Empire of Storms

Elide hides until she cannot hear the screaming anymore. When she comes out of her hiding spot, Lorcan chides her for moving so conspicuously and angrily tells her that he knows her true identity. He knows that her uncle is Erawan’s right hand, and she is his prized possession: a lady of high regard. Elide replies that she is no one’s possession, and tells him that she would rather die than go back to Morath. Softened by her resolve, he asks what she carries. All Elide will say is that the item is a gift for Celaena Sardothien. Elide tells Lorcan the truth of her uncle’s treachery; he usurped her father’s title and subsequently imprisoned Elide, keeping her chained and enslaved in Morath. Lorcan reveals his own past; he was born to unwed parents on the streets of Doranelle and later swore a blood oath to Maeve. He still honors this oath although he knows that she may kill him for coming to Erilea of his own accord. Elide and Lorcan establish that neither of them has any family left.

Manon wakes in screaming pain aboard the ship. Aelin tells her that they pulled all the iron shavings out her abdominal wounds. Manon is now their prisoner. Abraxos is safe aboard the ship as well, but Aelin threatens to kill Manon if she tries to hurt anyone. When Aelin leaves, Dorian goes to Manon’s cabin and explains how they saved her. He has also figured out that Manon’s grandmother was the one who attacked her. Manon asks about Elide, but Dorian does not know who she is. Manon also asks about the Thirteen, but Dorian has not heard any news, as they have been aboard the ship for over a week, sailing south. Manon tells Dorian that if he can find the Thirteen, she will join their cause. She asks him to tell Aelin that Elide is alive and looking for her.

A storm threatens the troupe as they come to a town, so Elide and Lorcan travel from tavern to tavern, seeking news of the conflict with Erawan. They hear about Rifthold’s destruction, Dorian’s ousting as king, and the rumors of Aelin’s travel plans. Some believe that she will go to Terrasen, while others think she will go to Eyllwe. Learning that two of the other troupe members turned them in to the town’s garrison of guards, Elide and Lorcan flee. They steal a boat from a man, promising to let him live, but Lorcan later kills him and throws him overboard, upsetting Elide. Lorcan calls Elide naïve for thinking that the man would not have betrayed them. He also accuses her of hypocrisy for judging his actions when she is seeking Celaena Sardothien, an assassin. In his anger, he also reveals that Celaena and Aelin are the same person, telling her that the queen she seeks is a murderer. Elide tells Lorcan that his hatred of her reveals his loneliness. Suddenly, the Wyrdkey stone in Elide’s pocket comes to life, causing Lorcan to realize that the Wyrdkey that Aelin gave him is a fake. He says that he will continue on with Elide to Eyllwe, where they hope to find Aelin, stating that he now has business with Aelin as well.

Aelin wakes up from a nightmare; her power is overflowing and burning her clothes off. Rowan calms her down. They discuss Aelin’s dream of making a new court, hinting at her desire to marry Rowan. They become intimate. In the night, Dorian visits Manon, and they discuss the Yielding, the process by which a witch can destroy a large area with magic at the cost of their life. Manon asks him to remove her chains, feeling empathy for the years that Elide spent chained in Morath. Dorian says that she must ask Aelin to unchain her. The two of them flirt, but Dorian leaves before the situation escalates.

When Aedion delivers Manon’s breakfast, he smells Dorian’s scent in her cabin and questions Dorian’s decision to flirt with Manon, but Lysandra is glad that Dorian can move on from the trauma of losing Sorscha. Dorian asks Aelin to unchain Manon, and although she is uncertain of Manon’s intentions and angry at Manon for leaving Elide in Oakwald, she agrees to unchain Manon’s legs. In exchange, she demands that Manon share information about Morath and about Erawan’s plans. They arrive at Manon’s cabin, and as Aelin introduces Fenrys to guard Manon, Manon says that he is not Fenrys.

Erawan’s Bloodhound shifts back to her original form, leaving the illusion of Fenrys behind, though she admits that Fenrys is still alive elsewhere on the ship. The group fights the Bloodhound, who taunts Manon with news of Asterin’s torture and death. Fenrys shoots the Bloodhound, and Manon almost kills it before Dorian uses his magical, invisible hands to finish the job. Ilken approach the ship, and before the group can kill them all, one reveals to Aelin that Erawan knows she carries a Wyrdkey and knows of her location and plans.

In the aftermath of the fight with the ilken, the group uses healing magic to patch each other up. Aelin helps heal Fenrys, even though he claims that he can heal himself. While she heals him, she asks him how he came to serve Maeve. He tells her that he and his twin Connall were the sons of a noble family in Wendlyn and went to Doranelle to seek adventure, which led to Connall serving Maeve and Fenrys following to protect him. Maeve knows that Fenrys hates the bond; she sent him with Gavriel to torture him with a taste of freedom. Gavriel joined Maeve because he was the third son of his noble family and had no other way to gain honor. He does not hate the bond, but he almost left to be with Aedion’s mother. Aedion is shocked by this, especially when Gavriel tells him that he would have done anything to keep Aedion and his mother safe. Aedion goes below deck and falls asleep beside Lysandra, who is in her snow leopard form.

They work to repair the ship, especially the hole in Manon’s cabin. Dorian and Manon discuss the strategies of killing versus torture, as Dorian killed the Bloodhound quickly and humanely. Manon then reveals the truth of her Ironteeth/Crochan heritage. Aelin and Manon greet each other as queens—the Queen of Terrasen and the Queen of the Crochans, respectively. The group questions Maeve’s intentions, and Fenrys states “nameless is her price” (459) to indicate that she cannot be bought. This phrase jars Aelin because Baba Yellowlegs said the same thing to her before Aelin killed her. Aelin asks Manon if witches can see the future; she replies that some, like Baba Yellowlegs, can. Aelin goes to her room and tells Rowan that she wants to talk to Lysandra. They then realize that Eyllwe is burning.

Elide does not speak to Lorcan for three days, only breaking her silence to tell him that she needs menstrual products. They stop at an inn to get supplies and new clothes. However, the innkeeper sells Elide out to her uncle Vernon, locking her in a room with him and the ilken.

Vernon tells Elide that he and the ilken will take her back to Morath. Elide tries to claim that Lorcan is her husband, arguing that Vernon is no longer in charge of her. However, Vernon sees through the deception because he knows who Lorcan is. He also tells her that Lorcan took the boat and left her behind and claims that Manon is dead. The ilken begin to drag her to a box designed to hold her during the journey to Morath. As she grabs the dagger on Vernon’s hip, Lorcan throws a hatchet at her wrist to stop her from plunging it into her chest. As Lorcan fights the ilken, Elide grabs the hatchet and decapitates one of them. Another ilken takes Vernon and flies away. Elide and Lorcan fight the rest of the ilken, and Lorcan carries Elide to safety. When they get to the boat, Lorcan promises to remain with Elide and protect her. He asks her about the stone that Kaltain gave her, then explains the Wyrdkeys and Wyrdgates. Elide falls asleep, and when she wakes up, Lorcan has cut his clean shirt into strips for her to use for her period.