The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Meraggio is Camorr’s most important countinghouse. Nicola Merragio made the family’s original fortune by creating a monopoly on funeral silks after the sudden death of the Duke at the time. She founded a small coffeehouse, which expanded throughout the generations into “the heart of a centuries-old financial network [...] of the Therin city-states” (542). It is sometimes said that there are two Dukes in Camorr: “Nicovante, the Duke of Glass, and Merragio, the Duke of White Iron” (543).

Locke makes multiple attempts to enter Meraggio’s so that he can fool somebody into giving him clothes. During the first attempt, he goes by Tavrin Callas. He pretends to be a messenger to get in the door and tells a lawscribe named Previn that he’s the victim of a terrible robbery and needs clothes. After this doesn’t work, he returns two hours later in a different disguise using the name Galdo Avrillaigne. He goes to see another lawscribe named Magris, and gives him a similar story. Magris thinks that Locke is “one of Merragio’s little tests [...] Just like poor Willa got snapped up in last month” (558). In a moment of frustration, Locke sees Meraggio. His clothes are beautiful, stylish, and perfect; their only adornment is an orchid, which he picks fresh every morning. Suddenly, a plan comes to Locke.

Locke tells Magris that he’s right and takes his leave. He goes to the service entrance, bribes a guard to get inside, and a waiter named Benjavier to take his clothes. He takes Benjavier to a cheap inn around the corner and pays him more money to wait there. Locke returns to Meraggio’s and announces that Benjavier has failed one of Meraggio’s tests; he takes guards to the inn to escort a sobbing, bewildered Benjavier back to the kitchen, supposedly to await Meraggio. Locke says he’ll return shortly, and leaves.

Locke goes upstairs and finds Giancana Meraggio himself. Locke tells him that he’s one of Capa Raza’s men and that the servants he’s apprehended were part of an assassination plot. When Meraggio asks him why Capa Raza cares, Locke tells him that he, Giancana, doesn’t matter; the office of the Meraggio is what needs to be safe. Meraggio storms downstairs, chastises his servants, and tells the guards to lock Benjavier up. Meraggio brings Locke to his private chambers. Locke tells Meraggio that to protect himself from the assassin, he’ll have to give Locke his clothes. He “explains” that assassin has only been told what clothing Meraggio is wearing, so if Locke is dressed properly, Meraggio will be safe.

This works, and “Locke Lamora stepped out of Meraggio’s apartments [...] dressed in the most excellent coat, vest, and breeches he had ever worn” (574). He goes to speak to Benjavier and gives the man money and tells him to flee the city. Afterword, Locke leaves to continue the Lukas Fehrwight/Salvara game.

Locke visits the Salvaras, who act happy to see him, but tell him that they unfortunately don’t have enough liquid funds to give him. Locke is disappointed, but the Salvaras tell “Lukas” not to worry; they have other people to ask. They will do so at the duke’s Day of Changes feast in four days, which will be at Raven’s Reach tower. They ask Lukas to be their guest.

Meanwhile, Jean returns to the docks and discovers a warehouse with three dead bodies inside. He prepares to give the bodies the death rites of Aza Guilla, but he is interrupted by the Berangias sisters, who he now knows are Capa Raza’s younger sisters. Jean takes his robe and mask off and reveals himself to them. The sisters circle him, and Jean takes out his Wicked Sisters. After a brutal fight, Jean kills the Berangias sisters, but he has an enormous wound on his chest and another on his thigh. He recognizes the signs of blood loss and makes his way back to Ibelius.

The Spider is in her solarium, reviewing notes. The lock to the solarium door opens and two strange men appear. She demands that they tell her who they are and they reveal themselves to be Capa Raza and the Bondsmage. The Capa demands that the Spider give him an audience with the duke. The Spider refuses, because the Capa has been in power for only about one week. She tells him that if he remains in power in a year, and retains stability and the Secret Peace, she might consider it. In response, Capa Raza calls the Bondsmage forward. The Bondsmage writes her name and takes control of her mind. The Capa makes her agree to allow him an audience with the duke, and to allow him to bring the duke gifts: four statues.

