Heartless Hunter

Rune casts a weak mirage spell to create the illusion of her as an elderly peddler with a mule carrying goods. She visits a cottage in the forest she believes is home to Seraphine Oakes—her grandmother’s oldest friend and a powerful witch who has been in exile for nearly two decades.

Two years ago, Rune was forced to turn her grandmother in as a witch to the Republic of the Red Peace to avoid punishment. They had planned to escape together, but after getting a warning from Rune’s best friend, Alex Sharpe, that the Blood Guard was aware of the escape plan, Rune turned her in, and she was executed. Rune continues to live with the guilt and shame. Since her grandmother’s execution, society views Rune as the ultimate loyalist and a fellow witch hater for betraying her own family. Since that night, Rune has assumed the role of the Crimson Moth—an infamous witch known for freeing countless witches from imprisonment and execution. Rune finds the cottage empty and the door painted with an “X” in blood—a declaration that the premises harbored a witch who has since been taken into custody by the Blood Guard.

Rune rides her Nan’s horse, Lady, back to the capital. The timing of Seraphine’s capture aligns with Rune’s discovery of her whereabouts after all his time. This leads Rune to believe someone suspects her true identity as a witch and closely monitors her.

Rune arrives late to the opera house where she plans to gather gossip from her elite peers and potentially discover where Seraphine has been taken. Rune is highly sought-after for her considerable wealth but has yet to choose a suitor despite a list of potential suitors made by her friend, Verity de Wilde. At the opera, a witch hunter and fellow peer named Laila Creed expresses suspicion that Rune is the Crimson Moth but is dissuaded of the notion by Verity and Alex—both of whom help Rune’s alter-ego free witches from custody on a nightly basis. Rune’s false persona as a vapid socialite is enough to convince everyone that the Crimson Moth couldn’t possibly be her.

When Laila’s brother, Noah Creed, mentions that Alex’s elder brother, Gideon Sharpe, brought in a witch earlier this evening, Rune’s interest sharpens. Though Alex is Rune’s closest friend, she hates Gideon, who is a “ruthless, bloodthirsty witch hunter who’d sent more of Rune’s kind to the purge than any other member of the guard” and assassinated the Sister Queens two years prior (20).

Gideon showers the blood from his skin after capturing Seraphine Oaks with the Blood Guard. Though Gideon hates witches more than anyone, he is still disturbed by the abuse exercised on Seraphine earlier in the night. Gideon looks at the brand seared into his left pectoral—“a rose with knifelike thorns half enclosed inside a crescent moon”—with disdain (22). Gideon recalls the traumatic night Cressida Roseblood, the youngest Sister Queen, branded him. Cressida pinned Gideon against a wall with a spell to make him unable to stop her from searing his flesh. All of the Sister Queens, including Cressida, are dead, Gideon continues to be plagued by nightmares of the past and the physical reminder of the violence and abuse he experienced.

Gideon arrives at the opera where he plans to meet with his informant, Harrow, who informed him of Seraphine’s location and now claims to have a lead on the Crimson Moth. Capturing the Crimson Moth is Gideon’s priority, as he believes she is linked to the mutilated bodies of Blood Guard officers that have been appearing around the city shortly before witches miraculously escape imprisonment.

Alex pulls Rune to a shadowed alcove where they discuss her latest mission. Rune reveals that Gideon supposedly got to Seraphine before Rune did. This discovery places them in a precarious position; while Alex does everything he can to aid Rune, he won’t betray his brother to do so or vice versa. If Rune hopes to find and save Seraphine, she must do so on her own. Rune is aware that Alex killed Cressida on Gideon’s behalf but doesn’t know the full story. Alex warns Rune not to cast magic around Gideon, for he can smell the distinct tang of magic. The end-of-intermission bells interrupt their conversation, and when Rune steps out of the alcove, she collides with Gideon himself.

Their mutual disdain is apparent in their ensuing interaction. It is clear Gideon views Rune as nothing more than a vapid socialite. When Gideon departs for his VIP box reserved for members of the Blood Guard, Rune follows despite Alex’s protests.

Rune shocks Gideon by sitting beside him for the second act. She continues playing the fool he believes her to be. When he insults Rune while refusing an invite to her after-party, she wittily retorts, which piques his curiosity. Harrow’s arrival interrupts their conversation, and Gideon promptly leaves with the other woman.

At the Crow’s Nest tavern with Harrow, Gideon is distracted by thoughts of how such beauty is wasted on a woman as shallow as Rune. The distance Gideon has put between himself and Rune is partially due to his distaste for her vapid personality. However, much of the decision is due to the “way his brother looked at her, […] how his voice softened on her name” (43). Alex’s clear infatuation with Rune is something Gideon respects despite not understanding her appeal.

Harrow informs Gideon that the twin girls who escaped imprisonment three weeks ago with the help of the Crimson Moth were presumed to have boarded a cargo ship and disguised themselves as cargo until they docked in Harbor Grace. A signature—the lasting mark left behind wherever a witch casts magic—was discovered on the cargo ship at the harbor. Harrow reveals the ship belongs to Rune Winters.

Gideon doesn’t believe Rune is smart enough to be involved, let alone be the Crimson Moth, but Harrow urges him to investigate the socialite further. When he mentions the difficulties he’ll face in befriending Rune suddenly without garnering her suspicion, Harrow suggests he try courting her. Gideon agrees to do so, for if Rune is truly the Crimson Moth, then her friendship with Alex puts Gideon’s younger brother in extreme danger. Meanwhile, Harrow plans to continue watching the docks.

