SPOILER WARNING. THIS BLOG SERIES IS INTENDED FOR READERS WHO HAVE FINISHED OATHBOUND AND WANT TO EXPLORE ITS DETAILS IN DEPTH.

Two Nick and Sel parallels to explore after reading Oathbound.

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1: Nick and Sel are part of a cycle of sons who get kidnapped by evil dads…

Nick and Sel are both abducted by their dads, straight from their beds. Nick gets taken by Lord Davis in Bloodmarked, and Sel gets taken by Erebus in Oathbound.

These kidnappings are part of a narrative cycle, one that starts in Bloodmarked with Nick and repeats in Oathbound with Sel. In both books, respectively, Nick and Sel are conspicuously absent from the narrative. A plot device (blood walks for Nick, Natasia’s audio logs for Sel) provide the reader with brief check-ins on these missing characters, but for the most part, Nick and Sel exist off screen until big scenes at the end of Bloodmarked and Oathbound, respectively.

2: Has the cycle of being bonded ended? What is the status of Sel’s and Nick’s Kingsmage Oath?

When I turned the last page of Oathbound, one of my first reeling thoughts was: Did Kingsmage bond survive Sel’s momentary death?

Let’s reacquaint ourselves with some old text evidence about this oath. These quotes come from Legendborn.

“For the rest of that Merlin’s life, they are the Scion’s sworn protector until death.”

Legendborn, Chapter 15, page 140

“Listen, Oaths are living bonds sealed by speech. Their words pull aether from the air so that the commitment becomes a part of you.”

Legendborn, Chapter 11, page 102

At the end of Oathbound‘s Chapter 61, Sel technically dies for a moment. He quickly comes back to life though (albeit transformed).

Looking at the oath explanation from Legendborn (above), it’s pretty clear that the oath doesn’t last after death. So, are these two finally free from this oath?

Uh oh, does the Shadow King’s crown bond Nick and Sel in a new, irrevocable way?

Nick has a shard of the Shadow King’s crown implanted in his chest with Ava’s Morgaine magic. Sel wears this crown at the end of Oathbound. Will Sel be able to call on Nick because of the shard attached to Nick’s heart?

What’s more, will Sel be able to wield Nick’s heart in battle because of the shard? Remember, the crown, just like Excalibur, is a weapon. Morgaine explains this in Arthur’s dreamscape in Boodmarked:

“I think this crown is not unlike your Caledfwlch. […] Caledfwlch absorbs your power, but it’s also tied to you. Connected. That’s why no one else wield it in battle but you. When it is away from you, it grows dim, too.”

Bloodmarked, Chapter 58, page 527¹

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Final thoughts: Sel’s calling card power in the next book.

We know Sel can call upon Bree through the bloodmark on her chest.

We can guess that Sel might be able to call upon Nick through the shard in his chest.

What will Sel do with this power?

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Thank you for reading the second installment of my new series, Deonn’s Pencraft, where I plan to explore details I annotated in Oathbound by Tracy Deonn. I’m on my second read of the book and look forward to sharing dozens of deep dives on its themes, humor, and imagery. I’ll also be sharing several annotation projects that you can do yourself!

Check out the whole series here.

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1. Bree repeats Morgaine’s words in Oathbound:
   “A memory rises in my mind. Arthur’s dreamscape. The King’s crown behind an aether cage, like an artifact in a museum. Brief snatches of conversation between the original Morgaine and her half brother: This crown is not unlike your Caledfwlch. It’s… tied to you. Connected. That’s why no one else can wield it in battle but you. An aether weapon.
   Just as I am connected to Excalibur, the King is connected to his crown. Our weapons are alive. Is that why the King took Excalibur from me? I think. Because he knows what it means to lose our living weapons?”
   – Oathbound, Chapter 17, page 220 ↩︎