Oathbound

“Greedy men collect what they cannot understand, and weak men destroy what they cannot control. A man who is both will attempt to recreate that which is beyond his comprehension, obliterating the original in the process.”

Erebus explains to Bree how the Order exercises power. This foreshadows how the Order will act later in the novel by attempting to recreate Bree’s powers through their experimentation with Rootcrafters. His descriptions of greedy and weak men can also be seen in other characters in the novel, such as Mikael and the collectors at his gala. However, all of these characteristics can also be attributed to Erebus in his search for the crown and training of Bree just so her can kill her.

“While Nick’s eyes are on Larkin’s face, my healer’s gaze is on him. The pulse in his throat is slowing down. He’s coming back to us, to the here and now, but I’ve learned not to believe anyone who, without prompting, declares that they are ‘fine.’ Sel says this constantly. Bree, far too much for my liking. Nick? ‘Fine’ was the word he uttered in a relentless stream right before he publicly renounced his title and left the chapter. Nick has always said he is fine, but Nick has never been fine.”

This quote comes from the first chapter narrated by William and succinctly shows his most important characteristics. Will takes his role as a healer seriously and is always looking out for his friends, even when they are not looking out for themselves. This quote also helps to characterize Nick, Sel, and Bree, and how they often put the needs of others above their own, finding strength in Resistance Through Community-Building.

“It’s not like I want to be Bree, but…sometimes, I wonder what it’d be like to not only have a plan but be the plan. Because that’s what Bree is—the end result of her ancestor’s bargain, a bloodmarked walking time bomb, the tip of the spear. Bree isn’t the thought; she’s the action. It just seems like no matter what Bree’s facing, she can barrel through it. Bree Matthews was born to be one of one. The right person at the right time to make the right choices. The rest of us will just have to figure it out on our own.”

Mariah explains how she feels in Bree’s absence. Throughout the novel, Mariah often compares herself unfavorably to Bree, showing her lack of confidence. Yet this also shows the great amount of trust that Mariah and many of the other Rootcrafters place in Bree, and how they expect her to be the plan that they need for anything.

“My point is that you mock the very values that keep you relevant—and you should hold your tongue in gratitude.”

William tells this to the Regents at Nick’s curia after they mock Nick and his family. This quote silences the Legendborn and makes them consider exactly why they have the Regents at all. By questioning the Regents’ relevance, Will also questions what they are doing with the power the Order has given them.

“‘Your supremacy, […] Your misogyny. Your racism. Your cowardice. […] I only state out loud that which you enact in plain sight. That which we can all see, if we can stand to bear witness.’ Nick seethes. ‘Will you punish me for doing so? Your chosen son?’ The Regents are silent. ‘Briana Matthews cannot be the only voice that speaks against you. […] Not when she bears our burdens for us and goes so unprotected. Not when you erase her humanity to guard your own power and protect your own whiteness.’”

Nick tells this to the Regents at the curia and goes on to address the Legendborn as a whole for not speaking out against their corruption sooner. Nick emphasizes the privilege he, too, gets within the Order when he calls himself their “chosen son,” showing the double standard between his treatment as Scion of Lancelot and Bree’s as Scion of Arthur. This quote emphasizes The Need to Interrogate Systems of Power, highlighting how the Order is in power only at the expense of others.

“The women around me are all in the business of throwing themselves at the wall, again and again, until it breaks—or molds itself in their images. It’s a type of impatient living that I’ve never dared try. Bree Matthews doesn’t wait until she’s ready to act, and her ancestors believe in her. They have faith in her. Maybe I shouldn’t wait either. Maybe it’s not about having the answer, but making yourself the answer.”

Here again, Mariah compares herself to Bree, along with the other strong women who surround her. Though these comparisons often make Mariah feel bad about herself, here she is emboldened when she thinks of Bree and the women around her. Bree spurs many other characters to action throughout the novel, as evidenced by Mariah’s choice to act here.

