Throne of Glass, #7
Kingdom of Ash
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter 13
Overview
Manon and the Thirteen find a Crochan camp exactly where Cyrene said it would be, turning the spider’s information into a fragile opportunity. The attempted parley begins tensely, with the Crochans recognizing Manon as a feared Blackbeak and refusing to trust her, while Dorian helps legitimize Manon’s defection.
The encounter shifts from enemy standoff to personal revelation when the ancient Crochan Glennis appears. Glennis’s claim that she is both Rhiannon’s and Manon’s great-grandmother gives Manon a living blood tie to the people she has come seeking.
Summary
Manon and the Thirteen hide among icy mountain rocks and confirm that Cyrene’s information was true: a camp of red-cloaked Crochan witches lies in the pass below. Manon studies the camp, unsettled because the Crochans are both ancient enemies of the Ironteeth and the other half of Manon’s own heritage. Dorian and Cyrene remain nearby, and Manon decides Cyrene may live for now because the spider’s knowledge has proved useful.
After Asterin estimates about seventy-five visible witches, Manon orders the Thirteen to approach without using iron nails or teeth. Dorian chooses to accompany Manon, understanding that Manon is not merely confronting enemies but possibly seeking her people. Manon, the Thirteen, Dorian, and Cyrene land at the camp on wyverns, immediately drawing Crochan weapons.
A dark-haired Crochan leader confronts Manon, recognizes her as a Blackbeak and likely the White Demon, and mocks her company and supposed defection from Manon’s grandmother. Manon struggles to deliver the speech she had planned, but Dorian steps in and confirms Manon’s break from her grandmother, explaining that Dorian found Manon near death after Manon was wounded with iron shards. Dorian identifies himself as the king of Adarlan and frames the meeting as an attempt to discuss matters between all their peoples, not an attack.
Manon tells the Crochans that the wyverns will not harm them and asks the witches to stand down, but the Crochans refuse until ordered by their true authority. The coven leader points deeper into the camp to an ancient witch named Glennis. Dorian observes that the Crochans are formidable warriors of many ages, not merely figures of legend.
Glennis steps forward and addresses Manon with sorrowful wisdom, saying the hunters have become the hunted. Manon repeats that the group seeks only to speak, and Dorian’s sword Damaris confirms the truth of Manon’s words. When Glennis notices the red cloth in Manon’s braid and mentions Rhiannon, Manon says Rhiannon died at the Ferian Gap. Glennis reveals that she was Rhiannon’s great-grandmother and is Manon’s great-grandmother as well.
Who Appears
- Manon BlackbeakLeads the Thirteen to the Crochan camp and faces her feared enemies and hidden kin.
- Dorian HavilliardAccompanies Manon, vouches for her defection, and presents himself as Adarlan’s king.
- GlennisAncient Crochan authority who reveals she is Rhiannon’s and Manon’s great-grandmother.
- Asterin BlackbeakSupports Manon, assesses the Crochan numbers, and bristles at insults.
- CyreneSpider-shifter whose information leads Manon’s group to the Crochan camp.
- Crochan coven leaderDark-haired witch who confronts Manon and directs her to Glennis.
- AbraxosManon’s wyvern, carries her into the tense Crochan parley.
- SorrelMember of the Thirteen who prompts Manon before the group approaches.
- VestaMember of the Thirteen whose wyvern carries Dorian and Cyrene into camp.
- Rhiannon CrochanDead Crochan whose red cloth and lineage connect Manon to Glennis.