Fifty years before Capa Barsavi came to power, two prostitutes castrated and killed their violent pimp. This started an all-out war, which ended with the prostitutes gaining independence. They split amiably into two groups that began two independent brothel organizations that took different sides of the city and this peace has remained ever since.

Before Locke leaves to go to Raven’s Reach, Ibelius and Jean, who is healing from his injuries, caution him to be careful.

Camorr “went mad” (614) on the Day of Changes; there are handball games and drunken picnics and markets. Capa Raza’s men pass out bread with coins in it and open the Floating Grave, but Raza has business in the north at Raven’s Reach. Raven’s Reach is where nearly every noble in Camorr will be on the Day of Changes, which is why Raza wants to unleash his Wraithstone statues. Cages go up and down the side of Raven’s Reach, transporting nobles to the top of the tower, where the party is taking place. Locke is in one of the cages with the Salvaras.

They disembark and arrive at the party. It’s full of riches and excess and Locke is stunned. He sees Meraggio and invents a story about having his clothes tailored to look like Meraggio. Meraggio accepts this and walks away looking confused. Locke sees Capa Raza. They lock eyes a few times and the Capa comes to speak with the Salvaras. Locke and the Capa exchange a few tense words in front of the Salvaras before the Capa leaves them.

Once the Capa has gone elsewhere, Doña Salvaras takes Locke to Doña Vorchenza’s chamber; she is knitting and doesn’t respond to Doña Salvaras. Doña Salvaras leaves to get wine and once she leaves, Vorchenza stabs Locke in the back of his neck with a needle. She addresses Locke as the Thorn of Camorr, and declares that the needle was poisoned, and that Locke only has a few minutes to live—unless he tells her what she wants to know, in which case she will give him an antidote.

Locke is shocked and impressed that Vorchenza is the Spider but refuses to give her answers. They stare at each other and Locke punches her in the face. He grabs the antidote and takes it, ties her to a chair, takes her purse, and steps out the window onto the outer wall of the tower.

Locke is terrified, but this is the only plan he has. As he clings to the wall, an empty cage comes toward him on a chain. He screams, jumps off the wall, and lands on the cage. He opens it and lets himself in and the cage takes him down.

He makes his way back to the hovel where he, Jean, and Ibelius are staying. When he gets there, he finds the Bondsmage waiting for him.

Therin Pel was “the largest and the grandest of the cities” that the Eldren left behind (643). It was at the center of the Therin Empire. The Vadrans weakened it, but the then-new Bondsmagi of Karthain destroyed it. The emperor told the Bondsmagi to halt their activities; the Bondsmagi refused. When the emperor declared war and killed a few Bondsmagi, the rest of the Bondsmagi retaliated by sending a firestorm down on Therin Pel. The entire city was razed to the ground and the place where the city stood is now covered in ash. The only thing left is the throne of Therin Pel, surrounded by ashes.

The Falconer has taken control of Jean by writing down his true name and acquiring his blood from his fight with the Berangias Sisters, and he commands Jean to kill Locke. Jean staggers forward, crying, but the Falconer stops him before he does it. The Falconer declares that it would be better for Locke to kill Jean. He says that even part of a real name can work, since Lamora is obviously fake, so he uses “Locke.” Locke feels “a sort of pressure” (651). Locke grabs the hatchet and strikes the Falconer between his legs. Vestris, his hawk, has fallen from her perch and is writhing in pain. Locke realizes that they feel what the other feels. He breaks the hawk’s wing, and asks why the Falconer thought Locke was his real name. Then he cuts off the hawk’s head. “[The Falconer’s] cries were pure madness [...] and he fell sobbing into unconsciousness” (653).

