Contents
Chapter 37
Overview
Amiel spends a clandestine night with Queen Mireya, who shelters him from Migaéd, shares opium, and confides her fascination with Galva. Amiel struggles with his half-return from invisibility and resolves to place the Mouth of the Storm in Galva’s hands. A later narrator foreshadows that Goltay’s brief calm will give way to horror.
Summary
Amiel, still altered by his invisibility, recounts a night in Goltay guided by Queen Mireya of Gallardia, who hides him from his brother Migaéd and tours the city while he remains unseen. He is both proud and jealous as Mireya confesses deep admiration for Galva, calling her sad and beautiful.
At the Arve’s banks, Amiel asks why a queen would confide in him. Mireya praises his insight despite youth and reveals she is twenty-eight. As Amiel awkwardly manages a cloak against the risk of suddenly reappearing, Mireya offers a poppy pipe, warns of its addictive power, and contrasts it with the darker lure of godsmilk. She limits his indulgence, admitting she herself is “different.”
Toward first light, they seek Galva at the corvid camp. Inocenta, the stout redhead, challenges Mireya with an axe before recognizing her. Galva is absent, frustrating Amiel, who longs to surrender the Mouth of the Storm. He resolves to keep the shield until he can hand it to Galva, honoring their shared blood and the relic’s gravity.
As they depart, Mireya affirms the shield belongs with Galva and expresses hope to know both siblings if they survive. Amiel, besotted, contemplates composing a poem for her but finds her beyond words. He notes his unsettling, partial return to visibility—skin failing to appear while muscles and veins do.
The narrative then shifts: a later reader notes a missing page and reflects on this final entry of Amiel’s journal as a threshold. That voice closes by warning that Goltay’s warm, deceptive calm is ending, and the following day brings horror.
Who Appears
- AmielNarrator; spends a hidden night with Mireya, half-visible, vows to give Galva the Mouth.
- Queen Mireya of GallardiaShelters Amiel from Migaéd, shares opium, confides strong feelings for Galva, affirms the Mouth belongs to Galva.
- GalvaAbsent but central; object of Mireya’s admiration and intended recipient of the Mouth of the Storm.
- InocentaGalva’s redheaded ally; challenges then recognizes the queen at the corvid camp.
- MigaédAntagonistic brother; searches for Amiel, from whom Mireya conceals him.
- NouvaLater narrator noting a missing page and foreshadowing the horror to come in Goltay.