Children of Blood and Bone: Chapter Sixty-Six Summary & Analysis

Inan feels Zélie’s pain like a lingering presence. He enters King Saran’s office, and sees that his father is calm and collected: harming Zélie is all in a day’s work for him. Because she is a maji, her death doesn’t mean anything to him, just as the deaths of those in the encampment don’t mean anything.

Saran says that Inan disgraced him, expecting Inan to cower. But for once, Inan talks back, saying that the interrogation was useless and cruel. Surprisingly, Saran takes it as a sign that Inan has grown during his travels.

Saran says that they must go to these lengths to keep the kingdom safe. Other kingdoms fell when they didn’t keep magic in check. He says he needed to break the “maggot,” Zélie, and then she told him everything he needed to know: the scroll can only be destroyed with magic. He has kept her alive for now so she can be the one to destroy it.

Saran says that Zélie deserves to be killed because she killed Kaea. He holds up a turquoise crystal—one of the ones that appeared in Kaea’s hair after she died. He says that Amari must also be killed for her role in Kaea’s death.

After they kill Zélie, says Saran, they will parade her body around Orïsha to put down any thoughts of rebellion. He says there is no other way, because maji are dangerous.

Saran gives Inan an unexpected and unwanted hug, and Inan remembers when he hurt Amari as a child. His father told him being able to hurt her would make him a great king; words that had made Inan happy. Inan’s success in hunting down the scroll now has proven to Saran that Inan will indeed be a good ruler. In some ways, it’s all Inan’s ever wanted, but all he can think about is Zélie.