Throne of Glass, #5
Empire of Storms
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
CHAPTER 65
Overview
The mirror reveals that Elena used the Lock to imprison Erawan rather than fulfill the gods' bargain to seal the Wyrdgate, send them home, and destroy him permanently. As punishment, the gods require a future heir of Mala to forge a new Lock and die sealing the gate, making Aelin's destiny far more terrible than a simple battle with Erawan.
A later memory shows Elena directing Nehemia toward Adarlan to find and guide the hidden Aelin. Nehemia accepts that she will never return to Eyllwe, reframing her sacrifices as part of Elena's long effort to prepare Aelin for the burden ahead.
Summary
At dawn in the Obsidian Passes, Elena kneels before the obsidian sarcophagus she has made with the Lock, having spent nearly all its power to bind Erawan inside the mountain stone. Gavin lies badly wounded behind her after distracting Erawan long enough for Elena to act, and Elena believes her desperate choice has saved Gavin, their people, and the world from immediate slaughter.
The gods appear as immense presences of light, shadow, storm, death, flame, and memory. They reveal that Elena has misunderstood the Lock: Brannon was meant to use it with the three Wyrdkeys to seal the gate, send the gods home, and banish Erawan with them forever. Because Elena used the Lock only to imprison Erawan, the gods condemn her for wasting the one chance to end the threat permanently.
Elena begs the gods not to free Erawan in retaliation. The gods agree to wait, but they demand a future price: Mala's bloodline must one day bleed to forge the Lock anew, and Elena must guide that heir to use it to send the gods and Erawan away, then seal the gate at the cost of every drop of the heir's life force. Gavin hears only Elena's side of the exchange, but when Elena lies that the price will simply be paid later, Gavin's hand on Damaris reveals the truth of her deception.
The memory shifts to moonrise at the Temple of Sandrian in the Stone Marshes, where Nehemia has spent weeks seeking answers about keys, gates, locks, and prophecies. Elena appears and tells Nehemia that the temple's mirror is not the Lock but a pool of memory, created so the destined heir can one day understand the full truth before choosing.
Elena explains that Mala's bloodline runs through the Havilliards and the Galathyniuses: one branch carries raw power, and the other carries flame. Elena tells Nehemia that Aelin Galathynius is not dead but hidden, and orders Nehemia to go to Adarlan, enter her enemy's household, and guide the girl marked by Brannon. When Nehemia asks her own price, Elena says Nehemia will never see Eyllwe again; Nehemia accepts and resolves to help prepare the continent and her people for war.
Who Appears
- ElenaUses the Lock on Erawan, is condemned by the gods, and later guides Nehemia.
- NehemiaSeeks answers in the Stone Marshes and accepts a fatal role helping Aelin.
- GavinBadly wounded after distracting Erawan; senses Elena's lie through Damaris.
- The godsCondemn Elena's misuse of the Lock and demand a future bloodline sacrifice.
- Mala Light-BringerElena's mother among the gods, tied to the Lock and its future price.
- ErawanSealed inside an obsidian sarcophagus, but destined to awaken again.