The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2
The Wise Man’s Fear
by Patrick Rothfuss
Contents
Chapter 26: Trust
Overview
Kvothe confronts Devi to confirm his blood’s safety and accuses her of malfeasance. A dangerous sympathic standoff ensues; Devi overpowers him using a poor-boy, reveals she once refused to sell his blood, and ends their arrangement.
She calls his debt due by term’s end and banishes him, escalating his financial and personal stakes.
Summary
Kvothe, fearing malfeasance and aware Devi holds his blood, visits her to verify it is safe. He probes her knowledge of sygaldry and alchemy, notes a guilty flicker at mention of plum bob, and demands to see his blood. Devi refuses and reaches for a drawer.
Kvothe binds Devi to stop her, believing she has a mommet of him. Despite multiple bindings, Devi strains free enough to activate a poor-boy, flooding the room with heat and overwhelming Kvothe’s limited sources. Facing the threat of sympathetic burning, Kvothe releases his bindings and drops his wax doll.
Devi plucks Kvothe’s hair, binds him immobile, and condemns his betrayal. She reveals she previously refused a lucrative offer to sell his blood, then declares their business ended and calls his nine-talent debt due by term’s end, warning him against going to authorities.
To demonstrate control, Devi briefly reproduces his recent fevers, then smashes his mommet with precise restraint. She releases him only to extract acknowledgement of her terms and orders him out. Kvothe leaves in humiliation, their trust severed and the debt looming.
Who Appears
- KvotheProtagonist; confronts Devi about his blood, attempts multiple bindings, is overpowered, and leaves owing nine talents by term’s end.
- DeviMoneylender arcanist; resists Kvothe’s binding with a poor-boy, reveals prior refusal to sell his blood, calls his debt due, and ends their dealings.