“My face has gotten leaner, even though I’m eating more than I did while on the run from the Order. My cheekbones are sharper somehow, while my hips have filled out, gotten firmer. Curves and muscle, rearranging themselves around my body in response to the demands of Erebus’s training. I turn this way and that in the water-spotted mirror and decide that I like this version of me. I look…strong. Powerful. Competent. I wonder what the people I don’t know would think of me now if they saw me, and feel a pang of remorse. I don’t need anyone else to validate how I feel about myself, how I’ve grown, and who I’m becoming…but that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. Don’t secretly wish for it. For them.”

This quote comes when Bree looks in the mirror in the bathroom at the Rat, just before she sees the abduction of the Rootcrafter girl. The physical changes Bree notices in herself are linked to the changes she has undergone regarding her identity, which are referenced at the end of this quote. This shows how Bree is torn between her progress in her training with Erebus and what she has lost to become this powerful.

“Her magic. Rootcrafters’ magic is what ties them to their communities, their families. It connects them to one another, even before an ancestor is ever called upon. And Rootcrafters’ innate branch of power—their personal magic—is what their ancestors enhance. But unlike my own body, Bloodcrafted to hold limitless ancestral root, the average ‘Crafter is only meant to borrow power from their ancestors for a short time.”

Bree thinks this as she witnesses the Rootcrafter girl being abducted, and her captor mentions taking away her magic. Though Bree has forgotten the people in her life and burned her ancestral plane, she can’t imagine the horror this girl would experience from losing her magic. This shows how Bree always tries to put herself in others’ shoes and how she is guided by her care for others.

“‘I definitely don’t like that he can do this to you. Not just here, where it’d be dangerous for anyone who happens to see it, but anywhere. You’re a king too. Just because the Shadow King bloodmarked your family doesn’t mean he gets to terrorize you whenever he pleases.’ I gape at him. Nick speaks the complexity of my life into simplicity so easily, so frequently. The conclusions I fumble around to find he just…states out loud. And he speaks those truths half to himself and half to me, as if this perspective on my bloodmark is obvious and easy, and not an elusive clarity that I keep chasing and chasing.”

Nick tells this to Bree the first time he sees Erebus call her bloodmark. This shows Nick’s care for Bree and their special bond, as well as Nick’s sense of justice, which matches Bree’s. The way Bree doesn’t recognize this about herself also shows her selfless nature, and how she has been far more concerned about things outside of her bloodmark to notice the ways that this hurts her.

“Legends are born from a kernel of truth, but myths create meaning because people treat them like truth. A being that old could be one or the other—or something in between.”

Nick’s questioning of the nature of mythology is significant to the series as a whole, as it interrogates the true origination of the Legendborn’s powers. Erebus is rumored to come from the Welsh otherworld Annwfyn, but Nick questions this rumor. Though Nick knows the Legendborn’s history better than most, he still can see that stories and myths can influence the truth.

“‘You were their chosen one!’ ‘I never asked to be chosen! Being open to everyone meant being vulnerable to Arthur! […] I’m just one person, Mariah. I can’t be everyone’s answer. I can’t be everyone’s plan.’”

This exchange between Mariah and Bree comes when Bree reveals that she burned her ancestral plane. Mariah and the Rootcrafters have high expectations for Bree, and they sometimes fail to recognize the weight of the burden these expectations place on her. This quote also ties back to earlier quotes from Mariah, calling Bree the “answer” or the “plan.”

“‘Vera had no idea that the Hunter, the Shadow King, had piggybacked on her bargain and marked her Line. When I told her what her descendants had been through carrying this power and this mark…it just felt like she didn’t care. Like she didn’t care that we had all lost our mothers because of this gift that we didn’t ask for. That we haven’t been able to stop running for our lives long enough, or even live long enough, to try and stop our own deaths. That we can’t even save ourselves. If I have a daughter, she’ll die young just like I’ll die young and just like my mom died young—’ My breath is a ragged, tearing thing from my lungs. ‘Our Bloodcraft, our weapon, kills us. Steals time. Steals life.’”

Here, Bree explains exactly how much her bloodmark has impacted her. While Mariah is looking at things only through the lens of Bree’s current situation, here Bree shows all of the things she has had to deal with because of the powers she has. When she explains it this way, Mariah can understand what made Bree burn her connection to her ancestors, building empathy and Resistance Through Community-Building.

