An Ember in the Ashes

Elias is the other protagonist of the novel. He is the only Mask in the empire who has not been indoctrinated by Martial rule his entire life, and as a result he views the empire’s brutality and disregard for life as weak rather than powerful. His mask has not fused with his flesh because he takes it off when he is alone, and though he feels it attempting to fuse with him, he does not allow that to happen because he holds no true allegiance to the empire. Elias yearns for freedom from the empire and its tyrannical lifestyle. At the beginning of the book, he doesn’t yet understand that freedom is partly a mindset. He believes that physically removing himself from the empire will free him, but unless he deals with the emotional and mental marks the empire has left, he will carry its ways with him and never truly be free.

Like Laia, the Augurs define Elias as an ember in the ashes, saying he “will spark and burn, ravage and destroy” (65). Their definition applies to Elias in An Ember in the Ashes and likely through the rest of the series. Elias has a calm disposition most of the time, but when provoked, he sparks and rages into a flame quickly, as shown by how he reacts when he or someone he cares about is threatened. When so provoked, Elias loses himself in a bloodlust, which allows him to destroy in a way he wouldn’t normally. Elias represents the theme What Makes Us Who We Are in that his past is unlike any other Mask’s. Being raised by a tribe outside the empire has given him a broader view of life, and he clings to these ideals despite the pressure from the school and the fact that he is descended from those with power within the empire.

Helene is Elias’s best friend and one of his love interests. She is the only girl at Blackcliff, and this leaves her vulnerable to some of her more aggressive classmates. Though not fully explored in this novel, the narrative hints at the unique problems and dangers present at the school for a lone female student. Helene is dedicated to the empire and its power, and unlike Elias, her mask “clings to her like a silvery second skin” (10). Helene struggles with her ideals throughout the novel. On one hand, she believes in the “might means right” mentality the empire feeds Blackcliff’s students, and she is willing to do anything to keep the empire thriving. On the other, she feels that the Scholars should be treated more fairly.

Following the second trial and her encounter with the efrits, Helene develops a mystical ability: Her singing can heal. She despises this gift because it is illegal under Martial rule, and she would be executed if it were discovered. However, she displays a softer, more compassionate side when she risks her role as a Mask by using this magic to heal Elias and later Laia, if more hesitantly. Her decision to heal Laia comes with the added risk that it is in direct opposition to the Commandant’s instructions to let Laia’s fate play out on its own. Later, she attempts to protect Elias and promises that if he just plays along with the rules of the last trial, then she will be sure to give him the freedom he desires when she is in power. It should be noted, however, that Helene’s actions are further complicated by her love for Elias and likely jealousy of Laia. She is torn between being the good person she wants to be and the loyal warrior the empire has made her.

The Commandant is the leader of Blackcliff and Elias’s mother. She is small with delicate features that are a contrast to her hardened, cruel interior, and a chill seems to follow her “as if her gray eyes and cut-glass features were carved from the underbelly of a glacier” (27). The Commandant believes she hates Elias for being born, but truly she hates herself for succumbing to whatever perceived weakness allowed her to become pregnant.

The Commandant was the only female student at Blackcliff at her time, which motivated her to work harder to stand out among her classmates. In addition, the disapproval from her father simply for being born female has made her bitter and resentful. She hates Elias because he took the favor her father should have given her. The Commandant works alongside Nightbringer throughout the book, and at the end, she rejoices when Marcus has been installed as emperor because she believes he will be easily controlled. It is likely the Commandant will play more of a villainous role in later installments.

Keenan is a member of the resistance and Laia’s second love interest. To Laia, Keenan “smells of lemon and wind and something smoky, like cedar” (57), and she wants to feel safe with him because they have so much in common as Scholars oppressed by the empire. In earlier chapters, Laia is more attracted to Keenan because of these similarities, but when the resistance betrays her, a wedge forms between her and Keenan, even though he rescued her from Mazen’s betrayal. Laia’s feelings for Elias also keep her from getting closer to Keenan. While Elias represents the future and change for Laia, Keenan represents the same life she’s always known.

