Empire of Storms

Elide Lochan struggles as she journeys north through the forests where Manon Blackbeak and the other members of the Thirteen left her. Her mission is to find Aelin Galathynius, the rightful queen of Elide’s home country of Terrasen. She must also find Celaena Sardothien, the woman to whom Kaltain Rompier told her to deliver a smooth black stone (Wyrdkey) with the message that any door can open if one has the key. Elide sees wyverns fly overhead and tries to hide from sight, though she still feels as if someone is watching her. (Her senses are heightened by her mother’s Blackbeak witch lineage.) 

Lorcan Salvaterre, the most powerful demi-Fae in existence, also hides from the wyverns as the Yellowlegs witches hunt him for breaking into their camp and interrogating and killing one of the witches for information about Erawan’s plans. The witch told him that two witch armies stand ready to march for Erawan, one at Morath and one at the Ferian Gap. However, the witch knew nothing about the Wyrdkeys or Erawan’s plan to open the Wyrdgate. Now, Lorcan sees Elide and smells her demonic scent. He plans to interrogate her to get more answers. Both are guided by gods. Lorcan is guided by Hellas, the death-god from whom he draws his power, and Elide is guided by Annieth, to whom she prayed as a child while imprisoned in Morath.

Aelin Galathynius and Rowan Whitethorn lead their companions north into Terrasen, accompanied by the Little Folk, who leave them offerings and gifts. Aelin sits beside a stream while she thinks about the journey and the battles that they will face against Erawan. Rowan joins her, surprised that she is so alert this early in the morning. She is worried about the meeting with the lords of Terrasen that her cousin Aedion Ashryver and his legion the Bane organized to discuss the war and the future of Terrasen. Rowan tells her that Erawan has most likely not yet attacked because he is rebuilding after the destruction of part of Morath. Aelin tells him that she trusts him, and they kiss. They hear the rest of camp awaken and return as Aelin notices a small carved wyvern, another token from the Little Folk.

Aelin’s cousin Aedion, the general of the Terrasen army, has kept the company’s movement north of Aelin quiet. In his hawk form, Rowan flies ahead but cannot catch sight or scent of the Terrasen lords. As they pass through towns, Aedion can see some of the magic users come out of hiding, as word has spread that the King of Adarlan’s dark magic no longer stymies magical abilities. Aedion is especially amazed by Lysandra’s shapeshifting abilities, though she stays mostly in her ghost leopard form, which Aedion thinks is due to the negative memories associated with the trauma she endured in her human body. As they continue on their journey, Aedion reminds Aelin about the lords that they will meet and their relationships to their family. Aelin also watches Aedion with the Sword of Orynth, which she returns to him as she believes he is more worthy of the symbol of Terrasen than she. When they approach the meeting place, they are interrupted by a messenger who tells them that the lords want them to come to the tavern where they are resting, as Lord Murtaugh is elderly, and the others worry about his traveling in the rain. Aedion agrees, as long as they can send a scout. The messenger tells them that Lord Darrow is impatient, as they are anxious about being outside Orynth.

Manon Blackbeak and the Thirteen watch the Matron of the Blackbeak Clan, Manon’s grandmother, land their wyverns at the ruins of the merchant city of Morath. Manon worries about her grandmother’s reaction to the destruction, but she also resentments the Matron’s treatment of her cousin, Asterin. (The Matron branded her and beat her violently, and burned her stillborn child before Asterin could even hold her.) Now, the Matron finds it convenient that Morath was nearly destroyed after Manon opposed the breeding experiments between the Valg and the Yellowlegs witches, but Manon reminds the Matron that Kaltain destroyed Morath; she was the “pet” (38) of Duke Perrington. The Blackbeak witches enter the ruins of Morath and meet Erawan in his true form, as he has shed the skin of Duke Perrington. Erawan explains his plan for Manon and the Thirteen to invade Rifthold in Adarlan and to take Dorian prisoner if he survives. He tells Manon to destroy enough of Rifthold to instill fear before taking it over entirely. 

After the Thirteen leave, Manon asks Ghislaine, the witch scholar of the Thirteen, about Erawan. Manon tells him about the origins of the Valg Kings, describing how they invaded the world at the dawn of time. Two Valg Kings were sent back to their home world while Erawan was trapped after his defeat by Maeve and Brannon. He plotted his return before being allegedly defeated by Brannon’s daughter, but clearly, he was not actually defeated. Manon dons her new armor, mounts her wyvern, Abraxos, and takes to the sky.

Aelin and Aedion arrive at the tavern to meet the lords after Lysandra and Rowan scope out the area for any potential threats. Aelin worries what the lords will think of her, as she almost killed Ren Allsbrook when he didn’t know who she was and she barely remembers Murtaugh or Darrow from her childhood. When they arrive, Darrow is hostile toward Aelin, disparaging Lysandra’s new title and calling her a “whore.” He also calls Rowan one of “Maeve’s minions” (55). Aelin defends herself and her court and finally throws a dagger at Darrow after he insults Aedion for the measures he took to protect Terrasen while pretending to serve the King of Adarlan. Darrow tells Aelin that she is not yet Queen of Terrasen, as the Lords of Terrasen must approve any ruler. He shows her a slip of paper with the signatures of the four lords, including Darrow, who refuse to recognize her right to rule.

