House of Earth and Blood
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter Fifty-Six
Overview
Bryce introduces Hunt to her parents over video call, revealing warm but contentious family dynamics. Hunt breaks Bryce's trust by telling her parents about her lingering leg injury from the kristallos attack, suggesting it contains venom that must be treated before her Drop. In a private follow-up call, Ember warns Bryce about powerful Vanir males—drawing on her own traumatic past—and cuts to the heart of Bryce's refusal to heal: she believes Bryce is punishing herself because Danika died, forcing Bryce to confront grief she's been avoiding.
Summary
Bryce video-calls her parents in Nidaros, introducing Hunt to her mother Ember Quinlan and her stepfather Randall Silago. Ember is sharp-eyed and probing, while Randall—a famed sharpshooter and war veteran—recognizes Hunt from a brutal battle at Meridan. Hunt privately recalls serving under Sandriel during that massacre, where he tried to make deaths quick while Pollux tortured captives, and the brawl that followed when Hunt ended Pollux's victims' suffering early. Bryce squeezes his hand under the counter, sensing his pain.
The call proceeds with playful family banter. Ember teases Bryce about cleaning, her Jelly Jubilee dolls, and her job title as "assistant" antiquities dealer. Hunt smooths over why he's staying at Bryce's apartment, citing a joint case between Jesiba and Micah with overcrowded barracks. Bryce deflects her parents' request to visit that weekend, claiming the case requires stealth. Hunt surprises Bryce by defending her competence to Ember, calling her a real asset to the 33rd.
The conversation shifts when Hunt notices Bryce massaging her injured leg under the counter and tells her parents about it, suggesting lingering kristallos venom that could cause centuries of pain if untreated before her Drop. Bryce is furious at being exposed, but her parents back Hunt, urging her to see a medwitch. Bryce slams the laptop shut in anger.
Minutes later, Ember calls Bryce privately on her phone. She demands to know if Bryce's biological father, the Autumn King, is behind the case—Bryce denies it. Ember warns Bryce about the dangers of working with powerful Vanir males, revealing that being around an older Vanir male triggers painful memories from her own past, hinting at the trauma surrounding Bryce's conception. Ember's fear is visceral and personal, rooted in old scars both visible and emotional.
Ember then returns to the leg injury, cutting straight to the emotional core: she accuses Bryce of refusing treatment because she feels she must suffer since Danika died, and asks whether Danika would have wanted Bryce to stop dancing and live in pain. Bryce, shaken and near tears, insists she doesn't want to discuss Danika. Ember, equally emotional, hangs up after promising to arrange a medwitch appointment.
Who Appears
- Bryce QuinlanIntroduces Hunt to her parents; deflects questions about the case and her injured leg; confronted by her mother about grief over Danika.
- Hunt AthalarMeets Bryce's parents; recalls a brutal wartime massacre under Sandriel; exposes Bryce's leg injury to her parents against her wishes.
- Ember QuinlanBryce's sharp, protective human mother who probes Hunt's presence, warns about Vanir males, and confronts Bryce about her refusal to heal.
- Randall SilagoBryce's human stepfather, a war veteran and sharpshooter who recognizes Hunt from the Meridan battle and supports urging Bryce to see a medwitch.