Siege and Storm

Mal has been Alina’s best friend since childhood. He is otkazat’sya (from the Russian verb “to refuse,” which implies that Mal rejected magical powers himself—another of Bardugo’s inaccurate language borrowings), a term for people without Grisha powers. A noted tracker, Mal becomes the captain of Alina’s private guard once she becomes the commander of the Second Army.

Mal is Alina’s primary love interest. However, Alina’s role as the Sun Summoner distances them from one another, as Mal is awed and disturbed by Alina’s embrace of her power, which makes her less caring and more obsessed with amassing more magic. Although he agrees to help her find the third amplifier, Mal has some trepidation about Alina claiming the firebird.

As Alina and Mal grow apart, he assumes their relationship is over. Acting out in self-destructive ways, he abuses alcohol and fights Grisha for sport, hurt by what he sees as the betrayal of a love built on honesty and friendship. When push comes to shove, however, Mal cannot escape the fact that being a hero is at the core of his being. He determines to track the firebird and jumps in to save Alina’s life in her battle with the Darkling without regard for his own safety.

The Darkling is the Shadow and Bone trilogy’s main antagonist, a powerful Grisha known also as the Shadow Summoner and the Black Heretic. Initially a defender of the Grisha, the Darkling turned corrupt as he desires more and more power. Now, his main objective is to rule Ravka by terror, expand the Fold, and eliminate the otkasat’sya (non-Grisha peoples).

After accidentally creating the Fold, a cut of darkness that divides Ravka from West Ravka, the Darkling decided to train and amplify Alina to use her power to expand the fold. He also taps into merzost (from the Russian word for nastiness or abomination) to sate his endless hunger for more magic.

The Darkling is ruthless and wrathful, willing to harm anyone who stands in his way. He is a gifted psychological terrorist and tries to bend Alina to his will multiple times in Siege and Storm by using physical manifestation and shapeshifting. His relationship with her violates her privacy and her sexual consent—his appearances in her bedroom and his unwanted touch are something she is both repelled by and attracted to.

Sturmhond is a charming, fox-like privateer who concocts an elaborate rescue to free Alina and Mal from the Darkling as a prize for the royal house of Ravka. Witty and clever, Sturmhond is a skilled inventor and engineer who created the flying ship the Hummingbird. He is also actually Nikolai Lantsov, the second son of the King of Ravka, who helps Alina retrieve the second amplifier to secure her help as the Sun Summoner. With an eye on political expediency, he asks her to be his queen but settles on her becoming commander of the Second Army.

Nikolai is serious in his devotion to Ravka and will do anything to save it from the Darkling’s clutches. A sharp analyst of the Darkling’s strengths and weaknesses as well as a careful observer of the villain’s strategies, Nikolai counsels Alina on foreign policy and public relations, giving her unwelcome but necessary advice on leadership. Over time, Nikolai and Alina become friends, but any budding romance is kept in check by Nikolai’s realization that Alina’s heart belongs to Mal.

Zoya, a minor nemesis of Alina’s, is a Squaller, a Grisha who can control wind. Zoya used to work devotedly for the Darkling, but after he attacked Novokribirsk without warning, killing her aunt and niece, Zoya feels betrayed and switches sides. Alina distrusts Zoya politically and is also jealous of her past relationship with Mal—with good reason, as Zoya kisses Mal after his fight with the Grisha.

David, a soft-spoken Fabrikator, fashions the amplifier collar Alina wears but feels guilty about how it was forced upon her. He reveals important information about Ilya Morozova, the Grisha who became Saint Ilya: Morozova used dark magic, or merzost, to create amplifiers. A skilled inventor, David develops mirrored discs that could enhance the Cut so Alina can fight the nichevo’ya. Unfortunately, all his work is destroyed in the final battle.

Shu twins Tolya and Tamar are Grisha mercenaries on Sturmhond’s ship. Tolya is large enough to be called a giant, while Tamar is a strong fighter, quick-witted and nimble with daggers and axes. After Sturmhond reveals himself as Nikolai, the twins become part of Alina’s loyal guard.

Tolya and Tamar are also loyal followers of the Apparat and Ravkan religion—Tolya can even read Ravkan liturgical language, steering Alina to the church library to find references to the location of the firebird. When Tolya and Tamar lead the Apparat’s army in the final battle, Alina demands to know if they serve her or the Apparat; the twins swear allegiance to Alina.