Throne of Glass, #5
Empire of Storms
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
CHAPTER 6
Overview
Dorian endures the isolation of his new kingship while wrestling with guilt over the Valg prince’s crimes and fear of his uncontrolled magic. Rifthold’s fragile quiet is shattered when an Ironteeth wyvern legion attacks, turning Dorian’s private trauma into an immediate threat to his city.
Manon and the Thirteen arrive after a brutal flight, only to find Iskra’s forces have already begun the assault. Manon’s urgency and uncertainty suggest her role in the attack may not be simple obedience, shifting the stakes from invasion to possible intervention.
Summary
Dorian Havilliard rules from the stone castle in Rifthold amid a silence that reflects the emptiness of his court and kingdom. His mother and younger brother remain in Ararat by his order, partly because Dorian cannot face lying to them about the glass castle’s destruction, his father’s possession, and the deaths caused by the Valg.
Dorian is haunted by fragmented memories of wearing the Wyrdstone collar. He remembers blood, screams, and the demon prince using his body, and he struggles with guilt over atrocities committed through him. Determined never to be helpless again, Dorian has resumed sword training with the new Captain of the Guard, though he remains isolated and lacks anyone to teach him how to control his raw magic.
Dorian thinks of Chaol and Nesryn traveling to Antica, hoping Chaol has reached the healers of the Torre Cesme. He also worries over the lack of word from Aelin and the reports that Morath is moving. As Dorian prepares to return to royal paperwork, strange thunder rolls over the city despite the clear sky.
Dorian recognizes the sound too late. His magic reacts violently, coating the balcony and tower in ice beyond his control, as a warning horn from the west is abruptly cut off. When Dorian reaches the western window, Rifthold begins screaming: a vast legion of wyverns bearing armed Ironteeth witches descends on the city.
The perspective shifts to Manon Blackbeak, who has driven the Thirteen on a nonstop flight toward Rifthold, leaving their exhausted escort covens behind. The Thirteen’s months of extra training allow them to keep going, but even Abraxos is nearly spent. As Manon reaches the capital, she sees that Iskra’s legion has already begun the assault, aiming for the palace and the glass wall Manon was ordered to bring down.
Manon understands that Iskra has tried to seize the victory before Manon’s arrival. With screams rising from the city and her cape weighing on her, Manon urges Abraxos toward the castle, hoping she is not too late and uncertain whether the course she has chosen is the right one.
Who Appears
- Dorian HavilliardKing of Adarlan; haunted by Valg possession and confronted by the Ironteeth attack on Rifthold.
- Manon BlackbeakIronteeth witch leading the Thirteen to Rifthold, alarmed that Iskra began the assault first.
- AbraxosManon’s wyvern; exhausted from nonstop flight but pushed toward Rifthold’s castle.
- Iskra YellowlegsYellowlegs heir whose legion attacks Rifthold before Manon arrives, seeking the victory for herself.
- The ThirteenManon’s elite coven; their endurance lets them reach Rifthold ahead of slower escort covens.