Oathbound

The bouncer at the Rat tells Bree that everyone who enters must pay in collateral. She gives him a necklace with Arthur Pendragon’s crest, feeling guilty even though she can’t remember that Nick was the one who gave it to her. As Bree looks around the Rat, she wonders if anyone knows her. Zoe asks Bree how she got the pendant of the Scion of Arthur, and Bree tenses as Zoe gives the briefest description of Nick, whom she still cannot remember. The twins reveal to Bree that their demon father was a powerful Nightshade and incubus, and people who know demons treat them with respect. Zoe says she prefers demons because they aren’t racist and sexist like humans. Bree is surprised to find herself bonding with the twins, especially Zoe. Bree goes to the bathroom, but just as she is leaving, she hears people coming in. A man tells a girl to make things quick, then hits her, knocking her to the floor. Peering under her bathroom stall, Bree locks eyes with the young, scared Black girl and can smell the root magic on her.

Bree opens the stall door to confront an older white man, who suggests she walk away and pretend nothing happened. The young girl tells Bree to stop and that it would be better if she didn’t get caught up in this. Bree is surprised to see the man produce a construct of a sword glowing with green Mageflame. This man is a warlock, or a human who made a bargain to get demon powers. He threatens to cut the girl in half if Bree makes a move, but the girl is able to convince him to leave because he only wants root, not a random human girl. Bree finally listens to the girl and stays behind as she walks away with the man, but when she leaves the bathroom a moment later, they are both gone. Bree tells Zoe what happened, mentioning that the girl was a Rootcrafter. Both girls are confused as to how the other knows about Rootcraft. Bree tries to get more information from Zoe about how Erebus feeds as the Hunter and whether he is hiring warlocks to seek out Rootcrafters, but Zoe is more worried about what Erebus will do to her and Elijah if their meeting with the demon goes wrong.

Bree and Zoe go back to their table, where Bree meets Regazel, the goruchel, who has brought the twins “a coin from a bank robbery […] tainted with human greed” as a tribute (220). The twins consume the greed when they smell the coin, and Bree begins to understand more about the demons’ bartering system and why she had to leave her necklace behind. Regazel tells the twins about a rumor that someone is killing Merlins, and Bree worries for the Merlin boy she knows but cannot remember. Regazel knows the Shadow King is looking for his crown and that someone in the Shadow Court named Daeza has a lead on it. Though the Morgaines had supposedly been keeping the crown hidden, a warlock recently stole it and is now on the move. The twins tell Bree that the Shadow King can’t return to his dimension unless he has his crown, which is why the original Arthur and Merlin hid it from him and trapped him here. Bree feels Erebus call to her Bloodmark, though it feels somewhat different this time. Elijah can smell the warlock on Bree’s coat, so she explains what happened in the bathroom, and they all discuss how people are unlikely to look for the missing, Black Rootcrafter girls. They wonder if Erebus is taking advantage of human racism.

While training with Erebus the next morning, Bree asks him if he is hunting Rootcrafter girls, and he would never hire a warlock to do his business. Erebus talks about the young Merlins he has trained, and even though Bree does not know who Selwyn is, she can’t stand to hear Erebus speak badly of him. Erebus tells Bree that in all quest stories, a great loss drives the hero forward, just as the loss of Bree’s memories is doing. Yet when Bree asks about the great loss of his crown, he says it is none of her concern. Bree also asks Erebus why he doesn’t train the twins like he is training her, and Erebus replies that he only wants Bree’s strength to increase his own.

Bree’s skill and stamina improve as she trains with Erebus, and she is able to withstand the attacks of his constructs for over four hours on her first try. She resists using Arthur’s powers until the very end, telling Erebus that she doesn’t need or want Arthur’s influence. Erebus realizes that Bree has severed her ties with her ancestors, including Arthur, and Erebus is furious as he believes one of her ancestors might have known more about his crown.

