Character from Bastion by Phil Tucker
The companion who betrayed Scorio and spent two books earning back trust she never fully apologized for — proof that reincarnation can make strangers of friends.
Jova's betrayal of Scorio after reincarnation altered their dynamic is the series' most uncomfortable interpersonal wound. She didn't betray him out of malice — reincarnation genuinely changed who she was, and the person who woke up made choices the previous version wouldn't have. This doesn't excuse it, and the series is honest about that. Her redemptive arc across Books 3 and 4 is substantial — she becomes more likeable, more reliable, more aware of what she owes. But Tucker makes a deliberate choice: she never fully, cleanly apologizes. The resolution is behavioral rather than verbal. She shows up. She fights. She stays. Whether that's enough is left to the reader and to Scorio, who accepts it with the pragmatism of someone who can't afford to lose another ally in Hell.
Her name carries its own visual: 'Spike' suggests edges, and Jova delivers on that promise. She presents with the wary energy of someone who knows she's carrying a debt she hasn't paid.
Also known as: Jova, Spike