Son: Book 2, Chapter 16  Summary & Analysis

Claire is now at the top, panting. She finally looks down and can’t even see the village below. Unwrapping her arm, she kisses the cloth-wrapped rock for Einar—which is now crusted with blood—and tosses it off. Now, she’ll wait for dawn and for the strange man whom Einar said will come. Claire must say yes to the man (later revealed to be Trademaster), who comes to offer help to those who need it. If she says no, she’ll be punished. When the man approached Einar and offered transportation to his final destination, Einar proudly refused. The man then cut off half of both of Einar’s feet with a hatchet.

Claire spends the night curled up asleep at the edge of the cliff. She wakes to Trademaster touching her arm. He isn’t what Claire expected: he’s thin, sallow, and dressed in an odd dark suit. His silky black gloves frighten her the most. She shrinks away, stands up, and says she knows who and what he is as he tries to introduce himself. This annoys him, and it also annoys him when Claire says she knows how their negotiation is going to play out. He scoffs and taunts her when she says she wants her son. Though Claire insists she has nothing to offer in return, Trademaster reaches out and grabs her hair to sniff, hurting her. She realizes that while Trademaster looked “ordinary” at first, he smells rancid.

Trademaster asks Claire for her son’s name. She isn’t sure, but she says it might be Babe, or Abe. He explains that he wants her youth. She agrees, and he turns away. To Claire’s surprise, it’s hard to follow him. She’s now bent over, and she shuffles. Her hair is gray, and her hand is spotted. With contempt, he tells Claire her son’s name is Gabe and that his name is Trademaster.