At her home, Wintersea House, Rune works with Verity to concoct a Truth Teller spell in her Nan’s casting room. To cast magic without scarring her body, Rune must either use the blood from her menstrual cycles or the blood of others—such as Verity’s. Doing so is unnatural and often has painful consequences; the spells are also weaker. Rune writes the Truth Teller symbol in blood on the bottom of a cup she intends to later use to pry the truth about Seraphine from one of the Blood Guards in attendance at her after-party. She entrusts the sole member of her house staff, Lizbeth, with delivering the cup to her later upon request.

Verity convinces Rune to consider Noah Creed and Bartholomew Wentholt as marriage prospects. Rune plans to spend the evening assessing the men’s potential advantages to her Crimson Moth agenda before deciding. Verity tells Rune of the mimic spider that feigns weakness, summons rodents looking for an easy kill, and then traps and eats them. She urges Rune to act like a mimic spider this evening.

At the part, Rune is unimpressed with Bart. His vanity is an advantage, as he will likely be too distracted by himself to notice her comings and goings if they were to marry. However, Rune loses all interest in him when she learns that his only connection to the Blood Guard, his mother, has been honorably discharged from service due to a recent injury. Gideon’s arrival interrupts Rune’s pursuit of Noah. Gideon apologizes to Rune for his rudeness at the opera and offers her a hand-sewn fabric rose, which he helps put in her hair. His sudden interest in Rune sparks an idea: Gideon might make an advantageous, albeit risky, suitor.

Gideon is self-conscious about his attendance at Rune’s party and feels inadequate amongst the elite. He has flashbacks to another party with Cressida where he’d been “paraded around and humiliated” (65). The fiddle music also reminds him of his little sister, Tessa, who loved to dance around the palace kitchens in the evenings before she died at the hands of a witch.

Rune offers Gideon her last dance, but when it becomes clear he doesn’t know how, Rune offers him a tour of the house instead. Alex halts them on the staircase, hoping for a dance with Rune instead, but Rune brushes him aside.

Rune believes Gideon’s newfound interest in her is a ploy to investigate her rather than genuine. Despite this, she plans to extract information on Seraphine from him by feeding him the truth spell. To facilitate conversation, Rune apologizes for her nosy guests who’ve been studying Gideon since his arrival and enquires about his unique suit. Gideon immediately becomes defensive, believing she’s belittling him, but Rune’s apology and admiration of his suit are genuine. Gideon admits that the suit was made by his father and is rare. His parents, the Sharpe Duet, were tailors who made very few garments before they were employed by the Sister Queens; after becoming royal tailors, they created for the Roseblood family only. Therefore, Gideon’s suit is extremely expensive and likely the envy of all the elite.

Rune brings Gideon to Alex’s favorite room of the house—a large library that houses a grand piano. Gideon is drawn to the piano, as Alex is a talented pianist who received an acceptance letter from the Royal Conservatory, a prestigious school on the mainland with a competitive music program. Alex studied there for a few years but withdrew during the revolution. Gideon mentions his family briefly, which even Alex rarely speaks to Rune about. All she knows is the gossip—that their younger sister succumbed to sickness and, shortly after, their parents died in an unfortunate swimming accident that left Gideon and Alex as orphans. Not long after that, Alex and Gideon killed the Sister Queens in their sleep. Rune only met one Sister Queen once—Cressida, who was rumored to have a lowborn lover. Rune wonders if all these incidents are connected. Rumor has it that no one knows where the Sister Queen’s bodies rest, either.

Gideon begins inspecting the books for tomes on witchcraft. He finds none. He picks up a play from the shelf that happens to be Rune’s favorite. Rune invites him to peruse her bedroom and tugs the bellpull to summon Lizbeth with the Truth Teller cup.

Rune brings Gideon to her bedroom—“her favorite place. Her safest place” (80)—where she attempts to drug him with the Truth Teller wine. When he rejects it, Rune sets down the spelled glass and attempts to drink from her own. Gideon questions the act, and Rune drinks from the spelled glass to ease his suspicion.

Rune receives a telegram from Lizbeth inviting Rune to next week’s Luminaries Dinner as an honored guest of The Ministry of Public Safety. They expect her to prepare a speech lauding the Republic for its actions against witch-kind. When Gideon asks why she isn’t excited about the offer, the truth spell forces Rune to admit a partial truth. She bemoans not having a dress to wear on such short notice and mentions her unwillingness to speak in depth about her Nan. When Gideon’s attention turns to the portrait on Rune’s bedroom wall of her as a child on her grandmother’s lap, she lies about the painting she cherishes. She calls it a reminder that “evil lurks where we least expect it” (88). Gideon calls her a cute child but says he wouldn’t use the same adjective to describe Rune now. The moment turns heated, and when Gideon brushes a hand up her arm and leans in for a kiss, Rune loses control of the situation, charmed by Gideon’s prowess.

Rune purposefully spills wine on Gideon’s suit jacket to dispel the romantic tension and regain control over the situation. When Verity, who has come to check in on Rune, discovers them together, Gideon escapes from the party. Verity expresses her disapproval of Rune choosing Gideon as a potential suitor because the danger of the risk far outweighs its potential benefits. Alex agrees with Verity’s assessment and urges Rune to not pursue Gideon. Rather than return downstairs as hostess, Rune falls asleep in the safety of Alex’s presence.