Well, my Cosmere Chickens, this is the week we all knew was coming. Things were going entirely too well for Sarene, and—as the law of fiction entails—that meant that everything needed to come crashing down around her head. However, there’s a light at the end of this dismal tunnel… so won’t you join us as Paige and I dive into this week’s installment of the Elantris Reread?
(Non-)Spoiler warning: This week’s article has no spoilers from other Cosmere works. Read on fearlessly, chickens!
Trigger warnings: Brief mention of child brides in text of chapter, not in this article.
Last time on Elantris: Miracles and Maladies Manifest…
The effects of Hrathen’s poison finally wear off, leaving him “miraculously healed” in Elantris. When he gets himself released (thanks to the men on the guard who he’s paid off), Dilaf is shocked and confused by this new development. Thankfully Dilaf never managed to access Hrathen’s seon while he was “otherwise engaged,” and Hrathen’s got big plans for that last vial of poison…
Meanwhile, back in Elantris, Raoden lets on to his friends that his pain manifests differently from their own. His comes in waves of excruciating agony, impossible to ignore.
Chapter Essentials
POV Character(s): Sarene, Hrathen
Discussion
Chapter 38
Hrathen no longer gave his sermons at the Derethi chapel; there were too many people. Instead he organized meetings on the edge of the city, where he could stand on Kae’s five-foot border wall, his followers sitting at his feet to listen. The gyorn preached with more vibrancy and enthusiasm than he had before—for now, he was a saint.
L: Greeeaaaaaat. /sarcasm
P: Lovely, right? But yeah, I would see the people elevating him personally if it weren’t for his vehement worship of Jaddeth.
“It must have been some kind of trick,” she noted.
“Of course it was, Cousin,” Lukel said, standing beside her. “If we thought otherwise, we might as well join Shu-Dereth.”
P: Leave it to Sarene to be mistrustful of the supposed miracle of Hrathen’s healing.
“Why wouldn’t God bless one of his devout? Religious exclusivism is a Korathi and Derethi addition to Shu-Keseg.”
L: It’s a fair point for Shuden to make. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck… it just might be a miracle.
P: Just might be. If it weren’t for Sarene’s doubts, I wouldn’t put it past any of them to think this a miracle.
The ship’s mast bore the royal crest of Teod—a gold Aon Teo on a blue background.
L: Aon alert! Wow. This one’s really complicated. Impressive that it’s being woven or embroidered onto things!
His face bore the benevolently tolerant smile of one who wanted you to know he was patient with your inferiority.
L: Ugh. How lovely. I despise this guy already.
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P: Their patriarch isn’t particularly likable.
“Pagan murderer or not, Iadon was once my friend,” the duke had said. “He brought stability to this country in a time of need. For that much, he at least deserves a decent burial.”
Omin had requested that they not use the Korathi chapel for the services, so Roial decided to use the king’s throne room instead. The choice made Sarene a little uncomfortable—the throne room was the same place they would hold the wedding.
P: So they’re going to have Iadon’s funeral, see him to the cemetery, and then return to the throne room and marry Sarene to Roial, at which time he’ll claim the throne. Snip-snap, and done. Too bad it won’t happen.
L: This one’s too cute not to use.
“Ten years ago, just after his ascension, King Iadon came to me and made this statement,” … He ordered that I present this to Arelon at his funeral, or fifteen years from the date of its creation, whichever arrived first.”
L: The man’s causing issues even after his death.
P: He was the sort of man to cause issues. On top of being, as Roial put it, a “pagan murderer.”
“‘I order that all titles of noble rank are to be frozen as they stand, to be handed down from generation to generation, father to son, as is commonly done in other nations. Let wealth no longer be the measure of a man’s nobility—those who have held to their rank this long have proven themselves worthy.
L: And there go Sarene and Roial’s plans, gone in a puff of smoke.
“It strengthens our claim—my union with Iadon’s house will be even more creditable.”
L: Or… not. Interesting. I had assumed that Roial’s standing would be frozen, but if he’s right…
P: Exactly, he’s marrying a remaining member of the royal family, who is still a princess. Everything should go off without a hitch. Well… should have…
Please, she added as a close to her simple prayer, just let us be happy.
L: Not that I don’t like Roial, I do, I’m just so frustrated because Raoden is RIGHT THERE! She LITERALLY SPOKE TO HIM! Argh.
P: All she could see was the stain of the Shaod and an Elantrian warlord. She wouldn’t see more than that.
