Chapter 17

Bree joins Elijah and Zoe in a booth at the Rat to meet Regazel, a goruchel wearing a dead man’s skin. Elijah and Zoe present themselves as representatives of the Shadow King, accept Regazel’s tribute of a greed-tainted coin, and make clear that Regazel must prove loyalty if Regazel wants the King’s favor.

Regazel first offers a warning that someone is methodically killing Merlins, which alarms Bree because Bree remembers the power and skill of Merlins and worries about one in particular. Elijah dismisses this as insufficient intel, and the conversation turns hostile when Regazel insults Elijah and Zoe’s father and calls Elijah a “crossroads child.” Zoe physically threatens Regazel until Regazel refocuses on the reason for the meeting.

Regazel claims a rebel member of the Shadow Court has a lead on the Shadow King’s crown. Elijah and Zoe are skeptical because the Morgaines hid the crown centuries ago with enchantments that make it undetectable and untouchable by demons. Regazel says the crown was stolen from the Morgaines by a warlock, and when Bree impulsively asks which Nightshade has the lead, Regazel uses demon protocol to bind Elijah and Zoe to a demand: if the King retakes the Court, they must argue for Regazel to receive a blessing.

Regazel names Daeza as the Shade with the lead, which frustrates Elijah and Zoe because Daeza is dangerous and would punish Regazel for betraying her. After Regazel leaves, Elijah orders Bree home. On the snowy walk back, Elijah explains that the crown is not merely symbolic: Arthur Pendragon and Merlin took it to nearly kill the King, and without it the King cannot return to the demon dimension. Bree realizes the King is trapped on earth, cut off from his Court and domain, which clarifies the depth of his hatred toward Arthur’s legacy and Bree’s bloodline.

Before they reach the house, Bree’s bloodmark flares brightly, signaling that the King is calling her and reminding Bree that the King remains linked to her power. Elijah and Zoe hide Bree in an alley until the glow fades. Back at Erebus’s house, Elijah smells warlock magic on Bree’s coat, forcing Bree and Zoe to admit enough about the Rootcrafter girl’s abduction for Elijah to understand what happened. Elijah confirms that greater demons hunger for Rootcrafter power and says missing Black Rootcrafter girls are targeted because human society is less likely to care. That night, Bree cannot stop thinking about the kidnapped girl and decides Bree will not let the matter go.