Marcus is another Mask in Elias’s class and an aspirant in the trials. He is one of the most dedicated to the empire’s cruelty, and his mask is so attached that if he tried to remove it “he’d take off half his face with it” (26). Marcus is a stereotype of violent men. He thrives off harming others and the perceived power doing so gives him. For most of the book, Marcus sets his sights on Helene and threatens to take advantage of her the moment she lets her guard down. After he’s forced to kill Zak in the third trial, Marcus changes. He is still rude to others, but he is less willing to taunt or be violent. Marcus is truly weak, though he would never admit it. He has no problem harming others on his own terms, but when others force him to do so, he’ll follow orders only. Marcus likely wouldn’t have killed Zak under any other circumstances because there would have been no way for him to feel superior doing so.

Zak is Marcus’s twin brother. While Marcus is brutal and cruel, Zak is quiet and thoughtful. He gives Marcus someone to perform for, which Marcus uses as motivation to do terrible things to others so he can get a reaction. Zak represents how people can be two very different things. Zak’s personality doesn’t at all seem like that of a ruthless military killer, yet he is of a high rank in his class and chosen as an aspirant for the trials. If he hadn’t been chosen for Blackcliff, it’s likely Zak would have pursued a life away from violence of any kind, but since he is at the school, he does his best and walks in Marcus’s shadow, waiting for a chance to be someone different.

Izzi has been enslaved at Blackcliff most of her life. As punishment for one of the cook’s transgressions, the Commandant took out one of Izzi’s eyes. When Laia first meets Izzi, Izzi is even more afraid than Laia, and Laia feels protective of her, which helps Laia overcome her own fears. Unlike Laia, Izzi has never experienced freedom (or what passes for it under Martial rule). The moon festival is the first time Izzi has ever been to a party or done anything fun, and it gives her the motivation she needs to overcome her fear and help Laia for the rest of the book.

The cook was once a resistance spy, and when the Commandant caught her, she tortured her, scoring lines through the flesh of the cook’s face. The cook was part of the resistance when Laia’s parents were, and she remembers events from that time. This may include who betrayed Laia’s parents and got them killed, but whenever the cook tries to talk about the events, she develops a stutter and pain in her head. The cook represents what Laia could become if she lets hopelessness overtake her. The cook claims the resistance used her before tossing her away and leaving her to the Commandant’s wrath. She repeatedly warns Laia to run before they betray her too, but Laia believes her cause to rescue Darin is stronger than whatever reason the cook had for joining the resistance.

Mazen is the leader of the resistance and represents the difference between what’s “right” and what we think is “right.” Mazen is dedicated to taking down the empire through whatever means necessary, including imprisoning members of the resistance who disagree with him. Mazen’s motivation to free the Scholars comes from a place of wanting to do right, but his methods only cause more division. Mazen is a good person but not a good leader. He believes solely in his idea of what’s best and isn’t interested in hearing other perspectives, which ultimately lets him play right into the Commandant’s plans. Given the Commandant has instigated Mazen’s uprising at the end of the book, Mazen’s safety and condition are in doubt at the end of this novel. His actions leave the resistance exposed and vulnerable, and there are hints that there will be a splintering of factions because of his lackluster leadership and deadly mistakes.

Darin is Laia’s brother and her motivation for the entire book. Darin is the only family Laia has left after the opening chapters, and her desire to save him allows her to overcome her fears. Darin represents how little the empire cares about specifics when blaming Scholars. The soldiers raid Laia’s home because they believe Darin was part of the resistance, and they send him to the maximum-security prison, where prisoners are tortured slowly and kept alive for weeks or even months until they give up information. The fact that Darin wasn’t part of the resistance and doesn’t have information about them doesn’t matter. Darin was apprenticed to the blacksmith, which would have let him discover the secret of how the empire’s unbreakable weapons are made. Given the blacksmith is still alive and free at the end of the book, it’s likely the Masks are not aware of this, which means they keep Darin prisoner based on his alleged involvement with the resistance.