Contents
Bones
Overview
Isla confesses her use of skyres to Grim; they share vulnerable hopes while rejecting sacrifice of her soul. Seeking answers, Isla secures the prophet’s tooth from the augur, who warns of a rising traitor, as graves are found stripped of bones.
Testing a tracking skyre nearly kills Isla. Soon after, a Nightshade town is annihilated by a Wildling matching Isla’s description. Terra and Poppy are proven innocent, Astria accuses Isla, and Grim defends her, escalating suspicion and stakes.
Summary
Isla reveals everything about the skyres, the augur’s prediction, her dwindling time, and the feather-voice to Grim. Grim refuses the idea that her soul should be the price, admits he would choose her over the world yet does not want the world to burn, and confesses he had hoped for an heir before the augur’s reading. They share an intimate vow of love and a longing for a life free of duty they can never have.
Driven for answers, Isla confronts the augur. He admits possessing the prophet’s skull and blood and gives her a tooth to inscribe a tracking skyre that could lead to the lost blood-written pages on opening and closing portals. As she bleeds from nose and mouth, he warns the price of skyres will worsen and hints that a traitor is rising and closer than she knows. Meanwhile, new graves are found raided for bones.
Isla immediately checks Terra and Poppy, imprisoned for prior suspicions. Using Oro’s truth-reading power, she confirms they did not destroy the nightbane, desecrate graves, or kill her parents. Reeling from her misjudgment, she later slips away at night to attempt the tracking skyre in secret. She misdraws it, suffers excruciating backlash as her powers erupt uncontrollably, and blacks out.
By noon, Isla returns to a panicked castle as Grim reports an attack on a Nightshade military town with civilian deaths. He urges her to rest, but Isla overhears Astria briefing him: multiple reliable witnesses claim a Wildling rose from the ground, suffocated victims with earth, and the description matches Isla. Astria pointedly accuses; Grim fiercely defends his wife as suspicion around Isla surges.
Who Appears
- IslaProtagonist; confesses using skyres, seeks the prophet’s pages, survives a failed skyre, clears her guardians, and faces accusations.
- GrimNightshade ruler and Isla’s husband; rejects sacrificing Isla’s soul, yearns for another life, defends her against deadly accusations.
- The AugurCryptic seer; holds the prophet’s remains, gives Isla a tooth for tracking, warns of a rising traitor and the costs of skyres.
- AstriaGrim’s cousin; reports witness accounts of the attack and pointedly accuses Isla of destroying the town.
- TerraFormer guardian; imprisoned but proven truthful by Isla’s compelled testimony.
- PoppyFormer guardian; imprisoned alongside Terra and likewise cleared by Isla’s truth-reading.
- WraithIsla’s dragon; recovered enough to fly, signaling improved condition.
- LynxCompanion creature; carries Isla until Wraith returns to flight.