Summary

Part Five: "Kings & Queens" starts with Chapter 24: "Jesper." As he dreads talking to Colm, Jesper is surprised when Inej approaches him. Jesper reveals Inej had been captured because he had told his debtor, Rollins, about a job with a big payout. Inej says everyone makes mistakes, but they have to be willing to change. She compares Jesper's gambling to poison that feels like medicine and tells him he has to heal another way. For the first time, Jesper realizes he used his addictions to bury his negative feelings.

So Jesper, despite his anxiety, speaks to Colm. When Jesper reveals everything, he questions why Colm never sent him to Ravka. He remembers when Colm lied to the only people who offered to take Jesper in and, when Jesper saw his father’s despair, said he did not want to abandon him. Now...