Zachary (5)

''This article is about the chapter. For the character, see Zachary Ezra Rawlins.''

"Zachary (5)" is the twelfth chapter in the first book of The Starless Sea. It is the fifth chapter from Zachary's point of view and the twelfth chapter overall.

Summary
Zachary arrives at the Algonquin Hotel Annual Literary Masquerade. He spots a woman dressed as Max from Where the Wild Things Are, but does not see a necklace featuring a bee, key, and sword. He overhears someone mention that there are private storytelling sessions in other rooms.

Two women ask Zachary if he has seen the hotel cat, and Zachary agrees to help them look. But before he does, the woman dressed as Max asks him for a dance, and he agrees. He recognizes her costume, which pleases her. Their dance is interrupted when the woman sees someone. A photographer takes their picture, and the woman leaves. Zachary declines to give his name to the photographer.

Zachary wanders the party. He is suddenly pulled into a dark room, where a man tells him a story about Time falling in love with Fate. In this story, the stars separated them, but they found each other again. The stars requested advice from the moon, who called upon the owls to determine how to proceed. The owls decided that Fate should be removed, and it was ripped apart. A mouse took its heart to keep it safe. The owl who consumed Fate's eyes became the Owl King. The moon, who did not agree with the decision, was saddened.

After the story, Zachary finds himself pushed outside the room. The hotel cat finds him, and he pets her. He looks for the woman dressed as Max, but cannot find her. Zachary finds a card in his pocket with a time and place for a meeting, and with a bee on the back.

Major Characters

 * Zachary Ezra Rawlins
 * Mirabel - unnamed, described as "the woman dressed as Max"
 * Dorian - unnamed, described as "the storyteller"

Minor Characters

 * Woman in a beaded gown typing stories on scraps of paper
 * Man in a suit dressed as Godot
 * Women dressed as the twins from The Shining
 * Matilda - the Algonquin cat

Trivia and Connections

 * Zachary regrets that the person he is looking for is not at the party, not realizing he is dancing with her at that time.
 * It is not clear what Mirabel sees that interrupts their dance, but it is likely to be Dorian. Later, Dorian references a bargain with Mirabel, and it is likely that she left the dance to speak with him at this time. Her later disappearance from the party could be explained by leaving to go paint the door.
 * The Algonquin hotel is a real place, and Matilda was a real cat who lived there until her death in 2017.
 * The inclusion of a cat at the event parallels the large number of cats in the Harbor.
 * The story told by Dorian comes from Fortunes and Fables.
 * Zachary's second cocktail uses honey instead of fennel syrup, and Zachary remarks that it is better. Honey is a recurring theme in the book. The Starless Sea itself is made of honey.

Analysis
Zachary does not take the initiative in this chapter. His only clue, the necklace he saw in the photograph from the prior year's party, is not sufficient to allow him to spot Mirabel. She initiates the dance with him, and Dorian initiates the storytelling session. Zachary cannot even find Matilda until she finds him. But that is the theme of this chapter, that sometimes it is more effective to let Fate find you.

Quotes

 * It is sometimes more effective to let her find you, in my experience.
 * Someone else is in the darkness with him... Taller, maybe. Breathing softly. Smelling of lemon and leather and something that Zachary can't identify but finds extremely appealing.
 * Occasionally Fate can pull itself together again.