“‘We’re trapped in this nightmare mansion where we might slip up and get murdered, sure, but we’re here because you cared about a girl you’d never even met before! About Rootcrafter girls that other people might forget about. That the news might forget about. That may not be Vera’s mission for you or whatever, but I think it counts for somethin’.’ She shrugs. ‘Vera mighta had a vision for your life, but don’t you deserve a chance to update her on the reality of your life? And petition for her help with that?’”

Zoe’s response to Mariah and Bree’s discussion about burning Bree’s ancestral plane emphasizes The Importance of Selflessness in Leadership. Much more removed from this situation than either girl, Zoe can see that both make good points, but Bree’s ancestors’ expectations for her are less important than her drive to help others.

“‘You won’t die,’ he whispers. ‘The Order doesn’t deserve your life—and it will never deserve your death.’ I swallow tightly. Feel my eyes burning at their corners. ‘Because I’m its king?’ ‘No. Because you’re Bree.’”

This exchange between Nick and Bree comes after Bree learns of Nick’s plan to have Arthur possess him so he can die and she can live. Much like the previous quote, here Nick puts things into perspective, shifting Bree away from her thoughts about her role and what is expected of her, which have been occupying her throughout the novel. Unlike others, Nick values Bree not just as a king, but as herself.

“‘The Order was built on a scale of abuse I can’t even begin to comprehend, the weight of which you bear without your consent. Arthur is a weight you bear without your consent. Being his Scion, hiding the truth everywhere you go. If the Order wanted to punish us for being together, we both know they’d take most of that out on you, not me. And Samuel Davis? What he did to Vera…?’ He pauses. Clenches his jaw. ‘He’s not my ancestor, but my family benefited from his sins.’ Nick takes a deep breath in, and exhales a declaration. ‘I was born to thrive in this machine, Bree. It was built with me in mind. It’s my responsibility to take it apart.’”

This quote speaks to the heart of the theme of The Need to Interrogate Systems of Power. Nick’s questioning of the Order’s power is especially significant within the novel, as he benefits from the way the Order subjugates others. Yet this quote shows Nick’s sense of justice, and highlights his duty to change the Order for the sake of those who have been hurt by it.

“It is a bit uncouth to present these four young women in this setting, but, rest assured, they are being safely held and have been treated with respect and care by the seller. We will promptly provide coordinates for pickup to the winning bidder. We do request that you do not cause these young ladies damage or lasting harm, or, at least, do not do so in a setting that can connect such activity back to our community. Remember, only a living Rootcrafter can supply a lasting power source. In all things, please maintain discretion and truth.”

This is Mikael’s introduction to the final “items” in the auction: the four Rootcrafter girls. The perfunctory gesture toward keeping these girls safe from harm is emphasized by Mikael’s focus on “discretion and truth” above all else. His acknowledgement that bringing the girls on stage to be auctioned would be “uncouth” does little to hide the horrific nature of this auction, which is reminiscent of a slave market.

“The Regents didn’t think Rootcrafters were a threat valuable enough to capture alive, much less study in a lab somewhere. Erebus didn’t know why the Regents would turn their attention to Rootcrafters now, after dismissing them for so long. But I do. I know exactly why the Regents want Rootcrafters now when they never have before. Me. They want them because of me.”

Bree’s realization recalls Erebus’s earlier idea that weak and greedy men “attempt to recreate that which is beyond his comprehension, obliterating the original in the process” (18) as the Order is now doing to defeat Bree. This quote also shows how human views of race have impacted the magical world, influencing the way the predominantly white and patriarchal Order views the matrilineal Black practice of Rootcrafting.

“He turns to me, attention sharpening. ‘I used to think that the Order as a society was broken, but watching you navigate it, knowing what they’ve done to you because of it, being away from it myself, showed me that it’s not broken. It’s working exactly as designed. A wheel, drenched in hate and control, churning. Every time you wield your power, every time you own the right to speak, the Regents make you the lightning rod for their evil.’ He hesitates, then reaches a hand to my face, pushing past my lined hood to hold my cheek in his blessedly warm palm. ‘Listen to me. You don’t owe them anything, Bree. No one deserves your suffering.’”