The next day, Erebus can sense that Bree is angry but doesn’t know that Bree can smell the root on him and knows he must have been feeding. Bree insults Erebus, and when Elijah tells her to take it back, Erebus reminds Elijah that he is not Bree’s sovereign, as he is the twins’ king. Bree defends the twins and tells Erebus about the lead they have on his crown. When Elijah suggests that he and Zoe go to Daeza to learn about the crown, Erebus forbids it. After Erebus leaves, saying he has pressing matters at the Order to attend to, Elijah tells the girls about Erebus’s stash of tributes guarded by powerful wards. Bree thinks she can take down these wards so they can get a tribute for Daeza. Bree uses all her power to break the ward, stunning the twins.

Natasia details Selwyn’s frequent attempts at escape and how she must keep bringing him back into hiding. Natasia knows that Selwyn will be able to escape, and she knows that he is now more powerful than her.

After three months of searching, William, Nick, and Larkin have yet to find any Morgaines. Will wonders if his and Lark’s presence is hindering Nick. William and Larkin rehash an ongoing argument about why Nick hasn’t revealed any more of his plan to them and why Lark joined the quest in the first place. While Larkin claims it is because William joined, Will tries to remember that, as a Mageguard, Lark must protect all the Scions and doesn’t have a special preference for him. Lark tells William that someone needs to protect him, because Will is always looking out for others but never himself. Will tells Lark that he needs to protect Nick because he is one of the few people who knows of the abuse and trauma Nick endured in his childhood training to become the Crown Scion.

Valec helps Mariah prepare to put on the Heart, Aunt Lu’s powerful Grand Dame necklace. Mariah is quickly thrown to her back by the power of the necklace, but regains consciousness a moment later. When she does, she sees the glowing light of the dead beneath Valec’s skin.

Selwyn no longer tries to escape from Natasia, but he breaks through every ward she casts. Natasia is surprised by how clear-sighted he is, and she wonders why his hunger hasn’t taken total control of him like it does with other cambions who have succumbed to demonia. Natasia is out of ideas to help Sel, and she tells him about a time she tried to see him as a child. The current Kingsmage nearly killed her when he found her and threatened to do the same to Selwyn if she ever appeared again.

Bree, Zoe, and Elijah go to Daeza’s club in Downtown Asheville, where they wait for another supplicant to finish up before they can meet with the Nightshade. The first supplicant is leaving as they enter, and her eyes meet Bree’s. Bree can tell that the woman is a Merlin but doesn’t recognize her as Natasia Kane. Natasia wonders how Bree became affiliated with the world of demons, but she asks the twins to keep her safe. Bree and the twins go inside, where they present Daeza with the tribute of a relic made of several colonial blood gems with a painful history. Daeza likes the tribute but hates the twins, who are the children of Ozyrus, an enemy Nightshade.

Before Daeza can kill them, Bree confesses that they are here on behalf of the king himself and that she is a powerful weapon for the king. Bree uses her power to threaten Daeza until she tells them what she knows of the king’s crown, and Daeza tells them that Mikael, another Nightshade who hates the king, has the crown. Just then, Erebus calls his bloodmark, and Daeza sees. She agrees to help them get to Mikael because she believes that with Bree, the king has a chance of bringing down the Round Table. The king continues to call on Bree’s bloodmark as they head home, and she knows that he must know about the broken ward. When they get home, Bree tells Erebus the suspected location of his crown. Mikael lives near Erebus and will be having a party soon where he will auction off the crown to the highest bidder. Daeza is willing to help them get into Mikael’s infamous Collectors’ Gala. Erebus is displeased but tells them that Bree and Zoelle will go to the auction. Erebus wants Elijah to stay with him as collateral so Zoe and Bree won’t upset his plans. Bree plans to find the crown and save the Rootcrafter girls, then kill the Shadow King.