L: Normally I would say that judging a book by its cover is never a good idea, but in this case Raoden was deceiving her, so… I’ll give Sarene a pass just this once.
Seinalan stood beside him, petulant that Sarene hadn’t asked him to officiate. She didn’t really care. Living in Teod, she had always assumed that the patriarch would wed her. Now that she had an opportunity to use a priest she actually liked, she wasn’t going to give in.
L: Amazing. Leave it to Sarene to choose a simple priest over the equivalent of the POPE to officiate her wedding!
P: Heh, I like that the patriarch is petulant. He’s much too young for such a job.
It was odd, Sarene thought, that Hrathen’s face appeared so calm.
L: And in a flash, I remember what happens next. Hrathen, you snake.
P: Yup. Poor Sarene.
After all the waiting, after two near misses, she was truly going to get married. At that thought, both terrifying and vindicating, she raised her veil.
The screaming started immediately.
L: ::sigh:: Oh, poor, poor Sarene. Poor thing just keeps having her dreams dashed. I feel so bad for her… though at least now she’s going to get thrown back in Elantris.
P: And what a simply awful thing for Hrathen to do. I just don’t get it, though. He knows it will wear off in five days. Is he expecting to throne Telrii and convert all of Arelon in five days? Or is converting the king enough to call off Wyrn?
L: I think as long as he gets the king in place, that will be enough. Once the king’s established, he can swear allegiance on behalf of the country to Wyrn and thereby avert the impending invasion. Then they have all the time in the world to slowly convert the masses… or force them to convert under rule of law.
Inexplicable and mysterious, the Shaod had come upon her.
L: ::bounces up and down:: Yes yes yes now GO AND FALL IN LOVE WITH RAODEN ALREADY!
P: Heh… she’ll have to get past her hang-ups with him first.
Chapter 39
Hrathen watched several Korathi priests lead the stunned princess from the quiet room. “Such are the judgments of Holy Jaddeth,” he announced.
P: Ooh, he makes me so mad. What a backhanded way to convince people to follow your god.
L: I mean… on the one hand, I have to applaud a masterful stroke of genius in how to utterly defeat your enemy. If Hrathen were the protagonist of this story, this would have been a stand-up-and-cheer moment. But since we know Sarene as well as we do, it feels all the more bitter and cruel.
Duke Roial sat on the edge of the throne dais, head held between his hands. The young JinDo baron looked as if he wanted to follow the priests and demand Sarene’s release, and the martial Count Eondel was weeping openly. Hrathen was surprised to realize that he took no joy from their sorrow. Princess Sarene’s fall was necessary, but her friends were of no concern…
P: Poor Roial, and Shuden, and Eondel. This is all so ridiculous though, because she’ll be “healed” in less than a week’s time.
L: …and by then everything they’ll have worked for will be lost. Sure, she’ll be back and her miraculous recovery might disrupt things for a few days or even a few months, but once the Wyrn’s faction have got their own king on the throne, their victory is pretty much sealed.
Come to think of it… once they’ve got Telrii on the throne, who’s to say that they won’t just finish what Iadon was about to begin and sweep into Elantris and exterminate all the Elantrians, Sarene included? I wouldn’t put it past Hrathen, especially if he thought that it would ensure his victory.
Why was he bothered that no one had shed tears at his own fall to the Shaod?
L: If only he’d actually take this to heart and realize that having no friends might just mean you’re not a good person…
P: So much this. Hrathen wouldn’t take friends if they threw themselves at him, though, I don’t think.
Roial wouldn’t crown himself now. Not only did he lack the legal right, but his fortune was still less than that of Telrii. Hrathen had checked the wedding contract—this time a death was not the same as a marriage.
L: Not that they could have possibly suspected this, but it still seems like quite an oversight for Roial and company to not include that.
P: Whodathunk that the Shaod would take her. In the middle of the day. Doesn’t it usually happen overnight? You’d think someone would have noticed that.
We’ll be leaving further speculation and discussion to you in the comments, and hope to join you there! Next week, we’ll be back with chapters 40 and 41.
Paige resides in New Mexico, of course. Between work and school and the SA5 beta read, she’s trying to work on book 3 of a YA/Crossover trilogy with just a hint of the supernatural. Links to her other writing are available in her profile.
Lyndsey lives in Connecticut. She makes magic wands for a living and will be helping out Santa Claus this season in Essex, CT. If you enjoy queer protagonists, snarky humor, and don’t mind some salty language, check out book 1 of her fantasy series. Follow her on Facebook or TikTok!
