Cade and Duncan’s Lifelong Bond

Firebug

Cade and Duncan’s chosen-family loyalty shapes both Duncan’s refusal to rule and his later decision to help save Cade.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Teenager Taken In A Teenager Taken In from "Firebug". A Teenager Taken In A home refused Cade leaves his parents and lives briefly in his car. Duncan finds him camping in the woods and takes him in.

A Teenager Taken In from "Firebug". A Teenager Taken In A home refused Cade leaves his parents and lives briefly in his car. Duncan finds him camping in the woods and takes him in.

A Teenager Taken In A home refused Cade leaves his parents and lives briefly in his car. Duncan finds him camping in the woods and takes him in. Care without obligation Duncan becomes a stable presence when Cade’s biological family cannot offer closeness. Their friendship grows into a lasting form of kinship.

The Annual Cards The Annual Cards from "Firebug". The Annual Cards An old hurt repeated Cade’s parents send cards signed only with their names.

The Annual Cards An old hurt repeated Cade’s parents send cards signed only with their names. Duncan knows when the cards arrive and appears with a drink and company. A ritual of solidarity Cade turns the cards into paper airplanes and Ava burns them. Duncan’s quiet presence helps transform rejection into a family tradition shared with Ava.

A Coterie Offer Refused A Coterie Offer Refused from "Firebug". A Coterie Offer Refused Leadership within reach Coterie members ask Duncan to succeed the previous leader.

A Coterie Offer Refused from "Firebug". A Coterie Offer Refused Leadership within reach Coterie members ask Duncan to succeed the previous leader.

A Coterie Offer Refused Leadership within reach Coterie members ask Duncan to succeed the previous leader. He refuses because he wants a quiet life and has no desire to rule. Family guides the choice Duncan’s choices are shaped by his loyalty to Cade and his wish to keep the people he loves safe, not by a hunger for power.

A Rescue Mobilized A Rescue Mobilized from "Firebug". A Rescue Mobilized A friend acts When Cade fails to arrive at Duncan’s cabin, Duncan helps Ava and the others investigate rather than retreat into safety.

A Rescue Mobilized from "Firebug". A Rescue Mobilized A friend acts When Cade fails to arrive at Duncan’s cabin, Duncan helps Ava and the others investigate rather than retreat into safety.

A Rescue Mobilized A friend acts When Cade fails to arrive at Duncan’s cabin, Duncan helps Ava and the others investigate rather than retreat into safety. Loyalty made practical He provides the drove’s shelter and takes part in the effort to confront Venus. His friendship with Cade is expressed as action under risk.

The Choice Explained The Choice Explained from "Firebug". The Choice Explained Duncan names his reason Duncan explains that he did not want Venus to rule and feared she would eventually kill Cade.

The Choice Explained from "Firebug". The Choice Explained Duncan names his reason Duncan explains that he did not want Venus to rule and feared she would eventually kill Cade.

The Choice Explained Duncan names his reason Duncan explains that he did not want Venus to rule and feared she would eventually kill Cade. His refusal to lead was not indifference to the Coterie’s cruelty. Mutual understanding Ava recognizes the resemblance between Duncan’s choices and her own efforts to protect family. Resentment gives way to a clearer understanding of his limits and loyalties.

When Cade is sixteen

Each Christmas and on Cade’s birthday

About twenty to twenty-five years before the novel

After Cade disappears

After the final battle