Queen of Shadows

Arobynn summons Aelin to the Assassin’s Keep, where he toys with her and warns her not to betray him if caught during Aedion’s escape.

Afterward, Aelin meets with Lysandra. They acknowledge how much they’ve changed from two years ago and ally to destroy Arobynn, who’s taken so much from them both.

In return for Aelin’s promise not to kill Dorian—even if she’s unable to free him from the Wyrdstone collar—Chaol reveals that destroying the Wyrdstone tower in the castle garden will release magic. Aelin becomes worried that the king will use Wyrdmarks, or spells made with ancient runic magic, to trap her during the rescue. However, Chaol brought Aelin’s books on magic with him when he fled the castle, which she peruses for protective spells.

Aedion is made presentable for execution; the king’s guards plan to kill him with his own weapon, the Sword of Orynth.

Aelin disguises herself as a dancer in her old teacher’s troupe. Feigning a clumsy fall, she spills a bucket of water over the castle’s threshold, washing away the Wyrdmarks meant to trap her inside.

The dancers are given black glass flowers and warned not to break them until the proper time.

As Aedion watches from his execution stage, one dancer breaks from the rest, dons the cape and disguise of a nobleman, and reaches him just as the dancers shatter their flowers, releasing a powder that envelops the room in smoke.

Aelin uses Wyrdmarks to unlock Aedion’s chains, grabs the Sword of Orynth, and slaughters their way out of the glass castle.

Dorian intercepts Aelin and Aedion in the garden. He attacks, but is frozen by a Wyrdmark Aelin has sketched in the dirt. She asks Dorian to give her a sign that he’s still present, but when he doesn’t, she raises the Sword of Orynth to kill him “for Terrasen, for their future” (152). She’s stopped by Nesryn, whom Arobynn told that Aelin would betray them by attempting to kill Dorian.

Lysandra and Chaol help Aelin and Aedion return to Lysandra’s apartment, where Lysandra discovers Aelin’s identity as the Terrasen heir.

Elide is a Terrasen noble who hates her Uncle Vernon for stealing her father’s claim to the title of Lord of Perranth. Believing that Aelin might be dead, Elide doesn’t plan to return to Terrasen if she ever escapes Morath. When Elide is sent to deliver a letter to Manon, Manon realizes that Elide cannot read and is unaware of her witch ancestry.

Manon learns that Duke Perrington has allied with the Valg. One of her Thirteen, Ghislaine, relays that the Valg are otherworldly demons who came to conquer their world but were cast out by the King Brannon of Terrasen and Queen Maeve of Doranelle millennia ago. The Valg bred with Fae to create the witches, who were later shunned and feared by many until King Brannon gave them the Western Wastes as a homeland.

A Yellowlegs clan coven volunteers to be experimented on by Duke Perrington, sparing Manon from having to surrender some of her Blackbeaks to him.

Dorian hates Aelin, whose name he cannot remember, for not killing him. Though he fought to gain control during the minute she’d gifted him, the Valg prince was too strong.

Chaol refuses to accept that Dorian is gone and is determined to find a way to save him. When he goes hunting for Valg in the underground tunnels, he finds that the tunnels are empty.

Aelin and Aedion enjoy a proper reunion, where they tell each other their life stories.

The Pits—a new pleasure hall with fighting pits—emerges to replace the Vaults, which was damaged by the Valg soldiers pursuing Aelin when she first arrived in Rifthold. Aiming to become a new investor for the Pits, Arobynn summons Aelin to impress the owners by fighting a Valg commander.

The Valg commander reveals that many of the magical prisoners they take are experimented on in Morath. Aelin decapitates him and Arobynn rewards her by revealing where Sam’s grave is.

The revelation that she has witch-blood raises Elide’s suspicions that her uncle plans to hand her to Duke Perrington for breeding. Elide becomes desperate enough to escape Morath that she attempts to steal coins from Manon. When Manon catches her, she offers her a choice: Become a witch under Manon’s protection or put her fate in Vernon’s hands. Elide chooses to embrace her witch heritage and Manon welcomes her to the Blackbeaks.

While Aedion heals, Aelin sends letters to Terrasen allies and the Bane—Aedion’s soldiers—to inform them and warn them to lie low. Aedion anticipates upholding Terrasen tradition and swearing a blood oath to Aelin, which he’s been promised his entire life. There can only be one blood oath, and Aedion is unaware that Rowan has already sworn the oath to Aelin.

Valg soldiers kill everyone inside Rifthold’s Shadow Market with fire as a message to Aelin.

Aelin follows a Valg commander into the sewers, where he meets with a Wyrdhound creature controlled by the king. Aelin confirms that the Valg do not know Aedion’s whereabouts. Aelin spends a night out at the taverns with Aedion and Nesryn; as they’re walking home, Rowan appears.

As Rowan bathes in Aelin’s apartment, he tells her that he stowed away on a ship to come to Erilea. Aelin gives Rowan a pair of Sam’s pants to wear until she buys him new clothes. Rowan discovers a black velvet gown with a gold dragon embroidered on its back and wishes to see Aelin wear it someday.

Rowan recognizes Aedion’s scent and reveals that Aedion’s father must be Gavriel, one of the Fae warriors belonging to Maeve’s cadre. Aedion realizes that his mother sacrificed her life to protect him; she refused Fae healers who could have cured her fatal illness because if they realized he was Gavriel’s son, Maeve would have come for Aedion. Rowan reveals that he’s sworn the blood oath to Aelin, which severely offends and angers Aedion.

Rowan reveals that Lorcan, the second strongest Fae warrior in Rowan’s cadre, has come to Erilea in search of Aelin and the Wyrdkeys. They decide to share her room for the night and Aelin teases Rowan by wearing a revealing nightgown to bed. The next morning, Aelin apologizes to Aedion about the blood oath; she is willing to take more than one if he still wishes to swear it. Aedion agrees to do so after she is crowned queen.

Dorian relinquishes complete control over his body to the Valg prince.