The Legendborn Cycle, #3
Oathbound
by Tracy Deonn
Contents
Chapter 50
Overview
Bree wakes imprisoned with Nick, Zoe, and Mariah, and Lawson reveals himself to have been Erebus in disguise all along. Erebus explains that he manipulated their search for the crown to flush out Morgaines, recover information, test Bree and Zoe, and expose the Regents’ new interest in captive Rootcrafters.
The revelation reframes the entire auction mission as one of Erebus’s layered schemes, even though Ava escaped with the Morgaine knowledge he needed. Erebus leaves the group trapped in a demon-proof prison while he goes after Gabriel and the Regents, pushing Bree toward the ruthless identity he wants her to embrace.
Summary
Bree wakes in an underground prison cell with Mariah tending her, while Nick and Zoe attack the iron bars. Mariah explains that after the chaos outside the auction, warlocks captured Mariah and Zoe, and Bree and Nick had already been knocked unconscious by Lawson. Bree has been out for about half an hour and has a head injury.
Lawson appears outside the cell, but the disguise falls away and reveals Erebus Varelian. Zoe reacts with fury, realizing Erebus had been present as Lawson throughout their mission. Bree processes the shock of the past several days: the ward trapping them in Penumbra, their fear of Erebus, their plans, and their private confessions all happened while Erebus was nearby.
Erebus explains that his manipulation began after Merlins started dying at an increasing rate. Nick’s suspicion that Morgaines might be involved led Erebus to watch the Regents, whose secret meetings made him suspect they were pursuing Morgaines independently. When Bree questioned Erebus about warlocks kidnapping Rootcrafters and Elijah heard a rumor that Erebus’s crown had been stolen from the Morgaines, Erebus connected the warlocks, Rootcrafters, crown, and Morgaines, then used Lawson to monitor and guide events.
Erebus says he sent Bree and Zoe after Daeza and the auction as a safeguard because they could touch the crown if no Morgaine appeared. His real goal was to flush out a Morgaine capable of removing the enchantment from the crown, since Erebus can mimic many forms but cannot bypass Morgaine magic. Ava escaped before Erebus could force her to unlock the crown, but Erebus persuaded Santiago to secure the crown for him.
Erebus considers the operation still valuable because he learned about Nick’s abilities and discovered that Gabriel and the Regents are targeting Rootcrafters as well as Morgaines. Bree rejects Erebus’s predatory view of Rootcrafters and insists she and Zoe acted to save the missing girls, not to serve him. Erebus says Bree’s next lesson is to become ruthless, declares he must pursue Gabriel and the Regents as Erebus, and leaves Bree, Nick, Zoe, and Mariah trapped in a prison built to hold demons.
Who Appears
- BreeWakes imprisoned, challenges Erebus’s manipulation, and rejects his demand that she become ruthless.
- Erebus Varelian / LawsonReveals his Lawson disguise, explains his layered scheme, and leaves the group trapped.
- ZoeFuriously confronts Erebus for deceiving and using her, Bree, and Elijah.
- NickProtects Bree, taunts Erebus, and is revealed as one target of Erebus’s observations.
- MariahTends Bree after capture and explains how the group ended up imprisoned.