Curse of Shadows and Thorns

When she gets to his cottage, Elise can see how ill Legion must have been, though he tries to deny it. When she sees red welts beneath his collar, Legion is forced to admit that he suffers from an affliction every few weeks and will survive it as he has before. Mavie gets the supplies for Elise to make a healing tea for Legion, but she is surprised when Elise sends her away.

After Legion gives her a stronger drink, Elise finds the courage to confront him about her suspicion that he threatened Siverie. He admits that he mistook Siv for Tor’s lost sister, whom they sought vengeance against. Elise stands up for her maids, and Legion agrees not to bother them again. He also tells Elise that he grew up with Tor and Halvar in a waif house—the orphanage where he was sent after he came to New Timoran.

Elise goes to wash out their cups, which Legion thinks is beneath her. They share an intimate moment when he tries to stop her, and they almost kiss. They are stopped by Tor’s entrance. Tor claims that another group of Agitators has started attacking farms. When Elise wonders why they are attacking normal people rather than just the royals that they hate, Tor reveals that he doesn’t think these people are truly Agitators: They claim they have allied with the Shadow Guild that the Blood Wraith is a part of. The men are surprised when Elise mentions she thinks she saw the Blood Wraith look right at her the previous night, but they try to convince her that it was just a look-alike.

Mavie and Siv tell Elise about Legion’s meetings with her suitors and how he wants to meet with her privately to talk about them. Legion has Halvar take them in a carriage far outside of town and away from people, where Elise can feel at peace.

When they are alone, Legion asks which of the suitors she prefers. Elise says she would rather not marry any of them. Legion tells her about how Ettans and Night Folk often form monogamous relationships for love, unlike the Timoran men, who marry for power and often take several wives and consorts. They discuss the differences in what they know of the history of the Ettans, and Elise tells him about what Jarl said about unifying the different communities. However, earlier that day, Jarl had told Legion about this, and Legion understood it as Jarl’s attempt to overthrow the king with Calder.

Elise is unsure about this, wanting to see the good in Jarl. She tells Legion about how Zyben has threatened to withhold her father’s medical treatment if she doesn’t agree to all of the marriage negotiations. Legion asks what kind of match she would have if she had a choice, and she fears he can tell she would want a man like him. They see movement nearby, and Legion tells Elise to stay put. Just as he leaves, a hooded man attacks Elise with a dagger to her throat.

Elise can tell the man is an Agitator by his cry of “Hail the Night Prince” (114), and she attacks him with a stone and then her own blade. The man is able to grab her again. She sees Legion fight off another Agitator, but Halvar kills her captor with a bow before he can kill her. Elise saves Legion from getting attacked by the other Agitator, but Halvar has to stop Legion from hurting the man once he is dead.

Elise feels shocked and distressed when she realizes she has killed a man, even though he left her no choice. She fears what Legion will think of her. Back in the carriage, Elise falls asleep and dreams of Mavie trying to clean blood from her after a knife pierced her skull. When she awakes, Runa tells her that Mavie helped stitch a wound at her side and that Legion has gone into town to seek assistance from a healer for his own wound. Her parents are furious, and the king has ruled that any Agitator they find in the kingdom will be killed.

Mavie comes in and tells Elise that Siv left with Legion, making her suspicious. Elise is determined to figure out what happened to Legion.

Elise continues to worry about Legion as she hides from her parents in the library. She is surprised to keep hearing from everyone that Legion looked perfectly healthy when he left, when she last saw him with a serious wound in his leg.

Bevan comes to bring her books from Mattis, his nephew, and to tell her that Jarl has come to see her. Jarl assures her that he has sent trackers after the Agitators and that they will be killed, though Elise insists that they be given a fair trial in conformity with the law. Elise can’t stand to hear Jarl talk about vengeance and bloodshed in her name, and she is happy when Legion arrives with Tor, Siv, and Mavie.

Jarl speaks to Legion about Elise as if she is not in the room, further turning her against him. Elise and Legion go to her chamber to speak alone, and she admits how afraid she was of not knowing what happened to him. Legion tells her that he went out to find the Agitators, but when he found their encampment full of their families, the king’s men had already gotten to them, and only carnage remained. While he admits that he wanted to kill the Agitators who attacked her, Legion thought this move was monstrous. Elise fears she is the monstrous one for killing the man. Legion reassures her that he doesn’t think any less of her for having used her instinct to kill the Agitator, comparing her to Halvar, who killed the other man who attacked her.

Legion gives Elise two old Ettan journals he has brought for her—one that details strategy, and one from Queen Lilianna, a Timoran who married the last Ettan king and possibly caused Elise’s ancestor to start his siege against the Ettans. Later that night, she reads Lilianna’s journal and sees how much she loved her husband, but also took on his worries about the future. She has a nightmare about an encounter with the Blood Wraith, which further fuels her belief that he is coming for her.

When she leaves her bedroom, she finds Legion asleep at a table in her sitting room, keeping watch because he didn’t want her to be alone. He mentions that the Agitators have gotten bolder and formed a camp at a nearby manor; she tells him about her nightmare and her encounter with the Blood Wraith. Elise is somewhat surprised that Legion believes her story, as no one who knows about the encounter ever has. He tells her that she is lucky to be alive and kisses her missing fingertips.

Elise continues to read and find comfort in Lilianna’s journal, instead of preparing for the festival that is being thrown to celebrate the execution of Agitators. The celebrations are lavish, and Legion acts as Elise’s guard as she makes her way to the castle with her maids.

Elise talks with Legion about her fear that she is not suited to be a royal, especially as she wants to understand the Agitators’ anger rather than executing them. Inside the castle, Jarl finds her and escorts her away from Legion.

Legion and Jarl both stay close to Elise throughout dinner, but Elise is jealous when Legion also talks to a woman named Inez Svensson. When he is asked about marriage negotiations, Elise is surprised to hear that Legion will defer to her choice of a match, which both Jarl and Inez find unusual. Elise is also surprised when Legion puts his hand on her thigh under the table throughout dinner.

When Elise sees her sister strike one of her maids, she feigns illness and leaves with her entourage. Legion inspects her bedroom before letting her in, then he and Elise are alone, and she questions why he is acting so flirtatiously. He begins to touch her, telling her what she deserves from a match, but he is called away to his post to guard her.