"Mockingbird" by Alexey Pekhov, summary Automatic translate

This book is a steampunk fantasy detective novel, published in 2009. The novel immerses readers in the dark atmosphere of the fictional industrial metropolis of Rapgar. Ancient magic, advanced steam technology, electricity generated by the Pikli race, and complex political intrigues are intertwined against the backdrop of an impending war with the southern empire of Malozan. The novel received critical acclaim and won the Mir Fantastiki magazine award for best Russian fantasy of the year, and was also nominated for the prestigious Book of the Year award from the website Fantlab.

Return to Rapgar

The protagonist, the noble Rayher Til er’Karthia, returns to the capital of Rapgar. Seven years ago, the court falsely accused him of murdering the ruler’s son-in-law. The hero was sentenced to a special form of execution. The city executioner severed Til’s connection to the Primordial Flame, condemning him to a slow decline in a prison cell. Later, the authorities inexplicably dropped the charges, but Til still slowly dies, living on borrowed time.

Lucer travels with his loyal Amnis spirits. Stefan is concealed within an ebony cane, and Angel resides within a karambit blade. Til himself possesses rare abilities. He can perfectly mimic other people’s voices and become invisible for six seconds.

On the train to the capital, Til discovers a frightened girl, Erin, in his compartment. Soon they are attacked by armed bandits and a mage. Lucher fights them off, throwing one of the attackers out the window, but the stranger escapes. All that remains at the scene of the brawl is a yellow silk scarf, which Til hides.

The Night Butcher and the Duel

Returning home, where the four-armed cook Polly, the cunning butler Blasett, and the ghostly staffie Esther are waiting faithfully for him, Til learns disturbing news about the city. A serial killer dubbed the Night Butcher is on the loose. The Rapgar police, known as the Skvagen-zholz, are powerless.

The hero, accompanied by his old friend Thaler, a firearms enthusiast, attends a social event. At his friend Katarina Galvirr’s party, Thiel meets the captivating aristocrat Alicia er’Rasche. There, he engages in a verbal altercation with Chief Inspector Gray — the same police officer who framed him years ago. Because of the incident, the hot-tempered Captain Witners challenges Thiel to a duel. The next day, the heroes engage in mortal combat at the House of Honor. Thiel outsmarts the captain, but shows mercy and spares his opponent’s life.

After leaving Katarina’s party, Thiel stumbles upon the mutilated body of Inspector Gray in a dark alley. The hero is attacked by the Night Butcher himself. Lucer manages to fight off and wound the monster, but the gendarmes arrive and arrest him at the scene of the crime. Vladimir er’Dvi, head of the secret department, interrogates Thiel. The police suspect that the criminals who attacked the train belong to the radical sect "Wearers of the Red Caps." The authorities release Thiel, and he decides to uncover the truth himself.

Investigation and losses

Til turns to old connections in the seedy Yama district. The seer Raquel, and then the cat-folk, the Meowrr, lead him to a dealer in forbidden moonroot during the Circle of Claws ritual. The drug dealer’s trail leads Til and Thaler to an abandoned church on the outskirts, where a deranged, drug-addicted old man hides.

An escaped patient from a burned-out psychiatric hospital shared a ward with the Night Butcher. The madman muttered about a coming bloody rain and the killer’s manic desire to open the doors of the ancient house.

Suddenly, the church is attacked by mercenaries in red caps. A fire breaks out and a fierce firefight ensues. During the battle, Thaler is mortally wounded and dies.

Soon, the cult attacks Thiel’s home itself. Esther’s ghost is magically frozen, but the hero successfully repulses the assault. Before dying, one of the attackers reveals the criminals’ true intentions. That same night, Thiel is gravely wounded, and the Two-Tailed Cat, a mythical messenger of death, comes to him. However, instead of taking his soul, she licks his wounds, miraculously healing him.

The Mystery of the Artifacts

Overwhelmed by grief over the death of his friend, Thiel joins forces with the influential centenarian Dante and his companion Bess, the daughter of a terrifying creature from the Primordial Flame. They analyze the collected evidence and uncover a terrifying plot. The murder sites form an ancient magical symbol on the map — the Clover. The Butcher is deliberately making sacrifices to break the seals on the Princely Tombs.

The killer wants to unleash an ancient monster — the rebellious spirit of a deceased ruler. To complete the ritual, the perpetrators need a final victim and special artifacts distributed among aristocratic families. One of these keys is the yellow handkerchief they found. Dante shows Thiel his artifact — a ring that begins to glow alarmingly, signaling the breaking of the seals.

Descending into the city’s catacombs in search of clues, Til and Bess encounter a dangerous tru-tru cannibal. Bess uses the fire magic of her blood to burn the monster. In the caves, they discover glass statues of mercenaries and realize that Erin, the woman they’re pursuing, possesses powerful protection.

True motives

Thiel meets with his uncle Hugo er’Carthia, the former head of the House of Seven, known as the Old Fox. It becomes clear that Thiel’s false accusation was merely a pretext to compromise his uncle and remove him from power.

Til soon realizes that the mysterious Erin and the aristocrat Alicia are one and the same. The girl is using her own amnis to change her appearance. Alicia reveals that her father was killed by the Butcher on orders from influential members of the ruling council. The handkerchief is her family heirloom, needed by the conspirators. Radical aristocrats, led by Patrick er’Gindo and Michel er’Kasso, plan to unleash the spirit of the ancient Prince. They want to provoke chaos, overthrow the current government, and restore the Rayers to their former superiority over other races. The masked mercenaries are merely a cover to distract the police.

Battle of the Tombs

That night, on the grounds of the Princely Tombs, Thiel encounters the executioner Vlad, who once severed the hero from the Primordial Flame. Vlad is also a fanatical conspirator. A deadly sword fight ensues between the former friends. With the help of Alicia’s magic, Thiel defeats the executioner, turning him into a quartz statue, but the ritual has already begun.

The Butcher commits a final bloody murder, forming Clover. The traitors dispatch a massive steam-powered combat robot, controlled by an elemental spirit, to the tomb gates. The possessed machine breaches the entrance, unleashing a shapeless black cloud — the embodiment of the dead Prince. The creature dispatches the traitors instantly, making no distinction between allies and enemies.

Dante, taking the form of a huge lizard-like predator, Bess, and the city’s loyal battlemages engage the beast. Amnis Zephyr and Io pelt the monster with fiery projectiles. Til realizes the true purpose of his gift. Using his unique voice, he stuns the creature with resonant frequencies, disrupting its structure. The weakened creature is bound in magical chains and sent into oblivion.

In the morning, the authorities clear the battlefield, keeping the events a closely guarded secret. Chera er’Barkhen thanks the hero for his assistance. Til, having finally learned the truth about his fabricated execution and taken revenge on his true enemies, decides to leave his thirst for revenge behind. He plans to start a new, happy life with Alicia.