77 pages • 2 hours read
A.G. RiddleA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Prologue and Part 1, Chapters 1-9
Part 1, Chapters 10-18
Part 1, Chapters 19-30
Part 1, Chapters 31-39 and Part 2, Chapters 40-44
Part 2, Chapters 45-58
Part 2, Chapters 59-72
Part 2, Chapters 73-88
Part 2, Chapters 89-94 and Part 3, Chapters 95-105
Part 3, Chapters 106-119
Part 3, Chapters 120-144 and Epilogue
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Pierce receives a call from Mallory Craig: There has been an accident at the excavation site and several workers are trapped. He speeds to the site but does not find a cave-in as he suspected. Instead, a worker hands him a phone; Rutger Kane is on the line, gleefully informing Pierce that he is “in the right place” (308). Just then, Pierce notices the detonation wires leading to the ceiling of the chamber, but before he can evacuate the workers, an explosion causes the roof to collapse. Hours pass, and eventually Pierce hears sounds on the other side of the collapsed rock. Rutger informs Pierce that the order to kill him came straight from Lord Barton, adding that he, Rutger Kane, was betrothed to Helena long before Pierce ever came along. He also implies that Helena’s child will mysteriously die.
On the other side of the wall, Pierce hears the men still trying to excavate the top of the stairs. He then hears men screaming and the sound of rushing water. Soon, the water begins pouring into the chamber where Pierce is trapped. With no other option, he enters the structure and seals himself in one of the cryogenic tubes.