“ | He seemed more wet than wise, and certainly didn’t look powerful beyond the dreams of men. | ” |
The Wide and Barren North is the sixth chapter in The Blade Itself.
Chapter Summary[]
Logen Ninefingers is camped on the dreary moors, where the spirits indicated the Magus would find him. Having left the forested areas where food was plentiful, he bemoans his wretched situation. However, soon he's found by Malacus Quai, an awkward, gaunt, sickly, and unimpressive-looking young man with no staff.1 He explains that he is the apprentice of Bayaz, First of the Magi, the first of Juvens' twelve apprentices. Bayaz has sent him to find Logen and bring him to the Great Northern Library. Agreeing to accompany Malacus, Logen inhales the "sprite" of his campfire, and holds it under his tongue to light another fire later2.
As the pair journey south, Malacus relates some of his personal history, he comes from the Old Empire to the west, where he studied with the Magus Zacharus, fifth of Juvens' apprentices, before joining Bayaz in order to earn his staff. He also begins to fall sick from the hardship of his difficult journey. Then suddenly, three bandits confront the pair, intend on robbing them. Logen springs into reluctant action and kills the trio and a fourth hidden assailant; he uses the fire sprite under his tongue to light one on fire. With the fighting over, Logen’s only interest is taking the better boots from one of his antagonists.
Characters[]
Introduced | Appeared | Mentioned |
---|---|---|
Malacus Quai | Logen Ninefingers | Bayaz |
Magus Zacharus | ||
Juvens |
Locations and Terms[]
The North | Spirits | Order of the Magi | Great Northern Library | The Old Empire |
References[]
- With Quai there some classic examples of Abercrombie upsetting tropes, and then reconfirming them like "Shouldn’t you have a staff?"
- Logen inhaling the "spirit of a fire" is literally never used or even mentioned again. When asked about it, Abercrombie said, "I think when I first wrote the books I'd imagine there being more of a mystical element but as time went on its just something that naturally faded. Probably I should've pruned that out for consistency, but it was cool, so I left it."