The Thief

The magus is the advisor to the king of Sounis, and his character arc is one of developing self-awareness and a better understanding of others. The magus begins the book believing he is superior to most others, both because of his status in relation to the king and because he is educated. He looks down upon everyone, including his apprentices, and exemplifies How We Use One Another in how he manipulates Gen and others to get the outcomes he desires. The magus’s education is also what allows him to change. He makes it his business to know everything, but sharing stories of the old gods with Gen makes him realize that there are things he cannot teach himself because they do not exist in a book. Hearing Eddisian versions of the gods’ stories makes the magus appreciate the differences between himself and Gen, which ultimately leads to a friendship between the men. At the very end of the book, the magus realizes that, despite all his knowledge and learning, Gen tricked him. This is the conclusive moment in his character arc, and the magus leaves Eddis with Gen as a friend, ally, and equal.

Ambiades is the elder of the magus’s two apprentices and an antagonist. Before the opening of the story, Ambiades had wealth and status, but a scandal in his family, combined with his father’s gambling, left him poor and unimportant, which makes him perpetually angry. This anger leads Ambiades to seek a partnership with Attolia and betray the group. Where Gen is selfish as it suits him, he rarely uses his selfishness to harm others. By contrast, Ambiades doesn’t care who his selfishness harms. He cares only for restoring what he believes should be his, and he is willing to destroy anyone if it will help achieve that goal. Ambiades dies when Pol throws him off a cliff, showing how Ambiades’s actions push others away. Where Gen endeared himself to the group despite his attitude, Ambiades made enemies with his antics, which meant his companions felt no loyalty to him.

Sophos is the younger of the magus’s apprentices, and his own character arc is steady. Rather, his main role in the story is to show how the other characters grow and change in contrast. Sophos is quiet and enjoys books, much to the chagrin of his father, an ambitious duke. Sophos’s father sends him on this journey to toughen him up, but Sophos neither wants this, nor is he adept at combat or outdoor adventuring. He looks up to Ambiades, who is skilled at everything Sophos’s father approves of, and Sophos is favored by the magus, which stokes Ambiades’s anger. Sophos is the first person Gen grows to care for, partly because Sophos makes an effort to befriend him and partly because Gen realizes how vulnerable Sophos is. At the end of the book, Sophos reveals he is the heir to Sounis, which shows that characters can be full of surprises. Sophos is typically so honest and quiet that Gen did not expect him to be hiding such a monumental secret.