Cinder

by Marissa Meyer

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Chapter 37 Summary

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Cinder sits alone in a brightly lit jail cell. For some reason, she keeps reliving the moment when she first met Kai, the way he smiled at her on that first day in the market. She tries not to think about anything that happened after that. Now that she is going to be executed, there seems little point in worrying about the grief, embarrassment, and betrayals she has experienced over the last few days.

Outside the cell door, there is a commotion. Cinder perks up, thinking that Emperor Kai may be coming to visit her. However, it is only Dr. Erland. The guards tell him that he needs a special permission to enter, but he refuses to leave. He uses his Lunar glamour to brainwash them and allow him inside.

When Dr. Erland comes in, he gasps at Cinder. He closes his eyes for a moment, clearly forcing himself to withhold his surprise, and then he says that she needs to learn to control her glamour. This confuses Cinder, who is not aware that she is using her Lunar powers.

When Cinder asks, Dr. Erland says that Kai is feeling confused, but he is turning into a good ruler. Obviously he has feelings for Cinder and wanted to keep her safe, but he sacrificed his own desires to spare his country from war. This could not have been easy, but it was the right thing to do.

Opening his bag, Dr. Erland produces a state-of-the-art cybernetic hand and foot. He explains that he had them sized perfectly for Cinder. They will make excellent replacements for her lost foot and for her current hand, which was damaged in the confrontation with Queen Levana. Gleefully, he shows her some of the hand’s special attachments: a knife, a screwdriver, a tranquilizer gun, and several other useful add-ons. Cinder thanks him but points out that such features will not be necessary. Within a day or two, she will be dead.

Regarding Cinder seriously, Dr. Erland says that she must escape and flee with him to Africa, where there is a small community of Lunar fugitives. This sounds crazy to Cinder, who points out that her escape would lead Queen Levana to take revenge on the entire planet. “I am not worth starting a war over,” she says.

Dr. Erland replies that Cinder is wrong. He has analyzed her DNA and obtained some information about her bloodline. She is the one person who could possibly take control of Luna if Queen Levana were deposed, and as such, she is perhaps the only person in the world worth starting a war over. As Cinder stares at him, bewildered, he says, “My dear girl, you are Princess Selene.”

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Chapter 38 Summary