Resumen:El aliento de los dioses

Warbreaker Chapter Summaries

Prologue

Vasher gets thrown in the God King’s dungeons for striking a priest in a bar. He Awakens a figure he makes from the straw in his cell and Commands it to fetch keys. He uses the keys to escape from his cell while the guards are distracted by his sword, Nightblood. Vasher goes deeper into the dungeons, finding an emaciated Vahr, evidently the leader of a rebellion, bound and dangling in his cell. After some convincing, Vahr gives Vasher his trove of Breaths to prevent them from being used by his enemies, the Hallandren. Vasher kills Vahr with an Awakened scarf to save him from more torture, grabs his sword, and flees.

Chapter 1

Siri, the youngest princess of Idris, considers her rather unimportant position in the Idrian royal family. She walks in from the countryside to Bevalis, the Idrian capital. She is trailed by children, who are fascinated by the flower she carries because it is a breach of the normal drabness maintained by Idrian followers of Austre. Siri talks to her friend, Mab the cook, about how she is tired of the Idrian traditions of austerity.

Meanwhile, King Dedelin discusses the possibility of a disastrous war with Hallandren with General Yarda. Yarda convinces the Dedelin that they could keep the Hallandren at bay for longer if they kept the treaty, which entails sending an Idrian princess to marry the Hallandren God King. King Dedelin cannot stand the thought of sending his oldest, most beloved daughter Vivenna to marry the monstrous God King to bear him a child. Since the treaty does not specify which princess, at the last moment Dedelin sends Siri instead of Vivenna, who has been trained since birth for life with the God King.

Chapter 2

Siri sits in the carriage taking her to Hallandren, terrified and confused at the last minute switch that means that she must wed the God King.

In Idris, Vivenna begs her father to reconsider his decision and send her as he originally planned. She feels suddenly bereft of purpose, now that her sister is marrying the God King in her stead. Her father argues that he has done what is best for Idris, because in the event of war, the Hallandren could have used Vivenna as a more effective bargaining chip than Siri.

Siri becomes enraged at her father’s decision, shouting at her honor guard. She wishes Vivenna were in her stead, because she is sure her relative political experience would make her a better representative of Idris in Hallandren. She decides that she will send her honor guard back to Idris, as they would be adrift in Hallandren.

Vivenna and the middle princess, Fafen, discuss their father’s decision to send Siri while picking blackberries. Vivenna begins to get an idea to help Siri.

Chapter 3

Lightsong, one of the Returned in the Court of Gods in Hallandren, considers the fact that he cannot remember his life and heroic death before being Returned and rolls out of bed. He is surrounded by servants, who as always attend to his every need. He recounts his dream of a boat on a red ocean to his priests, who records it as prophecy. Lightsong teases his high priest, Llarimar, calling him “Scoot” and asking for the details of his past life that he is forbidden.

He receives a Breath from a child, which will allow him to live another week. Then he judges the poetic and artistic offerings to him, when he is informed of the arrival of the God King’s new wife.

Chapter 4

Siri arrives in T’Telir, the capital of Hallandren. She is greeted by a field of forty thousand Lifeless soldiers, and is overwhelmed by the huge, colorful, tropical city so different from her humble mountain town. Treledees, high priest of the God King, welcomes Siri to the Court of Gods. Siri is told that there will be no wedding cermony, and is brought to the God King’s dark, pyramidal castle.

Chapter 5

Vasher stands atop the wall surrounding the Court of Gods and realizes that the fact that the Idrians actually sent Siri complicates his plans. He meets clandestinely with a priest, Bebid, from the Court of Gods in a restaurant. Bebid informs Vasher of a faction among the Court pushing Hallandren to war with Idris. Vasher leaves and retrieves Nightblood from a dead cutpurse who stole it.

Lightsong watches the new Queen arrive from his patio. asking information about her. He discusses her possible effects on Court politics with Llarimar, and insists that he have more wine, although as a god he is immune to drunkenness.

Chapter 6

Siri is led by servants into the palace. They take her to a bathing chamber, where they scrub her clean. She becomes embarrassed at the appearance of a man, Bluefingers, the head scribe and steward of the Court of Gods. He informs her of the rules of her new life, stressing that she may not speak to the God King lest he order her executed. She is given makeup, a medical examination, and a magnificent gown, which she accepts, thinking that ironically, it will be stripped off given a few minutes. Bluefingers leads her to the God King’s sleeping chamber, where she enters with utmost trepidation.

Chapter 7

Remembering Bluefingers’ instructions and warnings, Siri removes her dress and underthings and bows naked before the God King’s bed. She waits for him to call for her, not daring to make a noise and wondering if he judges her inadequate or not beautiful enough.

Lightsong watches the celebration of the God King’s union, bored with the luxuries and the fireworks. Blushweaver, another goddess, comes to greet him. They talk and flirt, but Lightsong rebuffs her advances. They discuss politics, with Blushweaver in favor of the war and curious as to Lightsong’s opinion of the new queen.

Chapter 8

Siri bathes in the relief of having survived the night untouched and unexecuted. She climbs into the unoccupied bed and goes to sleep.

Hours later, she awakes and burns her sheets, as is her duty as the Vessel. Exiting the bedchamber, she is confronted by a group of servants offering many choices of gowns. Somewhat overwhelmed by extravagance, she chooses one and is primped for the day. She asks Bluefingers what her daily duties are, and he tells her she has none other than staying within the palace. He offers entertainments, but she wants to be free from the palace to go explore or horseback riding. He firmly denies this request. Siri sets off to explore the palace.

Chapter 9

Vivenna arrives in T’Tellir. Parlin, her friend, goes ahead to scout the area. She arrives in a restaurant, and Parlin leaves because he doesn’t like the enclosed feeling of the restaurant and wants to explore T’Telir more. Instead of the Idrian spy, Lemex, that she had planned to meet with, two mercenaries, Denth and Tonk Fah arrive and after a bit of joking, announce that they are there to kill her.

Chapter 10

The two mercenaries burst out laughing, and tell Vivenna they are joking. They inform Vivenna that Lemex is ill with fevers, and give her a letter written in his hand. The mercenaries eat Vivenna’s seafood and lead her to Lemex’s house.

Vivenna, Parlin, and the mercenaries arrive at Lemex’s house where he is laying deliriously ill, in the care of a nurse. Vivenna excuses the nurse, and asks Lemex for any information that could help her, like how to access the Idrian spy network. Lemex, however, refuses, thinking he is being tortured. Lemex confesses that he has acquired a lot of BioChromatic Breath. He insists that he give it to someone before he dies, and Denth and Tonk Fah refuse to take it. The mercenaries manipulate Vivenna into taking the Breath despite her moral objections, because it would be worth enough sold to buy her whatever resources she would need to help her sister. Lemex gives his Breath to her, and she is amazed at the new life and color awareness it gives her.

Chapter 11

Siri begs Treledees to let her leave the palace after the days she has spent trapped inside. He is deeply offended, because her period of isolation is the least she can do to honor the God King. She orders dinner, is scrubbed and primped, and once again brought to the bedchamber of the God King. At the door, Bluefingers gives her a cryptic warning to be careful, but when Siri presses him for more information, he does not tell her anything.

Kneeling naked on the floor, Siri contemplates her options and becomes completely frustrated. Finally, she shouts at the God King to just “get on with it!” Immediately embarrassed and fearful of punishment, she ducks back into a kneel but soon lifts her head to look the God King in the eye. At the usual time of his departure, he gets up and leaves. She crawls into bed, relieved and unpunished.