Summary:The Bands of Mourning

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This page contains a chapter by chapter summary of The Bands of Mourning We hope this summary will make it easier to find specific areas of the book, as well as providing a quick plot refresher for anyone who doesn't want to take the time to reread the entire book.

Prologue

Waxillium calls to his sister, Telsin, who is sneaking off to town, skipping out on evening recitation. She refers to him by his Terris name: Asinthew. He trails along and she meets up with three others: Kwashim, Idashwy (girls), and Forch, a tall boy who is also a Twinborn and also a Coinshot. They have to sneak by his Grandmother's office. She has been called there for an emergency, so she probably won't be watching. Forch shows very little emotion. Wax has a crush on Idashwy, which seems to be reciprocated. They all head out through the Tin Gate into a different world. Wax learns that a constable is visiting his Grandmother, and he is compelled to return and find out more. He eavesdrops on the conversation. They discuss a recent arson in the Village. The constable warns that arson often covers up other crimes and that she should accept the constabulary's help. She refuses, insisting the situation is in hand. He leaves behind a bullet, infuriating Vwafendal. She catches Wax eavesdropping, and they discuss his progress in the Village. He is having trouble fitting in. He surreptitiously grabs the bullet as he leaves.

Wax meditates in the evening recitation. Afterwards, he asks Tellingdwar about crime in the Village. There was a murder 15 years back. Tellingdwar admonishes Wax to remember that all people are the same, even Terris. Wax goes to bed and tries to read as it starts to rain. He spies some movement outside and decides to investigate. He follows a trail to an old dormitory. After he enters, Forch attacks him. Wax panics and runs the wrong direction, finding himself in another room where a boy is tied down and bleeding. Forch used the escapade with the girls as an alibi. He again attacks Wax, this time Pushing nails at him. Wax tries to swallow some steel, but the pouch is Pushed away, and Forch continues to attack and wound Wax. Wax manages to swallow a little steel and saves himself after being dropped out a window by Forch. He realizes he still has the bullet, so he runs back upstairs and Pushes the bullet at Forch. Forch Pushes back, but Wax releases some of the metal in the bullet, allowing the bullet to fire. It hits Forch in the head. His grandmother and others arrive, and he knows they will hate him for bringing violence into the Village and for being right. He decides that the Village is not for him.

28 years later Wax and Wayne go on a raid with the constabulary. The gang is no match for their combined powers. Wax heads off to his wedding.

Part 1

Chapter 1

As Wax and Wayne go to an awaiting carriage, a man in a brown suit asks Wax for a moment of his time, so he decides to forgo the slow carriage and Push his way there, enjoying his flight across Elendel. He lands on a water tower next to a Survivorist church, where Steris is waiting. He and Steris talk while his valet Drewton helps him shave and change. Steris plans for disturbances and delays, knowing they will come anyway with a man like Wax, and prepares accordingly. Wax is feeling fond of Steris, especially for the way she helped him heal the last six months. The man in the brown suit shows up again and reveals that he is a Kandra. Wax is still mad at Harmony and refuses to meet with him. He is still struggling with killing Lessie. Steris cries tears of joy. As the ceremony begins, Wax starts feeling sick -- going through with this means giving up Lessie. He's not ready, but he refuses to shirk his duty. The water tower outside tips over and crashes into the glass dome. Wax grabs Steris and Pushes away.

Chapter 2

Everything in the church is soaked. There are no serious injuries. The water tower's legs only broke on one side, but it's not clear that it's an assassination attempt. Wax attempts to console Steris, who has anticipated some disruption of the wedding and has booked another church in two months. Wax cannot avoid admitting to her that he is glad it's put off for now.

Marasi looks for Wayne and finally finds him in the kitchen, masquerading as a chef and terrifying the kitchen staff. Marasi shares that the bolts on one side of the tower were loosened. Wayne admits to arranging an accident at the wedding, although he didn't expect something quite so dramatic. Wayne encourages Marasi to go after Wax, but she's not interested any more. Wayne decides to give up on Ranette, who has had a girlfriend for 15 years, and they drink a toast to moving on. The Kandra shows up again and asks Marasi for help since his first choice has rejected him. He asks her what she knows of Investiture and Identity.

Chapter 3

Wax returns home and sees signs of uninvited guests, so he Pushes himself upstairs, Vindication at the ready. It's the Kandra again, who has been invited there by Wayne. He introduces himself as VenDell of the Sixth generation. Marasi and MeLaan are also present. VenDell has asked Marasi for assistance since Wax refused. He is sets up some sort of device that turns out to be a slide projector they call an evanoscope. He says that Harmony wants to allow mankind to struggle in order to "survive what is coming." Marasi suspects this Trell is involved, but VenDell has no further information on that or Lessie's strange spikes. A chart of the Feruchemical powers is displayed on the wall, and they discuss the lesser-known spiritual properties. Research is underway, but difficult, since there are few Ferrings with those abilities. VenDell explains that everyone has a spiritual aspect or Identity, and that Investiture is the power of Allomancy and Feruchemy. So one possibility would be to store (divest) Identity, making them a "blank slate," and therefore be able to use someone else's metalmind. Another possibility is to store Identity and fill another metalmind with some other attribute, creating a metalmind that anyone could use since it isn't keyed to any one Identity. Other possibilities exist, used in combination with Hemalurgy, to give someone extraordinary powers, maybe even the Lord Ruler's. They discuss the Bands of Mouring, the Lord Ruler's metalminds -- objects of mythology that could supposedly grant someone his powers. Another Kandra, ReLuur, took some photographs of murals depicting the bracers on a pedestal, a statue that resembles the Lord Ruler, and other items bearing script of an unknown language. ReLuur returned from his expedition with a spike missing, so it's unclear what he saw and what happened because missing a spike makes a Kandra somewhat insane. The quest is to find the missing spike to save ReLuur and maybe find the Bands of Mourning while they're at it. Wax initially refuses to go with Marasi until he sees another picture of his sister being held prisoner. In broad daylight. With her head that just happens to be facing the camera.