Curse of Shadows and Thorns

The men at the castle gather for a hunting party, where Elise knows that all suitors will be trying to talk to Legion. Siv tries to warn her about getting too close to Legion, and Zyben tells her that he wants Legion to find her a match by the end of the week. Zyben’s queen, Annika, gathers the women at the castle for a tea party, where they gossip about Elise’s relationship with Legion and how she should take him as a consort after she is married.

The mysterious child who had prophesied her future at the party at the beginning of the novel enters the tea party. Annika explains that she is part-fae, has fury, and is called Fate’s daughter. The queen asks for a prophecy, but the veiled girl says her talents do not work like that. When Annika threatens her, the girl prophesies Runa’s future. Annika tells her guests that Fate enacts whatever the girl prophesies.

The girl gives mysterious prophecies to each of the guests, but tells Elise the same thing she did previously, with only a slightly different ending: “Release the past and trust those undeserving of it [...] What your heart desires, there your fate lies [...] When you see the beast within, let him in to let him go. Only then will he bring the change you seek” (170). Elise is confused by this prophecy and the magic she feels coming from the girl.

Elise reads Lilianna’s journal and her warm feelings toward her husband and children, including the Night Prince. She hears a commotion outside and sees the castle guards blocking the gates. When she goes downstairs, Elise learns from her father that an assassination attempt was made on the king, and the Agitators are being blamed.

Elise uses Siv and Mavie’s help to sneak away to be alone with her thoughts and finds an old schoolhouse from when the Ettans ruled the castle. Legion bribes Mavie to learn where Elise went and tells Elise he is not convinced the king’s would-be assassin was an Agitator, as the arrow that nearly hit him seemed to miss purposefully. Elise and Legion talk about their warring feelings about the Timorans and Ettans, and what justice in the kingdom would mean.

They also discuss Elise’s feelings of powerlessness with the match that is to be settled in two days, and how Legion doesn’t want to make the choice for her either. Legion admits that he doesn’t want to match her with anyone because he wants to be with her himself, and the two kiss.

Mavie teases Elise about returning to her room late with Legion. When Mavie leaves, Siv tries to warn her against trusting Legion again, saying he is dangerous without giving a reason. Elise is upset that Siv doesn’t trust her enough to tell her why she thinks Legion is dangerous, knowing something must have happened at the bell tower that she isn’t telling her.

Legion, Tor, and Halvar come to escort Elise to see the execution of three Agitators that she can tell have been mistreated in their captivity. She watches in horror as the Agitators are tortured before being executed. Elise can’t help but speak up, and though everyone tells her not to, she tells Zyben that the men have already suffered enough for their crimes. Legion and Tor step in front of her, as if to protect her from the king himself. Elise is surprised when the king seems willing to show mercy; however, a moment later, he falls to the ground, dead.

The crowd erupts in horror as intruders storm the gates of the castle, and Legion, Tor, and Halvar escort Elise and her maids inside. They take cover and watch as Agitators overtake the courtyard and take the three imprisoned men to safety. Inez stumbles in and is hit by a dart through an open window, something the witch girl had told her to avoid, leading Elise to consider her own prophecy from the child.

Once they are all barricaded within a room, the men turn to Siverie, and Legion pulls a knife on her. Elise is confused, and Legion explains that Siv is an Agitator who has been planning to assassinate her. Elise only believes this once Siv begins to tell her that she has changed and betrayed her people because she got to know her. Legion thinks that Siv has a hand in the current attack, but she insists that she doesn’t know anything about it, having betrayed her people weeks ago.

Siv tries to tell Elise that the men can’t be trusted either, while Mavie reassures her that they are friends and she can be trusted, if no one else can. As they try to escape, Mavie is hit by a knife in the stomach and dies.

Legion has to pull Elise off of Mavie to keep them moving. She wants to kill the man who killed Mavie, but is angry when she sees that Legion has already done so. Halvar tells Legion that he has spilled blood and that it is nightfall—something he had also mentioned mysteriously when they were first attacked by Agitators—but Legion tells him to disregard it.