Aelin challenges Darrow’s pettiness in refusing her the throne in the midst of a war against a Valg king. Darrow tells Aelin to gather allies to fight the battle against Erawan, and says that if she does so, the lords may consider reinstating her as queen. Darrow also tells her that the Bane (the Terrasen army) now answers to the Lords who control Terrasen in Aelin’s place. Aedion is enraged by this, but before he can respond, Darrow’s messenger returns with the news that the Ironteeth witches are on their way to raid Rifthold. Aelin sends Rowan to Rifthold to save Dorian, and before he leaves, he promises to return safely and to consummate their relationship when he sees her again. They kiss, and Rowan turns into his hawk form and flies away. Aelin reveals her plan to go to Skull’s Bay to ask Captain Rolfe to join her cause. She tells Aedion that they must rally troops in the south to drive Erawan northward. Aelin cuts her hand and swears a blood oath that when Terrasen needs her, she will come to its aid, despite her mistreatment by the lords. She, Aedion, and Lysandra begin traveling south.

Dorian paces in the quiet of his castle in Rifthold. His mother and brother are still in their mountain retreat, leaving Dorian alone to cope with the reality of his father’s Valg demon, which lived inside the man for years and tortured him. He also thinks about Sorcha’s gruesome death, which haunts him in the wake of the destruction of the glass castle. He knows that Morath is stirring again and recognizes that the fight against Erawan will inevitably return. He then receives word that the wyverns and witches are headed for the city. 

Manon sees that Iskra Yellowlegs and her legion have already begun the attack, despite their orders to let Manon and the Thirteen lead the battle. Manon prepares herself to take over the attack.

Dorian stays in the tower after the servants beg him not to join the battle. From the tower, he uses his magic to take down some of the witches and their wyverns before a Yellowlegs witch breaks through the tower to attack him. He is pierced by the wyvern’s tail, and venom infuses the wound, but Manon appears and beheads the witch attacking Dorian. She helps Dorian to his feet and tells him about Erawan’s true identity. Dorian asks her to join his side now, but Manon refuses. Manon is now a Witch Killer and is afraid that the next Yellowlegs who enters the tower will know what she has done, but Rowan appears and kills the witch before she can realize what Manon did. Rowan chokes Manon with his wind magic, but Dorian stops him. Rowan and Dorian leave, and Dorian tells Manon to find them when she is ready to switch sides.

Rowan and Dorian escape the castle through the sewers, passing through Aelin’s gate—the one that she traveled through during the chaos of the battle against the King of Adarlan in Queen of Shadows. Rowan puts Dorian in a boat, hides him beneath his cloak, and reverts to his hawk form. They successfully sneak out of the city. As they leave, Rowan thinks about what the coming war will cost Aelin. He sensed her anguish over Terrasen’s rejection of her leadership, and he knows that she will only endure more pain in the battles to come.

Elide continues to flee from the unseen person stalking her (Lorcan). She finds it difficult to continue with her bad leg, but she pushes onward. Stopping to drink water, she hears an unnatural howling. Lorcan catches up to her and tells her to either come with him, or she’ll die. He can protect them both from the approaching creatures because he has dark powers of death bestowed by the god Hellas. They run from the creatures that are herding them, then crash into monstrous beings that are clearly Valg in nature. While Lorcan tries to fight them, Elide runs away. The beings tell Lorcan that they are the ilken, Erawan’s hunters. They pursue Elide and ask Lorcan if he is protecting her. Before Lorcan can reply, he hears a scream.

Elide stumbles into another ilken and pretends to be one of Erawan’s minions. When she flees, Lorcan catches up with her. She lies about her name, going by her mother’s name, Marion, and tells him that she escaped Morath and plans to join Aelin Galathynius’s cause. He asks why she smells like the Valg, and she tells him that the scent is from the time that she spent as a captive in Morath. In exchange for answering his questions about Morath, Lorcan offers to protect her until they reach a town where they can travel to their respective destinations. She agrees.

In the aftermath of the battle in Rifthold, Manon looks at the five dead Yellowlegs witches, one killed directly by her and the other four killed by Rowan. The Thirteen arrive, and Asterin, Manon’s second-in-command, senses what really happened. Iskra Yellowlegs arrives, and Manon lies, claiming that one witch attacked her, (giving Manon the right to kill her) and distracted Manon while the other witches were killed by Rowan and Dorian. Iskra does not believe Manon’s lie. She can smell the Witch Killer status. When Manon returns to Morath, Iskra has summoned a trial and accuses Manon of killing her sentinel witch unprompted. Manon lies about what happened. The head witches agree that Manon did not kill the witch wrongfully, but they also agree that blood must be paid with blood. The Blackbeak Matron decrees that Asterin will die the next morning.