Throne of Glass, #5
Empire of Storms
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
CHAPTER 15
Overview
On Brannon’s sacred Rock, Aelin receives a new command from Brannon’s spirit: find the Lock hidden in a sunken city in the Stone Marshes, the only tool capable of sealing the Wyrdkeys back into the Wyrdgate. The revelation complicates Aelin’s search for allies by adding a larger magical objective tied directly to ending Erawan’s threat.
The chapter then turns personal and dangerous when a Valg-possessed Chief Overseer of Endovier appears, forcing Aelin to face the trauma of her enslavement. Aelin’s attack reveals Morath’s new horror—bodies reinforced with iron and Wyrdstone—and Erawan manifests through the host, proving that he has anticipated her movements and is ready to challenge her directly.
Summary
Aelin waits alone on Brannon’s sacred Rock with the Wyrdkey hidden in the Amulet of Orynth. Brannon’s spirit appears and confirms that Maeve is not Valg, though her age and power remain mysterious. He admits he does not know whether Maeve can be killed, but says Maeve has long feared Brannon’s flame and Aelin’s.
Aelin asks whether fire magic becomes easier to bear, and Brannon answers that controlling the power is less difficult than managing how it changes relationships. His brief warmth vanishes when he delivers his real message: in the Stone Marshes lies a sunken city where the Lock is hidden. The Lock is needed to bind the Wyrdkeys back into the broken Wyrdgate and seal it permanently, but Brannon disappears before giving more precise directions.
Aedion reveals he overheard the exchange, and Aelin learns Lysandra was also watching in bird form. Aedion challenges Aelin’s secrecy, arguing that her new court needs fewer hidden schemes, while Aelin insists allies remain the immediate goal and the Lock is not yet a change in direction.
The conversation is interrupted by the scent of a powerful Valg approaching through Aelin’s wall of flame. Aelin, Aedion, and Lysandra prepare for battle, but Aelin is shaken when the possessed man steps into view and reveals the face of the Chief Overseer of Endovier, the man who tortured Aelin during her enslavement.
The overseer taunts Aelin as a slave, forcing Aelin to confront memories of whipping, pits, and humiliation. Aedion realizes who the man is and moves protectively between Aelin and the threat, while Lysandra waits to strike. Aelin steadies herself with Aedion’s presence and the sight of the Sword of Orynth, then attacks first with fire.
Aelin’s magic cannot burn the Valg out because the host has no true human core left. Instead, the overseer reveals that his heart has been replaced with iron and Wyrdstone as a demonstration of what waits at Morath. After Aelin’s repeated attacks make her violently ill, the overseer’s chest bursts open to reveal a vast darkness with golden eyes: Erawan himself, acknowledging Aelin as she forces herself to answer with defiance.
Who Appears
- Aelin GalathyniusReceives Brannon’s warning, faces Endovier trauma, and defies Erawan’s Wyrdstone-enhanced host.
- BrannonAncient king’s spirit who tells Aelin about Maeve, fire magic, and the hidden Lock.
- Aedion AshryverOverhears Brannon, confronts Aelin about secrecy, and protects her from the Valg host.
- LysandraWatches in bird form, then shifts into a leopard to stand with Aelin and Aedion.
- ErawanValg king who manifests through the overseer to reveal Morath’s new Wyrdstone threat.
- Chief Overseer of EndovierAelin’s former tormentor, now possessed and transformed into Erawan’s horrifying messenger.