House of Flame and Shadow

In the Night Court of Prythian, Bryce is interrogated by several Fae lords, including Azriel and Night Court ruler Rhysand. She communicates using the Old Language. They discover that she holds the dagger Starsword, the lost twin to Azriel’s Truth-Teller dagger. Unbeknownst to Bryce or her interrogators, Starsword was brought to Midgard by Bryce’s ancestors—Prince Pelias and Queen Theia, High Fae who once lived in this world—15,000 years ago.

Bryce describes the Asteri. Only three worlds been able to successfully banish them: Hel, a planet called Iphraxia, and the original world of the Starborn Fae—Prythian. One of the interrogating lords knows the Asteri as the Daglan—the original conquerors of their world. The leader of the Asteri, Rigelus, still seeks to find Prythian with intent to punish them.

Through the Veritas orb, Bryce shows her interrogators the multitude of weapons the Asteri possess to destroy worlds with. They are horrified by the guns, mech-suits, Omega-boats, and brimstone missiles. Afterward, Bryce is given a small silver tablet, which allows her to speak and understand their native language—but her Horn tattoo reacts strangely to the spell, illuminating through her shirt. The words that light up on Bryce’s are similar to the letters found in the Book of Breathings—an ancient magical book with the power to nullify the Cauldron, which holds everyone’s fates and creates life.

The mer Tharion Ketos, formerly the River Queen’s Captain of Intelligence, has defected and now serves the Viper Queen—the snake-shifter ruler of the Meat Market. There, he is a prized fighter alongside Ariadne, a dragon shifter recently freed from imprisonment by an ancient sorcerer called the Astronomer. Tharion’s people mock him as a traitor to the River Queen. The Viper Queen periodically drugs Tharion with venom—“the best high an immortal could ever attain” (37)—and has sex with him.

Ithan Holstrom and his fellow wolves are questioning people in the Meat Market about their imprisoned friends; no one knows what happened at the battle that ended the previous novel, only that Bryce is missing and Ruhn and Hunt have been taken prisoner. Ithan is frustrated that he has to protect Sigrid Fendyr, the wolf mystic daughter to the former leader of the wolves; Sigrid was another former captive of the Astronomer. Their post-rescue plans involve finding the mer ship, the Depth Charger, which can outrun the Asteri’s Omega-boats, but they’ll need Tharion’s expertise to commandeer one.

In Prythian, Nesta, a High-Fae, is summoned to inspect Bryce’s tattoo, which she deems as Made, or created through a magical process.

Meanwhile, Danika’s ambitious mother Sabine and her wolves arrive in Lunathion’s Meat Market. Ithan’s group heads for the Comitium, where they hope to seek shelter with Hunt’s fellow angel and friend, Isaiah Tiberian. They’re intercepted by Sabine, who recognizes Sigrid as her brother’s daughter, and thus a possible rival for the title of Prime of the wolves.

In an Asteri prison, Hunt clings to his love for Bryce after being re-enslaved and tortured. He believes she is in Hel, forming alliances to free Midgard from the Asteri. Hunt begins to see shadows and believes it’s a hallucination of death.

Lidia attempts to make telepathic contact with Ruhn and apologizes profusely for her traitorous dual agenting, but he has no interest in hearing her excuses.

The head Asteri Rigelus grants Lidia temporary access to the imprisoned Sprite Queen, Irithys, whose fire magic Lidia claims will motivate Ruhn, Hunt, and Baxian to talk.

In Lunathion, Sabine attempts to kill Sigrid, but is temporarily gunned down by both Declan and Flynn. The Viper Queen brings Ithan’s group to Tharion—still high—and Ariadne for the night. The situation feels more like captivity than a friendly offer. When Tharion reveals that he’s enslaved himself to the Viper Queen to avoid death or imprisonment at the hands of the River Queen, Ithan promises to free him.

In Prythian, Bryce becomes restless when left alone in her interrogation room for hours and inspects the hissing grate beneath. She finds mer-creatures resembling her world’s terrifying Sobeks below. Bryce teleports into the pit, hoping to find an escape route. The Sobeks are cowed by the glowing eight-pointed star scar on her chest; Bryce follows the star’s seemingly pointing the way.

Bryce finds a tunnel and walks for hours before Nesta finds her. Instead of returning Bryce to her prison, Nesta allows Bryce to lead them to where the eight-pointed star is beckoning.

Irithys remains confined to her crystal bubble prison. Lidia brings her to meet with Hilde, the Grand Hag of the Imperial Coven. Lidia wants Irithys to test her fire magic on Hilde. Irithys honorably refuses, so Lidia is forced to return her to the catacombs.

In Prythian, Bryce and Nesta reach a gaping chasm with a small bridge. During the crossing, leathery bat-lizard hybrids attack, but are eaten up by a Middengard Wyrm—which Bryce suspects hails from her world. Nesta is curious about the origin of Bryce’s light power; she reveals that Bryce’s Starborn ancestor, Theia, was the former High Queen of these lands.

In the Asteri prison, the shadows watching Hunt are Apollion and Aidas, two Princes of Hel, who reveal Bryce never reached Hel. Apollion cryptically reveals that he is watching Hunt to see if he’ll do what he was born to do—what his father always intended him to do. Aidas mentions that the black crown on Hunt’s brow is not new, but something that’s existed for millennia.

In Lunathion, Ithan’s group discusses freeing Tharion, finding the Depth Charger, and sailing for the Eternal City—but the Viper Queen isn’t eager to let Tharion go. Lidia, the Hind, pays them a visit.

In Prythian, the glowing star leads Bryce and Nesta to more tunnels adorned with ancient Fae artwork. It depicts a bloody war, enslaved humans, and Fae kneeling before crowned humanoid masters, to whom the Fae offer starlight. One drawing of a noble female Fae is labeled “Silene.” Bryce realizes the artwork warns of a trap ahead, saving Nesta’s life.

In Lunathion, Lidia reveals her identity as Agent Daybright and requests the help of Ithan’s group and Tharion in freeing Ruhn, Hunt, and Baxian. She requires the wolf-shifter Declan to hack the prison cameras and Tharion to be her ally and advocate on the Depth Charger after the rescue. Lidia hands over a white stone, which summons the Depth Charger when thrown into the sea. The ship will take them to Pangera, the continent of Midgard where the Eternal City is located. Lidia will be waiting there.

Lidia questions Sigrid’s three loyal sprites—Rithi, Sasa, Malana—about Irithys; they confirm that The Sprite Queen is worthy of her trust.

In Prythian, Bryce continues to study the carvings. One depicts a masked, crowned queen with instruments in her hands and surrounded by pegasi. Another depicts an ancient Fae King and Queen on thrones before a mountain, with three stars above—the symbol of the Night Court—and a Helscape below. The star leads them to a rapidly flowing river. Bryce and Nesta jump in. The current takes them to the far shore, where Azriel—who’s been shadowing them all this time—reveals himself.

In the Asteri prison, Hunt tells Baxian and Ruhn that Bryce didn’t reach Hel.

In Prythian, Bryce learns that Nesta and Azriel’s world contains only humans, Fae, and Illyrians. Azriel reveals that his dagger Truth-Teller pulls the truth from people and that it and Bryce’s Starsword were both carved from a fallen meteor.

At one point, Bryce falls, and while her knees heal, her hands do not.

Nesta tells Bryce about Lanthys, a creature she slew seven months ago using a sword she forged with her sword Ataraxia, which is capable of killing the unkillable—and thus possibly the right weapon for killing the Asteri.