Chapter Twenty-One: The Belts. Innamin. Not a Spotch of Gray. Dungeon Days.
Contains spoilersOverview
Charlie witnesses the Belts, where gray citizens are enslaved to power Lilimar, deepening his resolve against the Flight Killer. In the cells, lore ties immunity from the gray to Gallien blood, and Jaya reveals the Flight Killer is Elden. Pursey’s warning exposes Charlie’s seemingly royal features. The thirty-one are led to playtime, still lacking a thirty-second—possibly Red Molly.
Summary
Aaron marches Charlie below even Deep Maleen to the Belts, where gray men and women, noosed to treadmills, power a shaking generator while night soldiers oversee and drum the pace. Sickened and enraged by the cruelty, Charlie is whipped again and returned to his cell.
Pursey distributes foul liniment; Charlie tends Hamey’s injuries. Dungeon life blurs in gaslight and meager meals. From talk with Hamey, Charlie learns “whole” people lack the gray because of Gallien blood spread long ago. Jaya quietly identifies the Flight Killer as Elden of the Gallien, which Charlie links to Leah’s beloved brother.
Charlie reconstructs a possible history: the Gallien fall, Elden’s descent to the Dark Well, and a return as the Flight Killer—perhaps guided or possessed by a terrible god Mr. Bowditch once hinted at. Sky has vanished beneath clouds; Empis feels cursed and collapsing.
Among prisoners, Eye bullies and boasts of an imminent Fair One that requires thirty-two; if none arrives, Red Molly—Hana’s large daughter from Cratchy—will fill the slot. Superstitions surface over an old rhyme, and Dommy’s cough worsens, underscoring their bleak prospects.
Breakfast sausage signals playtime. Pursey secretly warns Charlie not to wash his hair. When Hamey scrubs away dirt, Charlie’s hair shows blond and his eyes hazel, hinting royal lineage; Hamey wonders if he’s the true prince. Night soldiers open the cells. Thirty-one prisoners form double lines, crackling with the soldiers’ electricity. Charlie’s speech turns oddly formal as he orders Eye to stop hassling Hamey, and they march toward playtime.
Who Appears
- Charlie Reade
Prisoner in Deep Maleen; sees the Belts; learns Elden is the Flight Killer; revealed blond hair and hazel eyes suggest royal lineage.
- Hamey
Charlie’s cellmate; battered by playtime; explains Gallien blood and whole status; discovers Charlie’s blond hair; wonders if he’s a true prince.
- Iota (Eye)
Dominant prisoner and trash-talker; anticipates the Fair One; bullies Hamey until Charlie rebukes him.
- Pursey
Trustee/warder; brings liniment and food; secretly warns Charlie not to wash his hair, leading to the royal reveal.
- Aaron
Night soldier who escorts Charlie to the Belts and whips him; emblem of the regime’s brutality.
- Jaya
Fellow prisoner; confirms the Flight Killer’s true identity as Elden of the Gallien.
- Elden (the Flight Killer)
Offstage ruler revealed to be Elden of the Gallien; likely transformed by the Dark Well.
- Red Molly
Hana’s large daughter from Cratchy; may be used to complete thirty-two for the Fair One.
- Hana
Giant guardian of the sundial; mother of Red Molly; offstage presence shaping threats ahead.
- Fremmy
Prisoner; part of a crude comic duo with Stooks; fears Red Molly.
- Stooks
Prisoner; Fremmy’s sidekick; bruised from playtime; alarmed by talk of Red Molly.
- Dommy
Sickly prisoner with a worsening cough, highlighting dungeon misery.
- Black Tom
Prisoner with a fine voice; sings a grim Red Riding Hood ballad.
- Ammit
Prisoner who describes Red Molly and mentions Cratchy, the land of giants.
- Jackah
Prisoner and riddle-teller; answers Ammit’s candle riddle.
- Bernd
Oldest prisoner; offers dry commentary during Charlie’s exercises.