Red Queen: Chapter 27 Summary & Analysis

Mare and Cal sit in dark cells back to back, both contemplating Maven’s betrayal and the depth of their former trust in him. Cal talks about the great traitors who have been imprisoned in this cell before. He realizes he will now be counted among them. Cal tells Mare that he was almost a traitor: he almost chose her this morning.

Cal and Mare speculate as to how the king (Maven) will have them executed. Cal is not sure what the method will be, but he is sure that it will hurt and that it will be slow. Mare hopes that she will bleed so the world can see that she is a Red. Cal does not think that will change anything—Maven and Elara will simply explain it with another lie.

Mare tells Cal that there are more like her, and that she foolishly gave the list to Maven. She laments that Maven used her. Cal looks at Mare through the bars and demands, angrily, how it feels to be used. Mare reflects that she was stupid for thinking she was using both Cal and Maven. She apologizes to Cal, telling him that she never wanted to hurt him. “It wasn’t all a lie,” she says quietly.

Cal lets his head thud against the bars but does not seem to notice the pain. Mare asks if Cal thinks Maven will kill her parents. She is glad that Shade is dead, because Maven will not be able to hurt him. Mare knows that Cal is lying to her out of human sympathy when he says that Maven has more important things to think about. Cal is quiet while Mare cries about everyone she has endangered. She is glad that she has her earrings with her until the end.

After a while, Maven appears outside the bars. He has taken Tiberias’s medals and “stands with the air of a terrible king.” Mare notices that he looks better rested now that he has participated in the murder of his father. Cal asks Maven if he will be Cal’s opponent in the arena for his execution. Maven admits that he could never best Cal in terms of ability, but he revels in the fact that he has out-schemed Cal, finally managing to step out of his older brother’s shadow.

Maven accuses Cal of taking “everything” from him, including Mare. Mare stands to tell Maven that, “I was never yours, and you were never mine, Maven.” She tells him that she once thought he was better than Cal. Mare realizes that Maven never thought he would hear those words. However, she also knows that the boy she thought she knew does not exist.

Maven grabs Mare and pleads with her to let him save her. She accuses him of betraying a father and brother who loved him. Mare says that she is about to die because she loved Maven. Maven insists that he is king, and that Mare will live or die according to his wishes. Mare calls Maven a liar, uses her sheer physical strength to ram him into the bars of her cell, and tells him that she will never make the mistake of loving him again. Maven demands to know whether Mare has chosen Cal. She realizes that the entire tragedy is over jealous sibling rivalry.

Mare explains to Maven that because she, Cal, and Maven have all betrayed one another in countless ways, she chooses no one. Maven stumbles back, and Mare feels powerful for once. She asks Maven how he will explain her Red blood to the kingdom. He insists that the truth is what he makes of it. He will kill anyone who questions his story. Some, including Mare’s maids, have already been killed. Lucas is next: Maven lied when he told Mare that Lucas was safe. Maven promises that Mare will witness his execution. She will not be able to witness Julian’s execution, though, because it has already taken place.

Maven promises to make Mare watch the execution of every person on the list of those who are both Red and Silver. “I am the king and you could’ve been my Red queen,” Maven says. “Now you are nothing.” Mare says goodbye to Maven and spits in his eye. Mare and Cal settle back down in silence, reflecting on the tragedy that has unfolded.

Sentinels fetch Mare and Cal from the cells, bringing them up to the arena where they will be executed. Mare knows that it is difficult for Cal to have his own men believe that he has killed his father. Arena attendants dress Mare in rags. This is more pageantry for the crowd, Mare understands. “A Red girl in rags,” she reflects, “is easier for them to understand, and to kill.” When Mare emerges, she sees that Cal, too, has been dressed in rags. However, they are told that Cal will be allowed use of his power over fire in order to die with glory. Mare will be allowed nothing. She realizes that they are going to pretend that her powers were somehow faked all along.

Despite all the betrayal between them, Cal promises to protect Mare as long as he can. They walk up to the arena entrance, and Mare sees that Lucas, too, is waiting to die. Mare tries to apologize to him for using him. Lucas tells her to stop, because he does not believe that she is sincere. Mare realizes that she would use Lucas again to help her friends.

Mare hears Maven enter the arena and address the crowd. He sounds like a monster. He promises that he is not weak, and that he will punish those responsible for his father’s death. Mare and Cal follow Lucas into the arena. The crowd, entirely composed of Silvers, is jeering. This is entertainment to them. Video screens show that the event is being broadcast. The screens flicker and begin playing back footage of Mare and Cal dancing, kissing, and talking privately. Maven makes it seem as though Mare and Cal plotted the murder and the terrorist attacks. He sentences them both to death.

Mare and Cal face their five executioners. Mare knows all their abilities. Among them are Evangeline and her brother, staring them down. Mare realizes she has very little time left alive. “Let them die,” Maven says from above.