Glass Sword: Chapter 8 Summary & Analysis

Locked up with Cal in Barracks 1, Mare berates herself for continually falling into the same traps. She trusts, gets betrayed, and escapes one prison only to land in another. Cal blames her for putting faith in the wrong people—first Maven, then Kilorn—and for letting her emotions blind her. Cal and Mare both believe that their care for each other has led them to make mistakes. They agree not to “[m]ake mistakes for each other” anymore. Mare determines to think of Cal as a weapon and nothing more. Yet she feels cold and alone inside her heart.

Mare is glad that she’s far away from Maven. Thinking of Maven is painful, but she can’t drive away her memories of him and the Bowl of Bones, the arena where she was almost executed. To distract herself, she talks to Cal about the Silent Stone in their cell. Mare speculates that it was smuggled to Tuck from territories outside of Norta, just like the Colonel and his soldiers were somehow able to travel from the Lakelands to Tuck. Cal says that should be impossible unless the Scarlet Guard can fly, and Mare realizes the Guard must have their own aircraft. This revelation cheers them both up; the Scarlet Guard seems like a formidable foe for Maven.

Mare also informs Cal that, according to the Colonel, Julian is alive and working with Maven. Since the Colonel doesn’t trust Julian, a Silver, he doesn’t trust Julian’s list of newbloods either. Cal says that Maven will hunt and kill all the newbloods, because if people learn about their existence, Maven’s power as the new king will be destabilized. Mare wants Cal to help her locate and rescue the newbloods.

The Colonel enters the hallway outside Mare and Cal’s cell, accompanied by Lakelander soldiers and Kilorn. At the Colonel’s command, his bodyguards bring forward Farley, and Kilorn sedates her with a drug from a syringe. Mare is distressed to see Kilorn helping the Colonel. Farley falls unconscious, and the guards lock her in another cell. Then the Colonel and Kilorn step inside Mare and Cal’s cell. Mare imagines fighting the Colonel and Kilorn but doesn’t move.

The Colonel tells Mare and Cal that Maven has offered a trade. In return for Cal, Maven will raise the age of conscription from 15 back to 18. The Colonel wants to save the lives of thousands of Red children, so he’s willing to agree to the bargain. But Mare doesn’t trust Maven to uphold this deal. She’s also unwilling to give up Cal, because she feels she needs him. When Cal threatens the Colonel, the Colonel is frightened, but he maintains that Cal will be leaving tonight.

As for Mare’s fate, Kilorn says she’ll be safe but guarded, although Mare suspects the Colonel would rather have her killed. She asks if the Colonel plans to put all newbloods, including Shade, into cages. The Colonel merely replies that Shade is a good soldier and praises Kilorn. Mare wonders if Kilorn, an orphan, is enjoying the Colonel’s paternal approval.

Kilorn suddenly stabs a syringe into the Colonel, and Cal knocks the Colonel unconscious. Mare punches Kilorn, then hugs him. Kilorn explains that he planned to help Mare and Cal all along, and that Mare should’ve trusted him. Shade teleports into the hallway, takes out the guards, and frees Mare, Cal, and Farley from their cells. Shade prepares to teleport them all away, and Mare resolves to trust in abilities, even if she can’t trust in any people.