Chapter Twenty: Durance Vile. Hamey. Feeding Time. The Lord High. Interrogation.

Summary

• The chapter is from the perspective of Charlie. It begins with him hearing the voice of someone telling him to wake up.
• We learn that Charlie is confined in a prison cell. He is with another prisoner named Hamey, who accuses him of being from a privileged class and taunts him for not knowing what he has got himself into.
• His cellmate explains to Charlie that they are in a place called Deep Maleen. Hamey also warns him about the “Lord High” and “Flight Killer” who are high ranking figures in their prison.
• Charlie tries to make sense of the strange prisoners and their conversations. They eat raw meat from a guard named Pursey and fear a coming event called the “Fair One”.
• Charlie wakes up from a deep sleep to find that Hamey is urging him to tell their captors that he is from a place called Ullum if he is interrogated. He is convinced that this lie will save Charlie's life.
• Charlie is taken by another guard to what seems like a higher level of the prison and is told he will meet someone important soon.

• The protagonist, Charlie, is taken into an elegant living room by an aged but seemingly healthy man named Kellin. The room contrasts sharply to the dank prison cell where Charlie had previously been held. Kellin is generally unafraid of Charlie and is even pleasant to him.
• Kellin pours some tea and the two of them have a conversation. The conversation reveals some strange realities about Kellin and this world; Kellin has a blue aura surrounding him, has a long and cruel fingernail, and his true skeletal form sometimes shows through his illusion of human flesh.
• Kellin begins to interrogate Charlie about his origins and motivations, Charlie carefully navigates through his questions, occasionally making responses that act to shield his true origins and intentions.
• Kellin is anxious to understand why Charlie would come to such a dangerous place named "the Lily". Kellin asks Charlie why he left his home if not to come to the Lily. Charlie explains that he was avoiding a mass poisoning - a fact that intrigues Kellin. Moreover, Charlie hints at magical elements of the Lily, such as living beings turning into gold.
• Throughout the conversation, Kellin mentions a pet dog and a character named Elsa, whom he believes Charlie may have had a connection with. Charlie doesn't reveal much about their significance, but shows emotional vulnerability when they are mentioned.
• Kellin does not believe Charlie's stories and decides to send him back to the prison cell where he had previously been held. As he leaves, Kellin asks about a wallet, which belongs to someone named Christopher Polley. Charlie says he found the wallet and is let go. He rejoices internally, relieved that he hasn't revealed his true origins.