Keeper of the Lost Cities: Who Is Wraith?

This post contains MAJOR SPOILERS from late in the set.  Do not read this post unless you've read ALL of the books that have been published.  You've been warned.

This particular post is speculation.  I don't know whether my idea is remotely feasible.  I mentioned it on Reddit quite awhile back. 

We've known for some time that Granite is Tiergan and Juline is Squall.  The other three Collective members haven't been explicitly revealed.

It is widely believed in the fandom that Blur is Jensi's older brother, Fernan Babblos.  Both Blur and Fernan are Phasers, and Sophie notices that Blur's features seem familiar when his face is sprayed by a mist (Book 6, page 289).  This means that Sophie knows someone who looks a lot like Blur.  That clue along with the mention that Jensi's brother is a Phaser does suggest that Blur is most likely Fernan Babblos.  

Even though most fans refuse to believe it, Shannon has placed a large number of clues in the books that point to Forkle as being former Councillor Kenric.  Shannon hasn't explicitly revealed Forkle's identity, but the clues are undeniable (see post).  

Wraith is the only member of the Collective for which we have no obvious clues.  Shannon has likely placed clues to Wraith's identity, but they are too obscure for fans to spot easily.

For a long time, I have kicked around a theory that Wraith is Fallon Vacker.  I will just put this out as an idea and state my observations.

I started thinking about the possibility due to Wraith being a Vanisher and some of the Vackers being Vanishers as well.  We don't know what Fallon's ability is, so there's no way of ruling Fallon out.

For the longest time, I thought that my idea about Fallon was bonkers and had little validity, since I didn't feel that the books have any clues that point in that direction.  When I first made the possible connection, I was only 10% sure that Fallon could be a possible candidate to be Wraith.

With Wraith and Fallon Vacker, all I've had are vague thoughts, but my confidence is slowly growing.  Sometime last year, I found an online post by NotRitzCrackerAGAIN that suggested Fallon could be Wraith.  

https://www.wattpad.com/amp/1504548993

I was pleasantly surprised, since I thought that my idea was too implausible.  I mean... someone else had the same thought, so perhaps my idea had some merit.  I can't be completely insane if someone else has the same idea, right?

I've since read the books through at least three more times, and I've spotted some other things.  I still don't have anything definite to tie Fallon to Wraith, but it feels right to me.  I'd say that I have about 60% convinced myself that Fallon is Wraith.  But even now I really don't know.  I want to be clear about that.  

Let's get into it.

Shannon has placed some obscure clues about other plot points early in the first book that don't pay off until much later in the series.  For instance:

Keeper, page 57:  [The Councillors have] silver capes fastened at the base of their necks with clasps that looked like glowing, golden keys. 

Legacy, page 138:  Their long silver cloaks were all pinned with clasps shaped like glowing golden keys—a style Sophie had only seen the Councillors wear one other time.

The golden keys coming full circle shows how Shannon meticulously planned out this series from the very beginning.  The average fan doesn't give her nearly enough credit.

The first book has similar mentions that also don't come into play again until late in the series.  Could the first book have clues about Wraith?  It's certainly possible, and I may have found one.  

Sophie visits the Vacker home, Everglen, for the first time, which is described as follows.

Keeper, page 56:  Part castle, part manor, it was made almost entirely of intricately cut crystal, and among the numerous turrets and gables rose a tower that resembled a lighthouse.

Wow.  I've long thought that Wraith has a connection to the lighthouse, Brumevale.  If I'm right about Wraith having a connection to Brumevale, then the Vacker home having a tower that resembles a lighthouse could be a big clue.  It's such a random detail that most readers will miss, including me the first four times that I read the first book.  But, it's there.

Are lighthouses of some significance to the Vacker family?  

Nightfall, page 169:  "This area has a rather complicated history.  But I shouldn't be the one to tell you that story."  "Who should?" Biana asked.  "The person who was affected."

I suspect that the lighthouse, Brumevale, is connected to Wraith, since he is the one who gets the alert when it is destroyed in Stellarlune.  I am making an assumption, and I could very well be wrong.  But if Wraith does have a connection to Brumevale, then the Vacker tower that resembles a lighthouse could be a clue.

On page 125 of Neverseen, Biana asks Wraith how he partially vanishes.  He replies, "Work hard enough and I'll teach you someday."  This doesn't mean anything, but I feel that it could be a vague clue because...

On page 277 of Lodestar, Wraith comforts Alden about Alvar: "You are not responsible for your son's actions."

If Wraith is a Vacker, then he might have comforted Alden for that reason.

I have mentioned that Shannon has placed quite a few parallelisms on this series.  An ancient Councillor (Fintan) is in the Neverseen, so it's possible that an ancient Councillor (Fallon) is in the Black Swan.  We know that Forkle didn't found the Black Swan and that its beginnings were from before his inception.  This means that one of the ancients is the founder of the Black Swan.  Could that ancient founder be Fallon Vacker?