Mariah and Valec pull up to Daeza’s club, where they agree that Valec will do the talking. Inside, Daeza accepts their tribute and mentions all of the strange visitors she has had that day. Daeza has Mariah state their request, though she knows she is an impersonator. Mariah tells Daeza that they are seeking the Hunter, and though Daeza doesn’t know where he is, she does know of a party where two of his emissaries will be attending. Though Valec can’t go to the party hosted by another demon broker, Mikael, Mariah can. Daeza can get Mariah an invitation to Mikael’s Collectors’ Gala if she pretends to be a buyer for an art gallery.

Natasia returns to Selwyn after her request to Daeza fails, but Selwyn goes wild after he smells Bree on her. Sel keeps asking where she is, succumbing to his hunger, and he reveals that Bree is the Scion of Arthur. This makes her Sel’s sovereign, just as Faye was Natasia’s sovereign. Both Kanes had been Oathed Kingsmages to the Davises and suffered because they were not bonded to the true Scions of Arthur as they should have been. Natasia begins to put the pieces together about her relationship with Faye, realizing that Faye had Arthur’s qualities. Natasia realizes that Bree must have been somehow tampered with by someone powerful, and consuming Bree’s power caused Sel to succumb to demonia. Natasia recognizes the full scope of the horror Bree must be in, thrown into the realm of the Order without any training. She feels guilt for being unable to protect her, as she was unable to protect Faye. Sel can sense that something is wrong with Bree and wants to escape, but Natasia knows she needs to protect Bree, even from her own son.

The Legendborn continue to find Merlin bodies, and William worries for Larkin’s safety. Ava, the leader of the Morgaines, finds the three on the quest and asks why they are looking for her. They are surrounded by other Morgaines hiding in the trees as Ava reveals that the Morgaines have been following them for weeks. Nick wants to talk with Ava alone and is willing to do so on her terms, surprising William and Larkin. Ava tells him that the information she has isn’t free, hoping to use Nick’s family wealth for something. Nick tells William and Larkin that he has to do this alone and keep secrets from them. William does not want to leave Nick. Lark promises Nick to get William home safely, as he must follow a Scion’s order. Just as the two are leaving, something explodes beside them.

A nearby car explodes as Will and Lark see two Mageguards begin to fight the Morgaines. Lark tells Ava and Nick to run before the Council can get to them. Will and Lark fight to subdue the Mageguard so Nick can escape. One of the Mageguards is Thompson, who tells them that he is here at the Council’s request. After William knocks out Thompson, he finds two empty syringes in his jacket and knows that the Regents sent him to get test samples from the Morgaines. They are hiding even more information about this sect than he knew. William wants to go to the Institute, where the Council’s magical experimenting is done.

Bree and Zoe arrive at Mikael’s mansion, the Penumbra Estate, dressed as wealthy heiresses. Daeza got them invitations under the names Vivienne (Bree) and Tamar (Zoe) Keaton, and Bree is surprised how well Zoe helped her to look the part. They see that Mikael employs warlocks instead of demons for his staff. Their magical invitations get them inside as the guards do not know what any guests look like, and they are instructed to keep the invitations on them at all times. They see another man try to sneak in past the wards, but a warlock—Bianca, Mikael’s second-in-command—stops him before he can enter. The gala is a masquerade, and Bree sits down beside a masked couple as Zoe goes to stake out the venue. The couple tells Bree that Mikael has a shocking finale planned, and Bree guesses that it is the king’s crown. As soon as the bidding starts and Zoe confirms that the coast is clear, Bree heads toward the elevators with the intent of finding and stealing the crown.

Elijah forced Bree to memorize a map of the estate, so she knows to go to the basement, use her powers to obscure the cameras, and subdue the one warlock guarding a secret storage room. As Bree quickly searches the room for the crown, the power goes out, and she hears footsteps coming toward her, followed by a pale blue light. Bree sees a tall man enter. The man begins to look through the room as she was just doing. Bree attacks the man, but he fights back with surprising strength and strategy. Bree is surprised when the stranger easily dissolves her root-forged constructs. The stranger has Bree on her back when the lights turn on again, and when he sees her, he calls her by her name. Bree asks who the man is, not knowing that she was fighting Nick.