Accomplice to the Villain

The stained-glass window at Massacre Manor symbolizes truth and answers. The characters are initially furious when they realize that Nura Sage’s starlight magic has broken the window. Trystan Maverine is especially eager for repairmen to “recreate the bloody stained glass” after the accident (50). However, the characters soon learn that the image is a key to the Rennedawn storybook prophecy mystery. Leonard explains that “there are words inscribed on the glass” which are “[e]asier to see when the sun hits it head-on” (51). This imagery of the colored glass lighting up from the correct angle of the sun also conjures notions of revelation. When the sun catches the glass, the truth of the prophecy becomes visible.

Massacre Manor, the novel’s primary setting, where the main characters and their friends live and work, is a symbol of community. The manor is located on the edge of the Hickory Forest and has a view of the surrounding landscape. Although some of the characters feel restless and trapped when they spend too much time at the manor, the place offers its inhabitants safety and security. They all came to Massacre Manor to escape their own difficult home lives or families; in the manor, they find refuge and acceptance.