World Encyclopedia: History and symbols
The Thorn Wreath
The symbol on the seal of Chris' letter: a sword through a stone, a dagger laid across it and a wreath of thorn.
The first thing Chris notices about his letter from Déynáir is the seal. It is made of black wax, and pressed into it is a sword thrust through a stone, with a dagger lying across the sword so that the two form a cross. Around them runs a wreath of thorn.
The wax is so fresh that there is still a fingerprint in it.
A symbol that keeps returning
Chris doesn’t know what the symbol means, and early in the book nobody bothers to explain it to him. But it turns up again in several places, and each time it is closer to his own story. Where and when is hidden in the closed sections below.
Spoiler (revealed in chapter 5)
When Chris opens his safe-deposit box at Hitlaro Bank, a shield bearing that very symbol hangs on the wall.
Spoiler (revealed in chapter 10)
During the island test, Chris briefly ends up in a cave where the symbol is carved into the wall. The stone is warm where the sign is.
Spoiler (revealed in chapter 12)
In history class, Chris finds the symbol in the margin of his book. It is the seal of Section XIII from the Time of War, used to mark places that were to be protected.
Chapters to read
- Chapter 1: The Boy Without a Surname
- Chapter 5: The City on the Other Side
- Chapter 10: Defluo
- Chapter 12: First Days