Motif · Book 8, A Parade of Horribles

The Inevitable Ruin

The moment you recognise a lost cause, after which nothing you do changes the outcome — the name a sward mantis's queen used for it, and a curse on the mind of the Hunter Wraith that ruins something pure by telling the truth. Carl knows the phrase in his bones without knowing from where — 'Do you remember the circus?' — and calls it hopelessness in another form.

Segment appearances

• Chapter 92 — Chaco on Lamashtu; the AI's history in four parts; Vengeance
• Epilogue — Epilogue: Sydnee Iglacia, Prime Minister Victory, Louis Santiago 2

Progression

The Unwashed stands on the Vengeance float as the Inevitable Ruin (ch. 92); Sydnee Iglacia names it as the third of the nine-tier attack's social attacks (epilogue).