Summary
Analysis
At the sight of her father, Zélie crumbles. They have to surrender. She admits that her magic is gone and hasn’t returned. She is bitterly angry at the gods. She thinks of everyone who has died for her, in vain. But she can’t let Baba die.
In the moment when she sees her father, Zélie’s resolve to stick to her personal goals and mission dissolves. She returns to the mindset she had before the quest began, placing the safety of her family first and rejecting the gods for putting her in such incredibly difficult situations.
Inan steps forward to trade Baba for the artifacts. Zélie drops the sunstone and scroll, and an ordinary dagger, realizing Inan has never seen the real bone dagger. Her father asks why she gave up, and Zélie says she had to. They begin to walk away. Suddenly, an arrow pierces Baba’s chest.
In this climactic moment, Zélie realizes that her family still comes before her personal mission.