Fall of Ruin and Wrath

Lis knows that death will come during the Feasts. She also recognizes the sapphire necklace from the vision; it belongs to Naomi. Lis goes immediately to Naomi’s chambers. There, Lis tells Naomi about her vision, explaining that Naomi is in danger if she stays in Archwood for the Feasts. Naomi is hesitant to leave, but Lis urges her to go to her sister. When Naomi questions why, Lis tells her the full truth of her prior vision: Laurelin will not survive the Feasts. Naomi agrees to leave but is angry at Lis for not telling her the truth sooner. Lis tries to apologize, but Naomi dismisses her.

Lis again tries to speak with Claude in his chambers. On her way there, she repeatedly hears three words in her mind: “Something isn’t right” (351). When she gets to Claude’s room, she finds Hymel at Claude’s desk. She tries to convince him to cancel the Feasts, but he refuses.

The next night, Lis looks out over the Great Chamber as the guests gather. Claude’s throne is still empty, and Thorne has not yet returned. She feels the lunea dagger sheathed at her side. Looking at the crowd, Lis sees a tall, blond Hyhborn who was with Rainer earlier. He reminds her of Lord Samriel, the lord who came with Thorne to the orphanage. As she looks at him, he turns to her and smiles.

Lis goes out into the gardens. She passes by several people who are drinking or copulating in the grass. She thinks about everything that has happened, trying to connect the events. Suddenly, the garden grows dark. She has the same vision she had before, only this time it is accompanied by screams. She rushes to go back inside, warning others to do the same, just as ni’meres descend on the courtyard.

Chaos erupts throughout the manor. Lis struggles through the halls as people scream and cry out in pain, their bodies torn and bloody. The thoughts of the people pressing in around her overwhelm her. Unable to tune them out, she slumps to the floor.

Grady pulls her out of this state, demanding that she get up and then asking her questions about her garden to distract her. He helps her push the thoughts of others out of her head. He then pulls open a large door and lets Lis inside. Just as she turns, she spots another of Claude’s paramours, Allyson. Lis calls to her, and Allyson enters with a man she introduces as Milton. However, Lis stops short when she sees that Allyson is wearing Naomi’s sapphire necklace. Allyson tells her that Naomi lent it to her a few days ago to wear during the Feasts, and Lis realizes she misinterpreted her vision: It was Allyson’s death she saw.

The four of them make their way to the basement. As they walk, Grady tells them that he saw the city of Primvera burning in the distance, as well as Rae arriving there. Lis is overwhelmed by her intuition, which tells her to look out the window. She sees nearly two dozen Rae walking through the courtyard. There are also several Hyhborn on horseback. She sees that they are wearing the crest and colors that represent the entire realm, implying that they are not from one specific region. She wonders if King Euros is among them. Grady joins Lis at the window, and they spot Lord Samriel riding among the Hyhborn.

Lis and Grady duck below the window. However, when they hear the screech of a ni’mere, they know that they have been seen. They run down the hall, entering the nearest door, which leads them to the library. Just as they enter, two ni’mere crash through the window. To Lis’s shock, she instinctively unsheathes her dagger, avoids the ni’mere, and stabs it through its chest, killing it. She had no idea that she had the ability to use a dagger.

Lis, Grady, Allyson, and Milton decide to barricade themselves inside the library. However, Lis then has another vision of Allyson dying. She instructs her to run and hide, and then the other three move in the other direction. Hiding among the shelves, they hear more ni’meres, Rae, and Hyhborn enter the library. They then hear Hymel insist that he saw Lis come into the library. 

Allyson begins screaming, and one of the lords announces that he will kill Allyson if Lis does not come out. He then begins breaking Allyson’s bones. As Grady begs Lis to stay hidden, she realizes that she would be just as much of a “monster” as the lords if she allowed Allyson to be tortured. She comes out from hiding, begging the men to leave Allyson alone. However, they allow the ni’mere to kill her.

One of the men, whom Hymel calls Prince Rohan, instructs the Rae to grab Grady. As he is dragged away, Lis begs them not to hurt him. She promises to do whatever they ask if they keep Grady safe. At Hymel’s urging, Prince Rohan vows that no harm will come to Grady.

Rohan then instructs Lord Samriel to take Lis to her chambers. They plan to leave the next morning, as soon as they have word from Lord Arion—a name that Lis does not recognize. When Hymel asks about Thorne, Rohan tells him that Thorne will not make it back in time, as they have found a way to stall him on the road. Rohan promises Lis that she will be protected from Thorne, as she is “[Thorne’s] to kill” (383).

Samriel takes Lis back to her chambers, asking her questions about her abilities. She does not reveal that she can read minds, as Samriel only seems to know about her premonitions. She explains how her instincts work and the things that she sees about the future. Samriel confirms that Lis was once an orphan. She realizes that he must have learned this information from Hymel, which Samriel confirms.

