The Nightshade Crown, #1
The Foxglove King
by Hannah Whitten
Contents
Chapter Thirteen
Overview
The dead child Lore raises offers only the ominous message that “they’ve awakened,” leaving August and Anton unsettled but determined to use Lore again. Lore is ordered back toward Bastian, where political conversation reveals Bastian’s skepticism of the Church, his father’s war obsession, and his suspicion that Mortem is tied to the village deaths.
The chapter ends with a major disruption to Lore’s understanding of death magic: Horse, whom Lore believed she had released back into death, is still animate in Bastian’s stables. This discovery suggests Mortem is behaving in unprecedented ways and places Bastian much closer to Lore’s secrets than she realized.
Summary
The reanimated dead child whispers one phrase again and again: They’ve awakened. August is pale and unsettled, while Anton reacts with calculation. Horrified by what she has done, Lore breaks the Mortem threads binding her to the corpse and bolts from the vault.
Anton follows and coldly reminds Lore that this is why she was brought to the Citadel. Lore argues that they learned nothing useful, but August is satisfied because Lore made the corpse speak. August and Anton decide the body should be burned and imply there will soon be another corpse, since August believes Kirythea will continue attacking villages.
August orders Lore to enjoy court while staying near Bastian and gathering information, but he refuses to give her a clearer directive. Anton then asks about Lore’s age and midsummer birthday, saying she will need a proper Consecration ceremony now that she is at court. After Anton sends Lore to find Bastian, Lore wanders into the Citadel grounds instead, shaken by the child’s corpse and by the growing pressure of Mortem as her twenty-fourth birthday approaches.
Bastian finds Lore resting beneath the trees. Lore lies that August took her to the vaults to discuss burial plans for her sick mother, but Bastian notices inconsistencies. Their conversation turns to the Church’s costly burial system, August’s fears of war with Kirythea, and the destroyed villages. Bastian suggests Mortem may be responsible, and Lore’s knowledgeable objections reveal more expertise than an ordinary courtier should have.
Gabriel catches up with Lore and Bastian, and the three walk toward the stables. Lore asks about the tension between August and Anton; Gabriel defends Anton’s divine vision, while Bastian mocks the secrecy and convenience surrounding it. Their exchange exposes old friction between Gabriel and Bastian as well as Bastian’s irreverence toward Church doctrine.
At the stables, Bastian shows Lore and Gabriel a strange new acquisition: Horse, the corpse Lore once animated and then released. Horse still bears his fatal wound and dead eyes, yet moves independently and responds to Bastian. Lore is stunned because this contradicts everything she understands about Mortem, and Bastian casually says he has named the creature Claude.
Who Appears
- LoreDeathwitch forced to raise a child’s corpse and shaken by Mortem’s growing pressure.
- BastianSun Prince who probes Lore’s knowledge and reveals the animate Horse in his stables.
- GabrielPresque Mort handler who rejoins Lore and defends Anton during tense conversation.
- AugustKing satisfied that Lore can make corpses speak and intent on using her again.
- AntonPriest Exalted who justifies bending doctrine and orders Lore back toward Bastian.
- Dead childReanimated corpse whose repeated message, “They’ve awakened,” unsettles everyone present.
- Horse / ClaudePreviously reanimated horse corpse now mysteriously moving independently in Bastian’s stables.