Thunderhead

The Thunderhead watches as Scythes Curie, Anastasia, and Constantine meet in a cafe. Although the Thunderhead doesn’t usually pay close attention to human conversations, it recognizes that this meeting is “more important than any of the other billion-some-odd conversations” (159) happening around the world. Scythe Constantine reports that the scythedom has been investigating, but they still don’t know who tried to kill Scythes Anastasia and Curie. Of course, the Thunderhead knows, but it cannot tell Scythe Constantine. Constantine tells Scythe Anastasia that for her own safety, she will not be allowed to return to finish gleaning any of her subjects because it would be too easy to track her movements. However, Anastasia argues that if Constantine and the BladeGuard allow her to complete some of her scheduled gleanings, they could “lie in wait for anyone who tries to kill [her]” (165). Constantine points out that the assailants might be after Scythe Curie, not Anastasia. Still, he agrees to the plan, and although Citra isn’t sure if Constantine is trustworthy, the Thunderhead knows.

Greyson tries to embrace his new role as an unsavory. He creates a new name for himself—Slayd—and tries to change his appearance to better fit his new status, but he struggles to pick up the detestable behaviors of unsavories. He decides to go to an exclusive club that caters to the unsavory crowd, but he is confused by what he sees. The club—a 1950s-themed restaurant—allows unsavories to attack people without repercussions. One of the patrons explains that this is an “AWFul club,” or Anachronistic Wish Fulfillment, and the employees are paid to “accept whatever the unsavory customers [dish] out” (172). Greyson meets one of the employees in the bathroom, and the actor can tell that Greyson is new to the unsavory lifestyle. He helps Greyson make a name for himself by putting on a good show and allowing Greyson to beat him up in front of everyone in the restaurant. Greyson’s performance attracts the attention of several unsavories, who nod their approval.

Greyson quickly slips into his new life as an unsavory, and with the help of Agent Traxler, he concocts an entire backstory to impress the unsavories he meets while undercover. They invent a story that Slayd caused a bus crash that rendered 29 people deadish, and Traxler “make[s] it an official part of his digital life story” (179). Greyson begins to frequent more AWFul clubs and build his reputation among the unsavories, and although he begins to enjoy the facade, he starts to worry that he might be losing himself in the role. He meets an unsavory girl named Purity while visiting a prison-themed AWFul club, and against his better judgment, he finds himself attracted to her. Greyson tells Purity he’s been trying to find work, but because of his bumbling probation officer, he is still unemployed. Purity and Greyson manage to break out of their fake prison cell and escape, but once Purity has Greyson alone, she reveals that it was “no accident that [Greyson] ended up in [her] cell” (186) at the club. In fact, Purity’s friends told her about Slayd Bridger and his hunt to find “Heart-pounding” (186) work, and she wanted to meet him in person to see if he was the real deal.

Citra and Scythe Curie remain in hiding. Per Constantine’s instructions, they must refrain from gleaning until the time is right, and the lethargy starts to get to them. Finally, when it is time for Citra to glean her last three subjects, Constantine and the BladeGuard stand close by in case the attackers decide to strike again. However, the first two gleanings take place with “no sign of any plot or conspiracy” (192) to end her life. Greyson meets with Agent Traxler and tells him he has connected with a group of criminal unsavories, and Traxler encourages Greyson to go even deeper into their organization. Meanwhile, Citra approaches her third gleaning subject: an actor who wants to be gleaned onstage during a live performance of Julius Caesar with a full audience. Citra realizes this is the perfect chance to catch their attackers, who might be lurking in the crowd waiting for a chance to strike. Constantine is furious at the suggestion, but he reluctantly agrees. Purity tells Greyson they have a new job: they’ve been hired to “kill [themselves] a couple of scythes” (198).

One night as High Blade Xenocrates relaxes in his enormous private bathtub, he is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Rowan Damisch. At first, Xenocrates thinks Rowan has come to kill him, and he is frightened, but Rowan assures the High Blade that he “couldn’t find anything in [Xenocrates’] history that would earn [him] permanent death” (202). Instead, Rowan has come to demand that Xenocrates stop focusing on trying to catch him. Instead, he wants the scythedom to worry about catching the people who tried to kill Scythe Anastasia. In return, Rowan promises to stop killing corrupt scythes in MidMerica. Xenocrates retorts that Scythe Constantine has already been pulled from Rowan’s case and is currently looking for Scythe Anastasia’s attackers. Rowan demands to know who gleaned his father, and Xenocrates admits that it was none other than Scythe Brahms. Rowan is stunned, and Xenocrates asks Rowan to wait until the new year to kill Brahms. He then dismisses Rowan and remarks that Scythe Lucifer will “cease to be [his] problem soon enough” (207).

Greyson is disturbed by Purity’s “job” offer, and he knows he must tell Agent Traxler about the plan to kill the scythes. Although Purity hasn’t given him the details of the plan yet, he knows the date of the impending attack. Greyson reports to the Authority Interface for his weekly meeting with Agent Traxler, but to his surprise, he has a new probation officer whom he quickly realizes is “not privy to his mission” (212). Greyson demands to speak to Agent Traxler, but the new probation officer tells him Agent Traxler was gleaned the week before.

Greyson is horrified by this new development, and he tries to tell his new probation officer that he isn’t actually Slayd Bridger: his name is Greyson Tolliver, and he was working undercover with Agent Traxler, who fabricated his entire history. The new probation officer scoffs at the idea that Agent Traxler—or anybody at the Authority Interface—would “engage an unsavory” (215) to use as an undercover operative. Greyson realizes no one will believe him because Agent Traxler thoroughly erased all evidence of Greyson’s existence. Meanwhile, Rowan is furious with himself for allowing Scythe Brahms to live instead of killing him like the others. He calls his mother, who is shaken by his father’s death. She begs Rowan to come home, but he hangs up and begins to worry about the scythedom’s ability to protect Citra. Greyson returns to his apartment and begins to question his identity as Slayd Bridger now that Greyson Tolliver is officially no more, and he wonders if the Thunderhead would even recognize him anymore. Greyson tries once more to speak to the Thunderhead, but it is silent.

Rowan tries to track down Citra, but he is unable to find her. He shifts his focus to killing Scythe Brahms, and he stalks the scythe and tracks his movements. Rowan waits for Scythe Brahms to leave for breakfast one morning, then he sneaks into Brahms’s house and waits for him. When Scythe Brahms returns home, his guards tell him they caught Rowan sneaking into the house. Rowan is tied up on the floor of Brahms’s living room, and Brahms discovers Scythe Goddard’s stolen scythe ring among Rowan’s possessions. Brahms states that the ring was “never even [Rowan’s] to begin with” (225), Rowan yells at Brahms and reminds him that he could have killed the scythe, but he gave him a chance to change his ways, and Brahms repaid him by gleaning Rowan’s father. Brahms replies that he wasn’t going to allow himself to be “bullied by a thug” (226). Still, Brahms does not plan to turn Rowan over to the scythedom. Instead, he has “much more interesting plans for [Rowan]” (227).