The Stolen Heir Duology, #1
The Stolen Heir
by Holly Black
Contents
Chapter 15
Overview
Captured in the Citadel, Oak bluffs that he holds Mellith’s heart and forces Lady Nore to agree to a trade for Madoc. To prevent Suren from commanding her, Nore uses a petal spell and brutally removes Suren’s tongue, then heals the wound. Oak is bound, Hurclaw’s alliance is confirmed, and a meeting for the exchange is set. Suren is sent to the dungeon and, departing, spots Hyacinthe.
Summary
In the aftermath of their failed search, Oak kills several attackers, but a troll seizes Suren and forces Oak to surrender. Their captors escort them to Lady Nore’s banquet hall, where Hurclaw and Bogdana are present, Mab’s reliquary sprouts eerie growths, and Jarel’s severed hands hang from Nore’s neck.
Pressed for Mellith’s heart, Oak astonishingly declares he has it and proposes a trade: Madoc, Oak, and Suren will meet a representative outside the Citadel for the exchange. Nore, eager for Mab’s bones, Mellith’s heart, and Greenbriar blood, agrees to a meeting while keeping Oak as leverage. Hurclaw’s quiet backing underscores the threat around them.
To stop Suren from commanding her, Nore frees Suren’s mouth only to force a bewitched petal onto Suren’s tongue, compelling her to renounce control if she speaks. Suren refuses Nore’s cruel offer of a glamour and amnesia to pass as mortal and spits blood in defiance.
Enraged, Nore orders Suren’s tongue cut out. Guards and stick soldiers subdue Oak; Suren is held down as her tongue is severed, then Nore heals the wound with bone magic, leaving Suren silenced. Nore taunts Suren as a manikin and reaffirms Oak’s powerlessness.
At Hurclaw’s urging, Nore moves to finalize the bargain: Suren is sent to the dungeon while Oak remains for negotiations. As Suren is marched out, Bogdana warns her to “wake up,” and in the hall Suren looks back and meets the purple eyes of Hyacinthe.
Who Appears
- Suren (Wren)Narrator; captured, prevented from speaking commands, refuses Nore’s bargain, tongue cut and magically healed, sent to the dungeon.
- Prince OakBluffs that he holds Mellith’s heart, negotiates a trade for Madoc, fights guards, is overpowered and bound by Nore’s constructs.
- Lady NoreAntagonist; wears Jarel’s hands, blocks Suren’s power with a petal spell, orders Suren’s tongue cut, agrees to a meeting for the exchange.
- King HurclawTroll ruler allied with Nore; reinforces control in the hall and presses to proceed with the trade timeline.
- BogdanaStorm hag; watches Suren, hints at Suren’s state, warns her to “wake up” as Suren is taken away.
- Stick soldiers (Nore’s creations)Constructs that subdue Oak, enabling guards to bind him with a silver cord.
- Ex-falcons and trollsGuard cadre that captures the pair, escorts them to Nore, and restrains both during the confrontation.
- Huldufólk guardsAssist in restraining Suren and cutting out her tongue on Nore’s order.
- HyacintheImprisoned bound king; glimpsed in the hall at the end, signaling his proximity within the Citadel.