Glass Sword: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

Kilorn and Bree try to explain why Cal needs to be held captive on Tuck. They say he’s dangerous, can’t be trusted because he’s a Silver, and is too valuable as the exiled prince. Mare doesn’t believe in these arguments, but she pretends to agree. She decides to heed Shade’s earlier warning and make herself seem weak, otherwise she’ll be treated with the same fear and hatred as Cal. Still, as the man with the bloody eye takes Cal into a hangar, Mare hopes that Cal won’t be handed over to Maven. She remembers one of her dad’s sayings: “The war never leaves.” Mare understands these words herself now. 

Bree takes Mare and Kilorn toward two long rows of barracks. The base on Tuck is larger and more developed than Mare imagined. It’s clear there’s more to the Scarlet Guard than meets the eye. Mare resolves to pretend she feels safe here. Although the Guard should be her greatest ally, Mare doesn’t trust the man with the bloody eye. Mare is also unhappy with Kilorn for not telling her how the Guard would treat Cal, and she’s disappointed that Bree doesn’t know her better. The only people who understand what Mare has gone through recently are Cal and Maven, while her own family has no idea who she is now.

Mare, Bree, and Kilorn enter Barracks 3, which houses Red refugees. The Barrow family’s bunk is marked by a purple cloth decorated with lightning bolts. Inside, the room is full of fabric that Mare’s younger sister Gisa is embroidering for the Scarlet Guard. Mare’s mom, dad, and older brother Tramy stare at Mare. Her mother hugs her and laments how injured she is. Meanwhile, Mare stays quiet rather than reveal how hurt and cold she feels. She’s afraid that if she tells her family about the betrayals she’s suffered and the people she’s killed, they’ll be disgusted and fear her.

Gisa urges Mare to sleep, so their mom tucks Mare into an empty bunk. Safe with her family again, Mare wants to cry, but she holds her tears back. In the middle of the night, her father comes to hold her hand. He whispers to her that he knows “what it does to you” to kill someone. Mare tries to respond to him, but she can’t, and she falls back asleep.

The next morning, Mare wants to start preparing for her search for the newbloods on Julian’s list. Gisa takes her to the mess hall first to eat. On their way, Mare feels the electricity powering the island. Even though it makes her different, Mare treasures her ability above everything else, because it’s power that belongs solely to her. Gisa asks her what her ability feels like. Mare describes it as power and strength.

Outside the barracks, Mare sees foreign-looking soldiers in blue uniforms. They’re Lakelanders, led by the Colonel—the same man with the bloody eye who imprisoned Cal. Farley has been demoted within the Scarlet Guard’s ranks, and now the Colonel is in charge. When Mare asks where Cal is, Gisa says she heard he’s being kept in Barracks 1, but Mare doesn’t see a Barracks 1 on the island.