The Poppy War: Chapter 21 Summary & Analysis

The Cike are on a river sampan headed for Golyn Niis. Rin has barely slept since they left Khurdalain a week ago: she can’t stop thinking about the Hexagram, and she wonders if they’re going to find Golyn Niis in ruin or walk right into a trap. Since the Cike left, Altan and Chaghan have been sitting together, speaking quietly. Now, Rin asks Baji why Chaghan isn’t the Cike’s commander. He’s spiritually powerful, and nobody talks back to him. But Baji explains that Chaghan and Altan dueled for three days after Altan became commander, and Altan won. “No one can” beat Altan, Baji explains.

Rin has finally fallen asleep when the boat hits something and she jerks awake. She and the Cike realize they’re riding “a river of blood,” on which bodies float. Some of the dead are soldiers, others are civilians. And they’re miles from Golyn Niis. Altan tells everyone to get out and run for the city. There’s no one on the road now, though there’s plenty of evidence the Federation has been camping along it. Rin figures the Federation has already left Golyn Niis, which means that “whatever lay behind those city walls, it [isn’t] worth guarding.” Finally, they reach the gates and drag them open. Inside are corpses. The Federation has arranged the bodies in pyramids and rows, or positioned them grotesquely. Many corpses have been mutilated. To Rin, the Hexagram’s talk of “One see[ing] great joy in decapitating enemies” makes sense now.

The horrors continue, getting worse as the Cike venture deeper into the city. Hours after their arrival, the only living things the Cike have seen are dogs and vultures. Altan finally tells the Cike to look for survivors: all Federation soldiers are clearly gone. Rin searches near the southern gate and finds evidence of the Second Division—Kitay’s division—making a final stand. Just then, a giant dog, no longer afraid of humans, attacks her. The dog bites her, though she manages to kill it. Rin stabs the dog, just wanting to hurt something, until Suni grabs and holds Rin tight. Enki bandages Rin’s dog bites and Rin resumes the search for survivors. She calls for Kitay, hoping not to find his body. Finally, he answers: he and a few soldiers hid under bodies and then moved to a cellar. Rin shares that Nezha died and sobs in Kitay’s arms.

Qara asks Kitay to brief the Cike on what happened. He describes how Federation came at night, captured Irjah, and flayed him alive so everyone could see. The Ninth and Eleventh divisions surrendered—but the Federation general beheaded them all. The Empress fled early on, which Chaghan deems “pathetic.” Rin thinks again of the Talwu saying that “A leader abandons their people. A ruler begins a campaign.” Kitay continues: everyone surrendered within a few days. The Federation took supplies and then began executing people. Once the Militia was dead, the Federation turned killing civilians into sport, organizing killing contests. Kitay and Altan explain to the others that the Federation soldiers don’t value their own lives: they’re part of a machine, and they’re taught to dehumanize their enemies. Kitay even tried to connect with one Federation soldier, but “there was nothing human in those eyes.”

Gradually, survivors reveal themselves, and Altan sends the Cike to search for hidden prisons where prisoners have been forgotten. Altan leads the work to dispose of the bodies, burning many—though there are always more. One day, Kitay lets Rin know that he found Venka, who likely only survived because the Federation was keeping her in sexual slavery. Rin visits Venka, who is unrecognizable with dull eyes and broken arms. She is silent for a minute, and then she says that the Federation soldier called Nikara women “public toilets.” They raped her constantly and made her watch them torture women and girls. Rin apologizes, but Venka shrieks that she doesn’t want pity. She wants Rin to “burn them.” Rin promises she will.

Rin runs from Venka’s room, unable to breathe. She doesn’t understand why, but she believes Altan will be able to give her some relief—he went through this before, on Speer. She needs to know that the world will keep turning after this horror. Suni points her toward the library, and Rin finds Altan sprawled in a corner, shirtless. His chest is scarred, both with battle wounds and ones that look neat and deliberate. As Rin approaches, she realizes Altan is smoking opium. When he smiles at her, Rin thinks that he looks even more horrific than Golyn Niis.