Throne of Glass, #5
Empire of Storms
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
CHAPTER 71
Overview
Maeve captures Elide and uses her as leverage to confront a drained Aelin, revealing that Lorcan's attempt to save Elide helped bring Maeve directly to them. Maeve defeats Aelin, punishes Gavriel, restrains Fenrys, and exposes the depth of her manipulation: Rowan is Aelin's mate, Lyria's death was engineered, and Aelin has been Maeve's intended path to the Wyrdkeys. The chapter shifts the story from battle to captivity and psychological devastation, ending with Maeve threatening Elide to force Aelin's surrender.
Summary
Maeve appears on the coast exactly as Aelin remembers her, with Elide kneeling at bladepoint before her. Aelin masks her fear with taunts while Manon prepares to act, and Lorcan arrives horrified to see Elide threatened. Maeve identifies Elide as claimed by Aelin, Manon, and Lorcan, then reveals that Lorcan summoned Maeve when he believed Ansel's fleet endangered Elide.
Maeve presses Lorcan about the ring and the Wyrdkeys, and Lorcan admits Aelin has two keys and likely knows where Erawan hides the third. Aelin tries to provoke Maeve into a fight and signals Manon to run with Elide if possible, but Maeve reveals the larger trap: Maeve helped lure Morath and used her own armada and fires to drain Aelin's magic before confronting her.
Aelin attacks despite being nearly spent, and Maeve meets her with darkness. Lorcan kills Elide's guard and nearby escorts, but Maeve orders Lorcan to hold Elide, binding him from fleeing with her. Aelin's weakened fire cannot withstand Maeve's power; Maeve beats Aelin down, chokes her with darkness, and tortures her while Elide begs Manon and the others to intervene.
Fenrys and Gavriel arrive and plead with Maeve to stop. Maeve mocks their disloyalty, severs Gavriel's blood oath as punishment instead of accepting his offer to take Aelin's suffering, and leaves Fenrys bound to her as a harsher torment. Maeve then strips Aelin of every weapon, wounding Aelin as hidden blades are torn away.
Maeve explains why Aelin matters: Brannon stole the Wyrdkeys from Maeve, Aelin can find them, and Maeve has long planned to use Aelin rather than let Aelin die forging a new Lock. Maeve reveals that Rowan is Aelin's true mate, that Maeve manipulated Rowan into loving Lyria and arranged Lyria's death to break him, and that Aelin has known the mating truth since Temis's temple but hid it from Rowan. Maeve also reveals Aelin is likely near Settling into full Fae immortality, then introduces the sadistic Cairn and gives Aelin a choice: come willingly to be tortured by Cairn, or be taken anyway with Elide as an additional victim.
Who Appears
- Aelin GalathyniusDrained queen who resists Maeve, is defeated, and learns Maeve's deepest manipulations.
- MaeveFae queen who traps Aelin, reveals her schemes, and uses Elide as leverage.
- Elide LochanHostage whose danger exposes Lorcan's betrayal and becomes Maeve's threat against Aelin.
- Lorcan SalvaterreMaeve's Second who summoned Maeve to save Elide and is bound by Maeve's command.
- Manon BlackbeakWitch queen present at the confrontation; Elide begs her to help, but she does not act.
- FenrysMaeve-bound warrior who arrives, pleads for Aelin, and is forced into submission.
- GavrielFae warrior who offers to take Aelin's punishment and is stripped of Maeve's blood oath.
- CairnSadistic new member of Maeve's cadre, introduced as Aelin's intended torturer.