Throne of Glass, #7
Kingdom of Ash
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter 85
Overview
The battle for Orynth erupts on every front as Manon and the Thirteen engage the Ironteeth in the skies, Lysandra strikes Morath from the Florine, and Aedion unleashes Orynth’s prepared defenses from the walls. Their tactics inflict heavy damage and disrupt the enemy, but the sheer scale of Morath’s assault keeps pressing forward.
The chapter shifts the siege from preparation to full combat, showing the defenders’ courage and strategy while emphasizing how limited their resources are. The arrival of a Valg prince on the wall raises the threat sharply and signals that Morath’s most dangerous forces are entering the fight.
Summary
Manon and the Thirteen launch into the sky above the Crochan army, using themselves as bait to test whether the Ironteeth legion will obey orders or break formation to pursue their ancient rivals. The Crochans charge straight toward the wyverns, aiming not for the beasts but for the riders, whose deaths will bring the mounts down.
Manon climbs so high that she can see deep into the enemy host and spots Iskra Yellowlegs’s massive wyvern, understanding that a confrontation between them is inevitable. About fifty Yellowlegs and Blueblood wyverns peel away to chase the Thirteen. Manon draws them in, then sends Abraxos plunging downward; the Thirteen form behind her like a battering ram and smash into the Ironteeth, beginning a brutal aerial fight.
In the Florine, Lysandra hides in sea-dragon form beneath the ice floes while Morath marches past. She secretly saves living Crochans who fall into the water and drags fallen Ironteeth under. When the horn from the city walls signals the attack, Lysandra bursts from the river into Morath’s eastern flank, tearing through soldiers before vanishing back under the ice.
Lysandra uses the river’s curve and the ice as cover, striking repeatedly from unexpected angles. Her attacks force Morath’s soldiers away from the riverbank and into the crowded center ranks, destabilizing the eastern flank while black and blue blood clouds the water.
On Orynth’s walls, Aedion directs the defense as firelances burn Valg soldiers and archers pick off troops climbing siege ladders. Seeing Morath pressing hard at the gates and along the walls, Aedion orders catapults to launch oiled boulders. Fae archers ignite the stones midair, causing explosive impacts that devastate sections of the enemy army.
Aedion halts the catapults after two volleys to make Morath believe the city has exhausted that tactic. As Valg soldiers begin reaching the wall and the Bane kill them on arrival, a more dangerous enemy climbs up: a cold-faced young man with black eyes and a black collar, revealed by his presence and hunger to be a Valg prince.
Who Appears
- Manon BlackbeakLeads the Thirteen into the skies, baiting and attacking pursuing Ironteeth witches.
- LysandraFights in dragon form from the Florine, savaging Morath’s eastern flank.
- Aedion AshryverCommands Orynth’s wall defenses and deploys explosive catapult strikes against Morath.
- The ThirteenFly in formation behind Manon and smash into the Ironteeth attackers.
- AbraxosManon’s wyvern, diving into battle and tearing apart enemy wings and throats.
- Iskra YellowlegsSeen at the rear of the Ironteeth host, marking Manon for a future confrontation.
- RolfeCommands restraint with the firelances as Orynth’s resources run low.
- Ren AllsbrookDefends the walls with his bow against soldiers climbing siege ladders.
- Valg princeA black-collared enemy commander who reaches Orynth’s wall at the chapter’s end.