The Emperor's Enemy

In the war-torn world of the novel, violence is the primary and often only effective form of establishing authority, enforcing obedience, and resolving conflict. The narrative suggests that in a broken system, physical and magical domination becomes the currency of power, respected by both the tyrannical Draconis Empire and the supposedly democratic Commonwealth. Through Zora’s experiences, Mas explores how individuals living within violent systems may adopt the same methods used against them. When power is repeatedly established through suffering, violence becomes a form of currency exchanged between rulers, soldiers, and enemies.

The Draconis Empire, led by Emperor Aleksander, exemplifies the use of violence as a tool for absolute dominance. Aleksander’s cruelty is a performance of power meant to inspire terror and enforce his superiority. This is evident from his first encounter with a 15-year-old Zora, whom he bites on the neck, physically marking her as his. As an adult, his violence is swift and punitive, as when he magically chokes Axel for the minor transgression of touching Zora and attacks the aerial dancer who nearly kisses her. During their “training,” he relentlessly batters her with storm magic, viewing her pain as a necessary part of her education. These incidents emphasize how Aleksander uses violence to punish behavior that challenges his authority or possessive desires.

Similarly, the Commonwealth’s treatment of its own soldiers and prisoners blurs the line between democratic leadership and imperial tyranny. The Iron Ritual, intended to produce Knight Mages capable of resisting Imperial storm magic, is brutal and often fatal, a process of forcibly replacing a soldier’s blood. The Commonwealth nevertheless continues performing it because the potential military benefits outweigh the risks to individual soldiers. Similarly, Aleksander’s shock collar allows Zora to administer painful electrical punishments, as the military relies on torture as a means of controlling its captive. This principle extends to its leadership, as the Marshal uses physical abuse to enforce her will. When Zora hesitates to accept the secret “Quest,” the Marshal slaps her twice, using pain and intimidation to ensure compliance. These examples underscore how the Commonwealth’s pursuit of victory involves methods resembling those it condemns in the Empire.

As a product of this violent world, Zora internalizes its core lesson: to survive, one must be willing to strike first and without hesitation. Her personal survival rule is to “[a]lways attack first” (16). Upon seeing Aleksander (disguised as Tarantula) in the military base, her immediate response is to punch him. When surrounded by pirates at Port Crow, she doesn’t negotiate or flee; she methodically incapacitates them with brutal efficiency. Even her seduction of Aleksander is a violent act of deception, culminating in her bludgeoning him unconscious. Zora’s actions show that she has learned to speak the language of her oppressors fluently, using violence to assert her own agency in a world that respects nothing else.

The destruction of Plague represents a final act of violence, as Zora uses a Commonwealth missile to eliminate the Empire’s most powerful military asset. Although the attack achieves her objective, it also devastates Aleksander, who experiences the loss of his bonded dragon. Zora’s confrontation with him afterward establishes a direct connection between the suffering he has inflicted upon others and the suffering she has now inflicted upon him, insisting that she has now “taken” something from him. Their exchange underscores how violence becomes reciprocal, with each act of destruction provoking another. Through the opposing nations and their central characters, the novel portrays a world in which power is repeatedly obtained through suffering, while questioning whether victory achieved through violence can ever fully escape its consequences.