Hello and welcome to the last discussion for A Little Hatred, the first book in the Age of Madness trilogy, a part of the First Law World.
Make sure you include spoiler tags for anything outside this book. Not everyone has read the full set of First Law World books up to this point.
I've included some homemade chapter summaries below but you can also find other summaries and First Law information (and spoilers!) on the wiki.
Like Rain - Savine returns home with the Broads in tow. Zuri has returned and brought back two brothers. Zuri then astounds the Broad family with their new rooms and a description of Savine's modest wealth. After all, her multiple houses and small castle plus the legions of employees are just the bare essentials.
Drinks with Mother - Savine had intended to feel better once home but her mind still needs time to adjust. She has a drink with her mother and shares the wonderful news that she intends to marry Prince Orso. She is full starry-eyed in love. Her mother is horrified and says absolutely not. Turns out there is a minor problem where Orso is her brother and Savine is King Jezel's bastard.
Drinks with Mother - Orso meets with his mother who is immensely happy with his results in Valbeck. Hopelessly in love, he announces he is ready to marry. Before he announces his chosen though, he receives a harsh one line rejection from Savine. His self-confidence, beliefs he will be a better man and ruler, and all thoughts of happiness immediately dissipate while his mother is joyfully considering marriage candidates.
Questions - Vick is congratulating Tallow on his good job in Valbeck and gives him a gold 25 mark coin for it. He expresses guilt over the 200 people that died as a result and questions the work. Later on, Glokta gives Vick the same management pat on the back for an unsavory job well done. Glokta offers some newer lodgings as a reward but Vick declines. Glokta mentions the conspiracy goes deeper and that the nobles are potentially behind it. He is suspicious of Lords Heugin, Barezin and especially Isher.
Civilisation - Rikke is on a boat to Adua where she is impressed with the size of the city. It's bigger than expected. Avoiding Leo after their falling out, she gets into conversation with Bayaz who is coming from the West to keep things in Adua on his preferred track. Upon landing he meets with Yoru Sulfur who has already heard of her. Meanwhile, Leo is also avoiding Rikke while missing her. I've got a riddle, put two stubborn idiots on a ship and which one sucks it up and apologizes? Apparently neither. At docking, Leo excitedly meets Gorst and less excitedly Glokta. Glokta informs him he gets to share the parade limelight with Orso and is offended. Glokta then provides Leo with a dressing down for his recklessness and reliance on a Northman's word to prevent further aggressions.
A Natural - Gunnar Broad, in his shiny new coachman outfit, accompanies Savine as she visits Kort, the architect for the canal she a one-fifth interest in. Kort informs her that Lady Selest took he spot in the canal at which point Savine explains her lack of patience and Broad demonstrates some impressive intimidation until Kort realizes he misspoke. Coachman is a bit of a misnomer but at least he is very well paid.
Good Times - Leo is not having fun at his celebration until a group of Lords from the Open Council, Isher, Heugin, and Barezin, show up to make some very similar complaints about the Closed Council Leo has. Then Lady Selest arrives and Leo is immediately taken. Across the room, Rikke is having even less fun and feeling out of place as she jealously observes. Savine comes up and they get on very well, even exchanging necklaces. Heartbroken from the Orso situation and avoiding conversation with King Jezal, Savine goes to Leo and enchants him with her story of Valbeck. Selest's bust attempts to compete with the story but ultimately fails. As Leo is the next best eligible bachelor in the Union and handsome, Savine decides to extend an invitation to an empty office space. We switch to Orso who is wildly jealous over Savine's interest in his rival and entirely blaming himself for the relationships failure. His father brings over Bayaz and he honestly complains about the death of the Valbeck Breakers. Bayaz states he'll learn eventually while Jezal is horrified and impresses on Orso the importance of following all of Bayaz's orders. Later, Rikke comes over to Orso and they get on well enough to decide on a garden tour ending in his bedroom.
A Bit About Courage - Jurand accompanies Leo to the office and is disappointed to learn he was there for directions only. Leo is uncomfortable around women and even more so around Savine until the pearl dust she forces on him kicks in.
Substitutes - Rikke wakes up in Orso's bed with him hand delivering breakfast. He is over the moon when she compliments him and immediately begins planning their next date. The Queen interrupts their diplomacy by walking in but the chapter still ends with another round before the parade.
No Expense Spared - Orso and Leo are riding through Adua and while the people cheer for Leo, Orso is booed and called the Young Lamb. Orso leaves Leo to the front of the parade when he realizes Leo and Savine were together last night. The Broads watch one Orso heckler dragged away by Practicals and May and Liddy stop Gunnar from interfering. Savine watches the procession and reflects on how Leo, while attractive, was disappointing intellectually when compared to Orso who she misses. She has a tense exchange with Glokta over the situation which Bayaz notices from afar, prompting Glokta to once again warn her firmly away from any interaction with him. Orso flirts with Rikke some more and notices her companions, Shivers and Isern. Tallow brings his sister to meet Vick and she is thankful for the opportunity he has to work. I guess she didn't get the hostage situation memo. Bayaz gives a speech about Union victory and such then Rikke has a fit. She sees a white horse prancing at the top of a broken tower, a great door open but on the other side there was only an open room, and an old chieftain dead in a high hall lit with candles and men gathered looking down at the body. She worries it is her father and wants to return home.
My Kind of Bastard - Clover invites Wonderful to join him in teaching swordwork now that they're done watching over Stour. They're watching him talk with Scale and muse that defeat might have given him some needed lessons. The lessons didn't penetrate quite right though and he stabs Scale in the neck. Declaring he's done waiting taking his role as King of the North, his men kill Scale's and he has Clover show his loyalty by killing Wonderful. Calder comes in and is horrified. He states their allies won't all like this but Stour doesn't need them because Leo and the Union are his new besties.
Long Live the King - Orso wakes in the middle of the night sad about recent events. His mother bursts in and brings him to Jezel's chambers. The King is declared dead in a surprising turn of events given how healthy he seemed. Bayaz announces Orso as the new King.