Cover of The Gilded Blade

The Gilded Blade

by Jennifer Lynn Barnes


Genre
Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Year
2026
Pages
353
Contents

CHAPTER 91: ROHAN

Overview

Rohan and Toby wait in the blade chamber, confronting sacrifice and regret. Toby vows to run toward saving his daughters, not to safety, and Rohan arms him with a metal quill. When the doors open, they split paths; explosions cascade, collapsing tunnels. Rohan sprints for survival as the maze crumbles.

Summary

In the blade-lined chamber, Rohan reflects on failed sacrifice and dwindling prospects. Toby breaks his silence, insisting that if Rohan survives, he should give “the world and the whole damn sky” to the woman he loves. Rohan deflects, but recognizes Toby is preparing for his own last rites.

Toby reveals the duchess’s phrase echoed his mother’s words, implying a message: one daughter may survive, and Toby will not run to safety but toward what matters—his daughters—no matter the cost. Remembering Katalin’s statement about Hannah, Rohan acknowledges Toby’s resolve.

Rohan presses a metal quill into Toby’s hand as a makeshift weapon. The wall of blades swings open. Following the plan to run when the doors open, they sprint through chambers until a cavern forks.

Rohan takes the left tunnel while Toby takes the right. Explosions ripple through the depths, triggering a chain reaction. As stone cracks and the tunnels begin to collapse, Rohan runs full-out into darkness, choosing life while the world seems to crumble behind him.

Who Appears

  • Rohan
    Strategist facing collapse; arms Toby with a metal quill and chooses the left tunnel to survive.
  • Toby Hawthorne
    Determined father; vows to run toward saving his daughters, takes the right tunnel amid imminent explosions.
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