They continue to rush out of the castle, but see a group of people when they pass the throne room. Elise is shocked to see Calder and Runa at the king and queen’s thrones. They are surrounded by Agitators and castle guards, who point their weapons at Annika and Elise’s parents. Calder says he will spare their lives if they accept him as the new king, but Annika refuses, knowing Calder sent the Agitators to murder his father. Annika is killed, but Elise is most shocked by her sister and how Runa must have been plotting to overthrow the king all along. She is dragged away by Legion as Runa mentions that she is a traitor who cannot live.

As they continue to escape through the castle, Elise sees that Legion is hurt, and they go to the kitchen to get something Halvar says will help. In the kitchen, they find the steward Bevan, the kind steward Elise has known most of her life. Bevan scolds Legion for drawing blood so close to the last time he did so, but gives him an elixir that should help his pain for the moment. Elise is confused but helps how she can. Bevan tells her that he has fury, though it is different from that of the Night Folk, and it is called and treated differently where he is from in the eastern kingdoms. Bevan claims he is an Alder, not quite fae but not Ettan or Timoran, and he has seen war before, which he believes is coming to the Timoran kingdom.

They warn Elise that Jarl is coming for her, as he is on Calder’s side and intends to enslave Night Folk and those with fury to use as experiments. Bevan says something about “true leaders,” and asks her to trust Fate and Legion, but doesn’t give her more details.

Legion confirms that she does not know everything about him, but everything she does know has been sincere, and she agrees that she will do whatever she can to help Legion. Bevan gives her an elixir to bond Elise to Legion through the night so she can draw on Legion’s strength, as he (along with Halvar and Tor) cannot die. Elise is more confused than ever, but still takes the elixir. They seal themselves to each other with a vow. Legion continues to assure Elise that everything he has told her is true and sincere, just before he dons a cloak and mask, and Elise watches him transform into the Blood Wraith.

Elise refuses to leave with the Blood Wraith and Tor and Halvar, who have transformed into the Guild of Shade. Bevan assures her she has no choice due to the elixir and tells her there are things she does not know. Bevan uses another elixir to drug her, and Elise is taken from the castle. She goes in and out of consciousness and rationality as she is taken to an alehouse to spend the night, and Elise feels like she can no longer trust anyone.

Siverie has also been brought with her, and Elise rebukes her for her role as an Agitator as she tries to apologize. Siv recalls Elise’s kindness to her from the start, but confesses that she did not know Legion was the Blood Wraith. Elise tries to escape the alehouse, but Halvar stops her and warns her that she will experience great pain from the elixir if she tries to leave before morning. She doesn’t want to communicate with Legion, even though he insists that he does not remember their encounter when the Blood Wraith cut off her fingers.

Elise ignores the advice of Fate’s daughter to trust those who don’t deserve it, knowing she does not want to trust someone who is a known murderer. Legion, Tor, and Halvar implore her to stay, knowing there is much more she needs to know so she can help them. Elise reaffirms that, come morning, it will be her choice to leave or stay, and she tells Legion she will never choose him again.

Elise finds a map of the area in the alehouse and plans to leave at dawn, even though Siv asks her not to, knowing she has nowhere to go herself. Still, the women wish each other good luck as Elise escapes from the window, where she falls and injures her ankle. This does not deter her, and she wanders until she can find a road. Elise knows she cannot return to the castle, but thinks Mattis can help her if she gets to him. When Elise reaches the town outside her home, she finds a line of watchmen who spot her immediately and turn her over to Jarl. Jarl shows her that her house has been burnt down and tells her all of her serfs are dead. She worries especially for Bevan.

Jarl ties Elise to the bed and demands she tell him where Legion is, but promises that if she submits to him and the new king, she can have a place in the nobility again. Elise knows he wants to enslave those who have fury and refuses, asking Jarl to kill her instead. Jarl plans to have a clergyman officially marry them so he can then rape her to consummate the marriage he wanted from the beginning, before having his men kill her. As the clergyman begins the ceremony, they hear noise downstairs, and a guard announces that the Blood Wraith is there.