The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy

Osric Mordaunt is Aurienne’s initial “enemy” and eventual love interest, and the narrative gradually transforms him from an outright scoundrel into an antihero with a conscience. As the illegitimate son of the last Mordaunt patriarch and a minor Wessexian noblewoman, Osric grew up in a cyclically abusive household, as his father would refuse to recognize Osric as his son and would starve and abuse him and his mother. Osric’s mother would present him to his father on every birthday, and on each occasion, his father would beat them both, leaving scars. Mrs. Parson and her husband, who were then attendants of the elder Mordaunt, took pity on Osric and his mother and gave them what meals they could.

By the age of 14, Osric began training under Tristane to become a Fyren, an assassin-for-hire. On the night of his birthday, he stood up to his father’s abuse and killed him, but not before his father had lashed out at his mother, taking her life. Within the Fyren Order, Osric is well-known and respected. Although his official rank within the Order is never disclosed, the golden thread markings on the handle of his blaecblade (a blade made of a metal exclusive to the Fyren) displays his current kill count.  He is a favorite of Tristane’s, and like his comrades, he has the ability to shadow-walk. Such is his skill, however, that he can walk through the shadows inside a human body, killing his target from the inside. His deofol, Cinder, is a she-wolf made of smoke and shadows. Although Aurienne initially condemns Osric as an immoral, self-serving murderer, he shows glimpses of a softer side when he behaves protectively toward Mrs. Parson, rescues dogs and kittens, and falls in love with Aurienne.

A notorious flirt, Osric often uses his good looks and charm to manipulate others. Vain to his core, Osric is particular about his appearance and enjoys collecting beautiful objects. Initially, he loathes the idea of working with someone as morally upright as Aurienne, but by the end of the novel, he has fallen in love with her and embroils himself in a larger political plot involving the lords of the Tīendoms.

Xanthe is a secondary character and Aurienne’s biggest ally. As the head of Swanstone, the headquarters of the Haelan Order, Xanthe oversees all the operations of the research center and is one of the most powerful Haelans alive. Sarcastic and practical, Xanthe is nevertheless the first to overextend herself to save as many lives as she possibly can in the middle of the Pox epidemic. She is “small, bowed about the shoulders, absurdly wrinkled in the face,” and over 200 years old (32). As various councils and nobles continue to deny Swanstone and other hospitals the funds needed to combat the Pox outbreak, she takes a pragmatic approach by accepting Osric’s bribe in exchange for providing him with Aurienne’s healing services. Though Xanthe is the head of the Swanstone institution, she remains open-minded and pushes Aurienne to break free of the confined boundaries of typical research protocols in order to explore new cures for Osric’s seith rot.

Lord Bardolph Wellesley is a secondary character and one of the primary villains. A wealthy Wessexian lord, Wellesley is one of the instigators of the plot to revive the Dreor Order by spreading the Pox and then exploiting Pox-sickened children as Dreor candidates. He also funds the attack on Swanstone, in which four intruders attempt to burn down the fortress from the inside. Wellesley then uses his status as a noble to demand that a Haelan make a house call to heal his allegedly sick daughter. The demand hides his intent to bully the Haelan into revealing the identity of the anonymous donor (Osric) who gave millions toward the creation of a vaccine, but as the Haelan in question is Aurienne, who has Osric in tow, Wellesley’s plan quickly unravels. He tries to kidnap Aurienne, leading Osric to massacre his guards in retaliation. However, Aurienne is the one who accidentally kills Wellesley when she briefly pinches his carotid artery with her seith, causing him to fall and smash his skull open. Though the full extent of his participation in the broader plot is not yet explained, Aurienne and Osric search his keep and find an entire cellar full of whiskey bottles that contain a suspended form of the Pox virus.

Tristane is a secondary character and one of its villains. As the London-based war chief of the Fyrens, Tristane is said to be the deadliest Fyren of all. Greedy and amoral, Tristane rules her people mercilessly and will not hesitate to kill any member of the Order who exhibits some form of morality. Although the details of her first meeting with Osric are left unclear, it is said that she has trained him in the arts of assassination since he was a child. Of French origin, she often lapses into French expressions when she is particularly angry. She is contracted to attack the Haelans, a dire act that would break the Peace Accords between the various Orders. Though she is counselled by her second-in-command, Sacramore, not to take on the job, Tristane gives the task to Brythe to complete, but when Osric secretly kills Brythe to protect the Haelans, Tristane suspects foul play and takes matters into her own hands.