Here, Nick again addresses the theme of The Need to Interrogate Systems of Power in his discussion of the Order. By recognizing that this is exactly how the Order was designed to work, Nick can fully see how he has benefited from it while Bree suffers, and he can make the firm decision to destroy it. Nick’s conviction that Bree does not owe the Order anything emphasizes this, highlighting how the Order has taken from her without giving her anything back.

“Nick lets me think. Lets me become who I need to be in the circle of his arms. Around us, the forest begins to wake. And still, he watches and waits. Until I know what I want to ask next. The thought sends me down to him again—and he surges to meet me. As the world dawns, we claim each other’s mouths. Call and response. When I finally whisper, ‘And if I want to burn it all to the ground?’ His answer is a quick grin against my lips. ‘My blade is yours.’”

This quote comes after the previous excerpt, when Bree thinks about what her next steps involving the Order will be. This highlights how Bree and Nick have a bond that mimics that of the king and knight they descend from, but that goes much farther. In their commitment to burn the Order to the ground, Bree and Nick show that they have grown beyond the Order and their prescribed roles as Scions.

“‘While we know ourselves best, we don’t always know what we’re capable of doing or becoming’—he pauses, thinking—‘and we can always choose new paths if we need to.’ I swallow around a lump. ‘Rules can change.’”

This exchange is between Valec and Bree, just after they reconcile about fighting about Bree burning her ancestral plane. The idea that “rules can change” is repeated throughout the novel, particularly by demons who have evil intentions. Yet Valec’s statement is ironic in this context, as he acknowledges that sometimes justice demands that unjust rules change.

“‘Loving other people and losing them hurts. And loving them when they’re gone? Opens up the wound again. Now, I’m no expert, but I think the only way to live with grief is to seek its antidote. […] If I don’t do that, I’m pretty sure I’ll forget how to love other people altogether, not because I can’t, but because I won’t remember how. Loving folks is a practice, baby.’ I sit with that for a moment. If I restore my soul, it won’t just be the people that come back, but the everyday practice of being with those people too. The relationships.”

Edwin tells this to Bree when they meet again at Hazel’s house. The idea that loving others is a practice can be seen throughout the novel, though this quote comes at the end. Bree’s care for her friends and her community is what drives her, though she continually has to rethink and relearn what it means to love them.

“A piercing voice within tells me that my friends and father don’t deserve to be caught up in another one of my messes. But when Zoe blurs by to sneak another biscuit before going back to work, her question from Penumbra finds me again. Who does that benefit? And when Valec pulls Nick aside to debate tactics for neutralizing Sel without harming him, I hear his words, too. You had to fall…because you had to rise. And when my father squeezes me close, immovable determination in his features even in the face of a situation he can’t fully understand, he reminds me that this room of people are enacting his wisdom in real time.”

This quote shows how Bree’s thoughts consume her as she prepares to return to Penumbra, mirroring how they have consumed her throughout the novel. Bree’s thoughts always return to the other people in her life, rather than herself, showing The Importance of Selflessness in Leadership. However, the lessons she has learned from Zoe, Valec, and her father remind her that she has to think of herself too, and not be so hard on herself for things she cannot change.

“Epiphyllum oxypetalum. […] More commonly known as queen of the night. These flowers require regular sunlight to flourish and yet they only bloom in darkness, only one night a year. A Wildcrafter like your mother would have known exactly how to care for one of these plants. Sensed its blossom in time to watch it open and wilt before dawn. […] These flowers take faith, Bree. Even when we can’t see their progress, even when we forget they’re growing, they bloom. And they are worth the wait.”

Hazel says this to Bree when she crafts the construct of a flower, which looks exactly like the kind her mother used to grow. This flower is a clear symbol of Bree and the ways she has bloomed in darkness. This symbolism also points to the help Bree has received from others and the faith her friends have had in her throughout her journey.