When the Falconer wakes up, Locke and Jean cut his fingers off and dedicate them to Nazca and the Gentlemen Bastards. They question the Falconer and learn Capa Raza’s true name—Luciano Anatolius—and what his grudge against Barsavi is. His father was left out of the Secret Peace because he was a merchant, not a noble, and was upset about it. In retribution, Barsavi killed his father, his mother, and their three younger children. The three older children escaped with a maid: Luciano, Cheryn, and Raiza, or the Berangias Sisters. The Falconer also reveals that Luciano was a buccaneer and that the Satisfaction is his ship; he will be at Falselight. The Falconer asks if Locke means to kill Luciano, and Locke says, “Ila justicca vei cala”, or justice is red (659). The Falconer says that the four statues Luciano brought to Raven’s Reach are filled with Wraithstone, and when they go off, the people there will suffer the effects. They go off at Falselight. Locke leaves for Raven’s Reach, but before he goes, he tells Jean to cut the Falconer’s tongue out.

Locke returns to Raven’s Reach. Conté, the Salvara’s man, beats him up, but Locke gets Conté to take him to Doña Vorchenza and the Salvaras are there too. Reynart is waiting for him. Once he finally lets Locke in to see Doña Vorchenza, both he and the Doña hit him. Locke reveals that she’s the Spider and tries to convince them all how dangerous the statue is. Reynart agrees, but the Doña resists because of the magic the Falconer put on her. After she’s pressed, she finally remembers the spell, and they all go to check the statues.

Doña Salvara, the alchemist, confirms that the statues are full of Wraithstone. They evacuate the tower. Locke tells the Doña that she owes him; he protected the nobility, not her, even though that’s her duty. She allows him to go free on the condition that he never return to Camorr. Locke agrees and says he’s going to go fight Capa Raza. Before he does, he explains that Raza’s ship likely has plague animals on it, and that they need to sink it before Raza releases the animals into the city. Reynart gives Locke his sword and Locke leaves.

The watchmen on the docks watch the Satisfaction burning. Luciano also sees the ship burning from the Floating Grave. A gangster under his command delivers a message that just arrived from the neighborhood where Jean is. The message is a sack with the hawk’s head in it and a note that says “WE’RE COMING” (693). He tells his people to get out and waits for Locke and Jean on his throne.

Locke arrives and asks the Gray King why he killed his brothers: Locke would have given the Gray King as much money as he wanted if it saved Calo, Galdo, and Bug. Locke says that the Gray King did the same thing to him that Barsavi did to the Gray King. The Gray King denies this and Locke says that the Gray King wanted to murder children. The Gray king declares that they’re parasites, and that if he could, he would burn the city to the ground.

Locke steps forward and says, “Ila justicca vei cala” (697). They begin to fight. Locke is outmatched and begins losing. Finally, bloody and wounded, Locke tells the Gray King that “I don’t have to beat you [...] I just have to keep you here […] until Jean shows up” (702). Locke pretends Jean is there and distracts the Gray King long enough for Locke to take the Gray King’s dagger and stab him in the back. The Gray King dies, and Locke shouts the names of the dead Gentleman Bastards, all of whom he calls “my brother and my friend” (704). Locke lies on the Gray King’s corpse and cries.

Jean arrives a minute or so later. Locke tells Jean to leave him there, because he’ll be dead in a few minutes. Jean is furious at him. Locke apologizes and Jean cries. He picks Locke up and runs as fast as he can away from the Floating Grave.

Father Chains tells a teenage Locke that someday he’ll “fuck up so magnificently, so ambitiously, so overwhelmingly that the sky will light up and the moons will spin and the gods themselves will shit comets with glee” (708). Locke says it’ll never happen.

A group of watchmen find the Falconer in a donkey cart, with a note on his chest that says he’s supposed to go to the Spider for return to Karthain. Elsewhere, Doña Vorchenza tells the Salvaras that she’s naming them as her heir to the position of Spider.

Locke, Jean, and Ibelius leave Camorr on a galleon. Locke looks at Camorr as it grows smaller. Jean apologizes for using his real name and trying to kill him and Locke tells him to stop moping. Jean asks Locke for his real name and Locke whispers it to him.