54 pages • 1 hour read
Diana Wynne JonesCastle in the Air
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1990A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 10-13Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “Which Tells of Violence and Bloodshed”
Abdullah follows the soldier to warn him. As he catches up to him, the four men stage their ambush. To Abdullah’s surprise, the soldier easily defeats them all, though Abdullah knocks out one who tries to sneak up behind using the genie bottle, to the genie’s annoyance. The soldier reveals that he showed off his bounty to deliberately bait them so he could rob them. He points out that the men will turn the tale and say that he and Abdullah attacked them. Because they are both foreigners, the villagers will believe this version of events. They take the men’s money and leave the road to cut over the hills, as they expect to be pursued by the authorities.
The soldier has a medical kit from the battlefield; he gives Abdullah lotion that almost completely heals his foot where it is rubbed raw. They theorize that it might be magical. The soldier checks out a cave as a sleeping spot, but a wild animal attacks him. They make camp elsewhere and start a fire in case the animal is nearby.
The soldier reveals angrily that the bounty story was a lie: After the war, the soldiers were left to fend for themselves.