Samriel then discusses Thorne. He asks if Lis had penetrative sex with Thorne, and she lies that she did not, even though she isn’t sure why. She then confirms that they did other sexual acts. Samriel explains that Lis is a starborn and a caelestia but that her mark was hidden through a “glamour” that the orphanage placed on her. When a mortal is born from the stars, they are linked to a Deminyen and given gifts to help them. These mortals are called ny’seraphs. Hyhborn believe that the gods started creating ny’seraphs after the Great War to make Deminyens more sympathetic to humans. Lis thinks of Thorne and his reaction to being called “compassionate.”

Samriel then explains that Deminyen typically kill their starborn to sever their connection, thereby losing their compassion for humans and making them stronger. If they don’t, they can complete the bond instead. Lis asks how that happens, but Samriel refuses to answer, insisting that she does not need to worry about it. She will be taken to the capital, Augustine, and handed over to King Euros.

A while later, Hymel comes to Lis’s room. She punches him in the face, and when he grabs her hand, she scratches him across the face with her other hand. She also cries out, so Hymel puts his hand over her mouth. He instructs her to be quiet so that the Hyhborn don’t hear her.

Hymel asks Lis if she learned anything from Samriel with her intuition, but Lis ignores him. Instead, she demands to know where Claude is. Hymel insists that he doesn’t know for sure but that he believes Claude fled to avoid the upcoming battle and the king coming to collect Archwood’s debts. Lis wants to defend Claude but thinks, deep down, that Hymel may be right. Hymel says that Claude was never fit to be baron and that he himself worked out a deal with the Hyhborn to repay Archwood’s debt. Lis points out how many died, but Hymel insists that he saved the rest of the city by sacrificing some.

When Hymel learns nothing from Lis, he turns to leave. However, Lis stops him, grabbing his hands. She sees something in his future and laughs before she can stop herself. Hymel tries to ask what she saw, but is interrupted by a Hyhborn approaching behind him. Lis recognizes the man as the one who smiled at her during the Feasts. Hymel refers to him as Lord Arion. Arion walks past Hymel and grabs Lis. He places his hand against her temple and starts speaking in Enochian. A severe pain stabs Lis in the head, moving behind her eyes. However, it quickly subsides. Arion instructs her to open her eyes. He can now see that she truly is a caelestia.

Arion then turns to Hymel. He thanks him for everything that he did for them. He grabs Hymel by the cheeks, kisses his forehead, and then breaks his neck. Hymel’s body falls to the floor, fulfilling the vision that Lis saw when she touched him.

Two days later, Lis and Grady are in a bed together in an inn. Grady tells her that Rohan believes they are being followed, so he took them off the main road. Lis wonders whether the person following them is Thorne and whether they would be any safer with him. Grady is shackled to the bed, but the Hyhborn left Lis unbound because they believe that she is not a threat. They also did not search her, allowing her to keep her dagger hidden. Above, Lis hears the Hyhborn having sex. Grady begs her to escape through the window, but she refuses.

Later that night, Lis wakes up suddenly. The room is completely silent, but after a moment, the lanterns flicker. She hears screaming above them and feels the air charged, as it always is when the Hyhborn use their power. She pulls out her dagger. Grady again begs her to run, but she insists that she is going to stay. The screaming continues.

Shortly after the screaming ends, Arion takes Lis from the inn. As they walk downstairs, she sees the mutilated bodies of the workers and the guests and vomits. When she asks Arion if he despises lowborn, he responds that nothing of “value” was lost. When she curses him, he slaps her across the face. He uses his powers to force Lis to do what he wishes. He makes her stand and then holds out his sword. Lis tries desperately to ignore his commands, but Arion forces her to walk until the point of the sword pierces her flesh. Arion then releases her, warning her that he will do much worse to her—and to Grady—if she tries to defy him again.

Outside, Lis asks Arion where Grady is. He tells her that he went with the others, splitting off from her and Arion to travel separately. Lis guesses that they are splitting up because they were being followed.

Lis rides with Arion for hours on his horse. Eventually, they enter the Wychwood. They wind through the trees, Lis desperately trying to hold on despite her exhaustion. Eventually, Arion slows. Suddenly, something strikes him, sending him off the horse. Lis falls with him. She sits up and sees that there is an arrow through Arion’s forehead. Above her, shadows in the trees stir, and Lis realizes that they are ravens. They come together as one, forming the shape of a man: Thorne is standing before her.

Lis has a feeling of danger and then sees a vision of herself being stabbed, with Thorne holding the sword. It is the first time she has ever had a vision of herself. Without thinking, Lis flees through the forest. After several moments of running, Lis is tackled to the ground. Thorne tells her that he will “always catch” her, and she thinks of how he is her “salvation. And [her] doom” (415).