Nightfall, page 180:  "But the seeds were in place long before our inception.  This tower is proof of that."

This means that whoever founded the Black Swan is likely an ancient due to how old Forkle is.

Wraith can do a very difficult vanishing skill—being an ancient would have given him the practice.

Neverseen, page 125:  Biana moved closer to study him.  "How do you partially vanish like that?"  "Work hard enough and I'll teach you," he said.

Nightfall, page 451:  "All these decisions we keep questioning, like the prejudice against multiple births and the ban on Pyrokinesis?  Those are all things Fallon probably decided."

Stellarlune, page 185:  "But Fallon tends to be involved with most of our world's secrets..."

Since the elves are in a mess that was largely caused by Fallon, it is certainly possible that Fallon could be trying to right his wrongs by working with a rebel group.

One of my favorite scenes in the entire series is Fallon Vacker's appearance in Flashback.  I suspect that Fallon is putting on an act, pretending to be confused.  The characters say that the ancients struggle with all of their memories and tend to be confused.  We have been introduced to several of the ancients, and they don't act like Fallon.

Bronte:  He is never confused.  He's sharp as a tack.

Luzia:  She is shrewd.  She's helping the trolls and has an arrangement with them.  She sets up the illusions for the twin alicorns.  I see no memory problems.

Vespera:  Vespera is haughty and cruel.  Her emotions are dampened, but her mind is fine.

Fintan:  Fintan pretends to be confused at moments.

Stellarlune, page 504:  At first he tried to pretend he was all confused when I brought them up, like, What are Noxflares and why would I care about them?  But then I told him I went to his old house and picked a few, and he was like, You must let me see them.

Yep.  Fintan puts on an act, and he's with the Neverseen.  

I also should mention Forgotten Secret #4 with Fintan.  In it, Oralie tells Kenric that Fintan is confused (Stellarlune, page 240).  She also says that he seems unstable.  In the Forgotten Secret, Fintan is distracted by his Noxflares that are going to bloom for the first time in 500 years.  While he's trying to focus on them, two annoying Councillors are pestering him with silly questions.  Of course Fintan's going to seem distracted and confused.

Every ancient other than Fallon seems not to have Fallon's memory problems.  That's why I think he's pretending.

Fallon shows up at the hearing to argue against Alvar being sent to Everglen.  Could he be the voice of the Black Swan at the hearing?

Flashback, page 31:  "I wasn't expecting to be here," Fallon admitted, glancing behind him like he was tempted to turn and flee.

How odd.  Why did Fallon show up, if he didn't expect to be present?  It might be part of the act.  He's acting like he doesn't know why he's there.

Flashback, page 31:  "I prefer the solace of home.  It's the only place where my mind doesn't struggle to separate what is from what used to be."

I don't buy it.

Flashback, page 33:  "I can't say for certain."  Fallon's eyes shifted to Bronte.  "But things from our past are often more than they seem."

The above passage foreshadows Elysian.  It also suggests that Bronte knows something, or that the information is in Bronte's cache.

Flashback, page 37:  Fallon ignored him.  "It's also the predictability that bothers me.  Surely these rebels—these Neverseen, as they've chosen to call themselves—assumed we would send him home to his family in his condition.  Is it such a stretch to think that it could also be their wish?"

Here, Fallon shows that he knows exactly what is going on.  He knows the name of the enemy rebel group.  His instinct about the Neverseen wanting Alvar to be sent to Everglen is absolutely correct.  Fallon's purpose in showing up is to warn the Council and try to prevent a disaster.  

Flashback, page 39:  Fallon hummed a few bars of a soft melody, and Sophie wondered if he realized he was losing credibility with every note.  "That doesn't sound familiar?"  "Can't say that it does," Alina told him.  He hummed a few more beats, rocking back on his heels.  "I believe it's from a wedding.  I can see the gown so clearly.  It looked like... spun sunlight.  And I think there was some sort of commotion.  Wait!  You were the one who interrupted!"

I believe that Fallon is dissing Alina on purpose.  He's pretending to be half out of it, when he knows exactly what he is doing.  There's more to Fallon than meets the eye.  

Another point is that Fallon compares the dress to "spun sunlight."  He has a way with words, like someone who uses descriptive phrases such as "butterflies kissed with red."  Fallon is likely the elf who wrote the Elysian clues found by Kenric and Gisela.

Even if Fallon Vacker isn't part of the Black Swan, we can be sure that he will appear in the next book due to his connection to Elysian.  In the first chapter of Elysian, which was released in the paperback edition of Unraveled, Elysian mentions Councillor Fallon.  We will soon find out more about Fallon Vacker.  I look forward to it.

All of my past Keeper posts are linked from this page:

Keeper of the Lost Cities Summaries, Reviews, and Theories

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