Clearly Denth wanted Vivenna alive or he would have just killed her initially rather than stabbing her in the shoulder.
Anyway, I liked the chapter, minus a few niggles. I've enjoyed how you've broken the POV pattern from the earlier chapters and are just going with the flow now, it makes the story feel more immediate and urgent. Also I like how even with all the action there are still some mysterious bits added. Vasher's thought about his fight with Denth -- "I just about had him!" -- was interesting, I wonder what trick he intended to play (the same one he used to defeat Arsteel?). And Denth's comment -- "I've always found it funny that we bleed, just like regular men" -- did he just mean people with lots of Breath who have lived a long time, or something else?
Niggles:
- I still wince whenever Vivenna talks about her week being poor. Partly because -- admittedly, somewhat illogically -- the idea that Vivenna feels like she could come to understand what it means to be poor and homeless in just a week feels to me like a slap in the face towards those who have been poor and homeless for much longer, or on a recurring basis, who have tried to work their way out and were rejected and forgotten. It just doesn't feel earned, true (granted it doesn't need to be earned or true for the story to work, but it does undermine Miss "That’s why I’m the princess"'s character). Also, in this case, partly because I find the moral recap unnecessary: "Yet, her recent past gave her the strength to push down her fear," etc. I should, and I do, already understand this, without needing to be told it, just from watching her over the past few chapters.
- From page 2:
Denth reacted immediately, cutting the rope out of the air with his dagger. The pieces of it twisted and wiggled
That's a sharp knife!
- From page 3:
"They're going to send Lifeless marching on your homeland," he said.
How does Vasher know this? Did Denth tell him, just as Bluefingers told Siri? Didn't these people read
Villainy for Dummies?
- I don't know exactly how high up this third story window is, or what the acceleration due to gravity on this world is, but Vasher sure has a lot of time to do stuff while falling.
Random questions of the moment: whatever happened to Jewels and Clod; and given Jewels's impassioned defense of the Hallendren Gods, did she know what the true plan was?
MattD