Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

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Chapter 16 Summary

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That night, a frantic Prince Kai dashes through the halls of the palace. He arrives too late at the quarters where his father has been quarantined. The emperor is already dead. In his grief, Kai blames himself for not being by the emperor's side at the final moment.

Kai wants to be alone to grieve, but Torin says that they need to call a press conference and announce the emperor’s death to the country. Hearing this, Kai realizes that he has not only lost a father; he has also gained an enormous responsibility. Now that the emperor is dead, Kai is the sole leader of a whole country.

This realization is reinforced moments later when Queen Levana calls. Neither Kai nor Torin is sure how she knows about the emperor’s death so soon, but they suspect that someone from the Lunar court is spying on them. In spite of the circumstances, Kai knows he must accept the call.

Queen Levana appears on Kai’s screen wearing a whitish veil over her face. She has always claimed that Earthens are not worthy of seeing her beauty, but Kai has heard that the queen is unable to manipulate other people’s brainwaves via camera. She needs to use her manipulative powers to make herself seem beautiful, and she cannot abide the idea of anyone seeing her as she really is.

Nervously, Kai greets Queen Levana, who offers brief and insincere condolences on the death of his father. Then she announces that she intends to come to Earth tomorrow to speak with him about a possible peace treaty. She says that he need not interrupt his mourning to prepare the palace for her arrival; Sybil Mira will take care of everything.

Throughout this call, Queen Levana speaks without pause. Kai has no time to respond. As soon as she finishes speaking, she hangs up on him.

Kai is outraged that Queen Levana is making a power play in response to his father’s death. He suspects that she thinks he is weak and easy to manipulate, just because he is young. He asks Torin if it would be all right to refuse her the right to visit, but Torin says they need to court peace, no matter how inconvenient the Lunar queen's demands may be.

Thinking back on the call, Kai asks how the Lunars will prepare the palace for Queen Levana’s arrival. Torin says that the Lunars will probably remove the mirrors from the guest wing. Mirrors, like cameras, upset Queen Levana because they fail to portray her mysterious illusions. Kai shudders at the idea of Lunars using their mysterious powers here, on Earth, in his own home. And he is not the only one who is likely to react this way. “The people aren’t going to like this,” he says. Torin agrees, but there is nothing to be done about it.

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Chapter 17 Summary