The Wicked King

This section creates a dramatic change in setting. Rather than taking place in the above-ground faerie realm, here Jude descends into the Undersea. These chapters show Jude at a greater disadvantage than she has ever been before, with an assortment of odds stacked against her. Not only is she mortal in a magical land, but she has given both Nicasia and Balekin reason to hate her specifically. Here she has no allies whatsoever, and her survival is dependent on her immunity to enchantment and her potential to be useful.

When she first arrives, she stands up to Nicasia as best she can with her usual attitude and disdain. Although she admits to being afraid, she refuses to let fear control her. This is consistent with the character Jude has been for the entire novel. However, these chapters create suspense as Jude reaches her limit.

These chapters are effective because so much of the story is driven by plot, by action and betrayal and sword fighting and bloodshed. Here the enemy is not a rival holding a weapon, but Jude’s own loneliness, fear, and starvation, and the threat that she may be locked up and simply forgotten. Her mind drifts to Madoc and to Cardan, assessing her own relationships as she begins to fall into despair. Her own body is failing her, and she thinks, “My plan has narrowed to endurance, to surviving hour by hour, sunless day by day” (236).

In the end, Cardan gets Jude out of her predicament by making a bargain for her release. It is evident that this will bring Jude humiliation, as she always sought to be the one in control of their dynamic. Jude goes home and is cared for by Taryn, a reversal of their traditional roles together. Jude feels the weight of her humanity more than ever before, but her sense of duty and ambition prevails as she sneaks out of the house.