Throne of Glass, #4
Queen of Shadows
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter 8
Overview
Manon Blackbeak’s life at Morath is shown as tense, restrictive, and saturated with unnatural danger. Duke Perrington orders her scouts into the Fangs, while Kaltain’s collar and the keep’s hidden horrors suggest that Adarlan’s forces are tied to something far darker than ordinary war.
Manon’s control over the Thirteen is tested when Asterin questions their confinement, forcing Manon to assert brutal authority despite their long bond. The chapter ends with the Thirteen taking to the skies for a hunt, revealing both their deadly nature and the pressure building under Perrington’s command.
Summary
At Morath, Manon Blackbeak attends a council meeting with Duke Perrington while Asterin, Sorrel, Vesta, and Lin guard her. Manon has spent weeks stationed there with half the Ironteeth legion and distrusts the duke, his strange-smelling army, and the horrors rumored to exist in the mountain catacombs.
Perrington orders Manon to send Ironteeth scouts into the Fangs to map the wild men’s settlements, numbers, and mountain paths, while avoiding engagement. Manon resents being forbidden to fight and refuses to address Perrington as “Your Grace,” making clear that he is not her ruler. During the meeting, Manon studies Kaltain, Perrington’s silent, bruised companion, whose dark collar and unnatural scent disturb her.
After leaving the council chamber, Manon and her coven pass the duke’s private tower, where guards with the same wrong scent stand watch. Vesta and Lin are sent to gather the rest of the Thirteen for a hunt, while Manon, Asterin, and Sorrel return to their aerie. The Thirteen keep their wyverns there because the beasts, especially Abraxos, react violently to the reek in Morath’s lower pens.
In the aerie, Asterin openly voices frustration at four weeks of inactivity, the restrictions on flight, and the indignity of waiting on Perrington’s orders. Manon warns Asterin that any sign of dissent could endanger the Thirteen’s standing, but Asterin’s tone remains defiant. To reassert command, Manon seizes Asterin by the throat with iron nails and threatens to punish her if she steps out of line.
Manon orders the Thirteen to ride. She mounts Abraxos, who deliberately drops from the tower before spreading his wings, frightening the humans below and leading the coven away from Morath. Free in the night sky, Manon feels the thrill of riding with her deadly unit and notices Asterin’s wild joy in flight, though she worries the Blackbeak Matron would punish such untamed behavior.
The Thirteen fly over the emptied countryside toward a lake, where Manon spots a small farm and a lighted cottage. Irritated by Perrington and by Asterin’s challenge, Manon decides the family there may provide amusement, though the Thirteen’s unspoken rule forbids killing children.
Who Appears
- Manon BlackbeakWing Leader at Morath; resents Perrington’s control and reasserts authority over the Thirteen.
- Asterin BlackbeakManon’s Second; openly frustrated by confinement and nearly challenges Manon’s command.
- Duke PerringtonMorath’s ruler; commands Manon’s scouts and surrounds himself with unnatural soldiers and secrets.
- KaltainSilent, bruised woman beside Perrington; wears a dark collar with a disturbing scent.
- AbraxosManon’s wyvern; dislikes Morath’s reek and theatrically dives from the aerie.
- SorrelManon’s Third; steady presence who warns Asterin and supports discipline within the Thirteen.
- VestaMember of the Thirteen; ordered to gather the others for Manon’s night hunt.
- LinMember of the Thirteen; follows Vesta to summon the coven for the hunt.