien.”
This observation about the Builder-ghosts highlights the recurring theme of ancient, incomprehensible forces watching Jorg. The comparison to animals emphasizes the vast gulf between human and Builder consciousness.
4. “‘I’m not your toy, Fexler. You can’t set me chasing across empire to join your little dots.’ Balky snorted, as if wondering whether I’d gone mad in the heat. I put the ring away. ‘Dammit.’ I’d been planning a journey to that exact spot.”
This ironic exchange showcases Jorg’s stubborn independence conflicting with his inevitable compliance with fate. The moment represents his ongoing struggle against manipulation while still being drawn into larger schemes.
5. “It struck me that finding someone I might call a friend had been a rare thing in my life. And in the space of three short months I’d discovered and lost two.”
A rare moment of vulnerability where Jorg reflects on his isolation and recent losses. This quote underscores the emotional cost of his journey and the human connections that briefly pierced his hardened exterior.