In the fourteenth chapter of Magic Steps, I’m not okay. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read The Circle Opens.
Trigger Warning: For blood and gore, ableism.
I really should learn that saying, “This turned out so much worse than I thought,†is an exercise in futility because… jesus christ, Tammy’s books consistently destroy me. And somehow? This honestly feels like it’s the most horrifying thing I’ve ever read from her. I know that’s weird to say because THE SKINNERS. And the child soul machine. And all of Beka’s books. And I need to stop now because y’all get it.
But there’s an unbearable horror to what unfolds here. Part of it is because Pierce has spent an entire book showing all of us that Alzena and Nurhar are without a moral molecule in their bodies, and that means that there’s no doubt in the reader’s mind. We know for a fact that they will murder absolutely anyone. There’s no convincing them otherwise because their goal is singular: kill all of the Rokats. In order to achieve that end? Anyone else is collateral damage, simple as that. So when this happened, I instantly felt my stomach drop:
She started for it, but stopped when she felt Nurhar’s hand on her arm. She couldn’t have seen it if he had pointed, so he turned her chin until she saw the corner beside the hearth. A slice of cake hung in midair. Crumbs dropped from it as an invisible mouth took a bite.
I mean… that’s exactly something Pasco would do, no? He’s still a child. He was still learning how to be responsible with his powers, and his decision to hide in Durshan’s kitchen was deeply irresponsible. It is also precisely what a twelve-year-old boy who just discovered he could make himself invisible would do. And that’s so heartbreaking, y’all.
AND I HAD NO IDEA HOW BAD THIS WOULD GET. Because look, Pasco getting captured? An awful fucking situation. I knew that it was possible that he could be killed. How many others had died at the hands of the Dihanurs? Pierce had clearly demonstrated that she was going to be ruthless with this book, so it’s not like this was an impossibility. And then we learn just how depraved Alzena and Nurhar have been this whole time:
Looking at the mage, Sandry realized why she had thought he was sunk into a pool of unmagic that day at Rokat House. He had no legs. His coarse breeches were folded and pinned around stumps that ended at mid-thigh. He clutched the dragonsalt pouch tightly with both hands. He was dark-haired and sallow, terribly thin.
He’s Pasco’s age, thought Sandry in horror. She hadn’t realized that at their first meeting.
A child. These two monsters used a disabled child for their assassination mission. They got a fucking child addicted to dragonsalt so they could wipe out an entire family. I don’t know that there’s ever been anything this fucked up in her books and now I worry that I just guaranteed that something worse will be coming in the future. G R E A T.
And thus, we get the big confrontation between Sandry and the Dihanurs, and it is nothing like I expected. Even though I was worried about Pasco, I didn’t imagine that this would be such an agonizingly slow and calculating scene. Aside from the cuts that Alzena put on Pasco’s body, there’s no violence here. It’s like watching a chess match between two people who are well aware of who has the advantage. The worst part is that Sandry knows exactly what Alzena is capable of, so as she sets out to try and reverse the power dynamic of the situation, she has to be cognizant of every single move she makes:
If she let them go to save Pasco, who else might they kill before they stopped existing? Would they even keep their word not to kill him? They had to like what they did, surely, to do so much of it.
So it’s not like she can expect them to be truthful. She can’t expect them to lay low. They have nothing to lose anyway because death is imminent for them. So she manipulates by feeding right into Alzena’s sense of superiority. She acts as helpless as humanly possible:
“Just – please, don’t hurt Pasco. Please don’t.†If she pleaded, she knew, they would think her weak.
But she’s not weak because she had a secret weapon: she’d tied her own magic to Pasco long ago. I was shocked at the suddenness of her actions, even though I understood that Sandry had to be quick. She had once chance to pull Pasco free of the net before the unmagic swallowed the three others up. And that’s what happens to the boy mage, who is almost instantly turned into unmagic thread as soon as Sandry yanks Pasco free.
And then I’m fucked up forever.
Now the Dihanurs were dragged across the room, their flesh battling the magic’s pull. It bulged between the strands of darkness that were being drawn from them; the unmagic cut into them like silk threads as it twined onto the spindle.
Sandry held Alzena’s eyes with hers. She could see when the woman knew what must happen if this were not stopped.
“Please…†It was Nurhar who asked, not Alzena.
Sandry shook her head.
She refuses. Even though there was a slight chance she could have saved them, I think Sandry, in that moment, realized that it wasn’t worth it. Why work hard to save the lives of two people who have so carelessly regarded other lives? Why save the life of someone who was going to kill Pasco? And why risk it for so little of a return? What sort of justice could be gained from keeping these two alive?
This is not the same Sandry as the one we met in the beginning of The Circle of Magic. And I’m okay with that. I don’t feel like this tarnishes her character, but it certainly makes her more complex. I don’t know how she’ll ever forget an experience like this. (Obviously, I’m also referring to the gory horror that comes after this, which I won’t quote for the sake of those who can’t deal with gore.) How will she change? How will she view the world after something so revolting?
Lord, I’m a mess.
https://youtu.be/DZBmgaXtSf4
The original text contains use of the words “mad†and “crazy.â€
Mark Links Stuff
– The Mark Does Stuff Tour 2015 is now live and includes dates across the U.S., Canada, Europe, the U.K., and Ireland. Check the full list of events on my Tour Dates / Appearances page.
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features for Mark Watches will be the remainder of The Legend of Korra, series 8 of Doctor Who, and Kings. On Mark Reads, Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series will replace the Emelan books.
- Mark Does Stuff is on Facebook! I’ve got a community page up that I’m running. Guaranteed shenanigans!
– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
