Contents
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Overview
Lin’s anger at Conor erupts when Conor secretly seeks Lin’s medical help, and their charged confrontation leaves both wounded while Lin turns toward a plan involving the Ragpicker King and the harbor plot. At Marivent, Conor’s refusal to attend the Sarthian banquet forces Kel to impersonate the Prince, placing Kel amid dangerous political and emotional pressures.
Kel’s disguise exposes Antonetta’s desperate fear of marriage to Artal Gremont, Joss’s loyalty, Gremont’s urgent secrecy, and Vienne’s suspicion that Conor has changed. The chapter ends with Conor’s drunken return and a sudden armed attack on Marivent, turning courtly deception into immediate violence.
Summary
On the morning of the Goddess Festival, Lin prepares in the Sault with Chana and Mariam after a sleepless night blaming herself for losing Qasmuna’s book. Her stone no longer responds properly, but a vivid dream of Castellane’s harbor burning with white fire and Ciprian Cabrol’s words about vengeance gives Lin the beginning of a plan to recover the confiscated book.
Lin is summoned to the Sault gates, where Conor waits secretly in a hired carriage. Conor wants to consult Lin as a physician about madness and whether Ashkari books might contain a treatment, but Lin’s anger breaks through. Lin accuses Conor of endangering her by publicly bringing Qasmuna’s book to the Sault, which caused the Maharam to seize it; Conor responds with hurt and desire, admitting he cannot forget her. Lin calls Conor broken, and Conor orders Lin out.
After Conor leaves, Lin receives a warning note from the Ragpicker King reminding Lin to stay away from the harbor at midnight because of the black powder plot. Lin resolves to tell Andreyen that she had obtained Qasmuna’s book, that it has been taken, and that she now has a plan to get it back.
At Marivent, Kel wakes to find Conor missing. Queen Lilibet and Mayesh show Kel Conor’s note refusing to attend the Sarthian welcoming banquet and bitterly suggesting the engagement could proceed without him. Because canceling the banquet would insult Sarthe and reveal royal disorder, Mayesh and Lilibet order Kel to use his talisman and impersonate Conor for the evening.
As Conor, Kel enters the lavishly transformed Shining Gallery and moves through the banquet. Antonetta privately asks for help because her mother plans to marry her to Artal Gremont; Kel, constrained by his disguise, can only advise as Conor would, and nearly kisses her before she stops him. Joss apologizes for Charlon’s mockery of Princess Luisa and pledges loyalty, while old Gremont tries urgently to speak to Kel about a matter of trust. At dinner, Kel treats Luisa kindly and explains Castellani customs, making Vienne suspicious because this kindness differs from Conor’s earlier behavior.
During the dancers’ performance, Kel spots the real Conor entering drunk and cloaked. Kel drags Conor behind an arras, where Conor apologizes for abandoning Kel and insists on switching places to repair the damage. They exchange the most visible royal garments, but before they can complete the switch, screams interrupt the music. Armed figures pour into the Shining Gallery, kill a Castelguard, and Kel realizes Marivent is under attack. A closing letter states that the Exilarch will recognize the Goddess’s soul when she returns, and that the Maharam’s future burden will be to rally the Ashkar against a threat to the world.
Who Appears
- Lin CasterAshkari physician; mourns Qasmuna’s book, confronts Conor, and forms a plan to recover it.
- undefinedConor’s Sword Catcher; impersonates the Prince at the banquet and discovers Marivent is under attack.
- Conor AurelianCrown Prince; seeks Lin’s advice, abandons his banquet, then returns drunk and remorseful.
- Antonetta AlleyneNoblewoman; asks the disguised Kel for help avoiding marriage to Artal Gremont.
- undefinedConor’s mother; insists the banquet proceed and orders Kel to stand in for Conor.
- undefinedCounselor and Lin’s grandfather; helps manage Conor’s absence and sends Kel into the banquet.
- Princess Luisa d’EonSarthian bride-to-be; attends the banquet anxiously and responds to Kel’s unexpected kindness.
- Vienne d’EsteLuisa’s guard; notices that the supposed Conor behaves differently and more kindly.
- Joss FalconetConor’s friend; apologizes for Charlon’s cruelty and pledges loyalty to Conor.
- Mathieu GremontElderly Charter holder; urgently seeks private speech with the disguised Kel about trust.
- undefinedLin’s friend; feels temporarily better after Lin’s magic and supports Lin before the Festival.
- Chana DorinCaretaker figure in the Sault; dresses Lin and Mariam for the Goddess Festival.
- Andreyen MorettusRagpicker King; sends Lin a warning about the harbor and the danger of stray sparks.
- Lady AlleyneAntonetta’s mother; maneuvers socially at the banquet and plans Antonetta’s political marriage.