One Dark Throne

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One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake

Genevieve Arron returns to Greavesdrake Manor after being sent away for some time. She is questioned by her sister, Natalia, the head of the Black Council, about the rumors that must be spreading about Queen Katharine, but Genevieve has only heard what Natalia has spread, that Katharine went into hiding after Arsinoe's bear attacked the night of the Quickening. Only Natalia knows about her crawling out of the Breccia Domain. No one knows that Pietyr pushed her. Now Katharine is eating poison like all the rest of the Arrons, and making tainted gifts to send to Mirabella. Katharine was once weak, but not anymore. 

In Wolf Spring, Arsinoe receives word that two suitors have elected to visit her, Tommy and Michael, but she knows they are only interested in her because of her bear. Jules and the rest of the Milones, her foster family, Joseph, Jules's boyfriend, and Billy Chatworth, Joseph's mainland foster brother and Arsinoe's suitor, know that low magic and Jules are controlling the bear, not Arsinoe. What they do not know, except for Jules and Joseph, is that Arsinoe is actually a poisoner, not a naturalist like everyone always thought. 

Katharine sent poisoned candy to Arsinoe by way of Billy's father William, but instead of killing Arsinoe, it nearly killed Jules instead and didn't affect Arsinoe at all. Jules however is now in constant pain and has a limp, but she's still the most powerful naturalist in a long time. Arsinoe wants to learn about poisons in order to kill Mirabella when the time comes, but she would rather not kill anyone, and she thinks that Mirabella doesn't want to kill anyone either, and maybe Katharine feels that way too. Jules doesn't want her to be seen learning about poisons, but stubborn Arsinoe does it anyway. 

As she's eating hemlock, feeling a strange nourishment that she hasn't felt before and comparing it to the way a naturalist must feel blooming a flower, Billy joins her and nearly kisses her. She pulls away at the last second, not because she doesn’t secretly want to kiss Billy, but because the hemlock would surely kill him. He's come to see her so Jules and Joseph can have some alone time together, but that alone time is ruined by a girl spitting at Joseph and calling him a traitor for protecting Mirabella during the Quickening Ceremony when Arsinoe's bear nearly attacked her. Jules is still struggling with the fact that Joseph had a fling with Mirabella, but that doesn't stop her from siccing Camden, her cougar familiar, on the girl. This of course makes the girl and onlookers angry at Jules, too.

In Rolanth, High Priestess Luca helps Mirabella, Bree and Elizabeth as they prepare to ride in secret to Wolf Spring where she will take on Arsinoe and her bear. They are sending a decoy carriage to Greavesdrake as a distraction for Katharine who has been sending poisoned gifts to Mirabella, one of which just lost an initiate priestess her arm below the elbow. Everyone is wary of every gift that arrives for Mirabella, not sure which ones come from admirers who support Mirabella as Queen and which are poison sent from Katharine.

Katharine rides to the temple at Indrid Down, the capital city, and asks everyone to leave her be while she is in there. Once she is alone, she approaches the Goddess Stone, a large slab of obsidian, and asks the Goddess if she knows them, if they still smell of the earth after she threw them down into the Breccia Domain. She says the Goddess will not have her way this time because they are coming. Katharine is speaking as if she is more than one person. 

Arsinoe gets word from her friend Luke, the bookshop owner, delicious treat maker and dressmaker, that Mirabella is on her way to Wolf Spring. Everyone in town expects her to go face off against Mirabella so the elemental queen does not destroy Wolf Spring. Jules tries to stop her, telling her she is not ready and her bear is not ready, but the townsfolk believe that it is after it nearly attacked Mirabella after the Quickening, but that was Jules directing the bear, of course, and of course she would want to kill Mirabella since she slept with Joseph. Arsinoe hopes that she'll be able to talk to Mirabella and not have to kill her, but she goes to the bent tree to summon the bear anyway. While there, she sharpens a knife with nightshade, hiding it from Madrigal who has arrived to help her summon the bear. When Arsinoe cuts the rune into her palm, she can feel the connection with the bear and knows it will come.

Mirabella nears Wolf Spring with Bree and Elizabeth. Once she was the Chosen Queen, but now, she has no suitors coming her way first and no one to see her off, even though she snuck away anyway. Her friends joke that she doesn't want a suitor anyway, but Joseph instead. Mirabella knows that Joseph will never speak to her again after she kills Arsinoe. She hopes she doesn't have to kill him and Julienne, too, but she will if she has to.

Madrigal and Cait, Jules's mother and grandmother, discuss Jules and her gift. Then they remember back to her birth when they called a seer to look into the baby's future. The seer told them to drown the baby, telling them that she is legion-cursed, that she has two strong gifts, and that she will bring about an end to their island. Jules is not just a naturalist but war-gifted as well (remember when she killed the old old bear?) and that will surely drive her mad. It hasn't yet though. She is incredibly strong. Instead of killing baby Jules, Madrigal used low magic to bind the war gift, but as Jules grows, the war gift has grown too, even though it is bound, and now her temper is barely kept in check. 

Mirabella's scouts encounter Arsinoe who tells them to report that she is coming to see Mirabella. Mirabella leaves her friends to try to find her sister. They are worried about the bear, but no one has seen it, so maybe everything will be fine. Madrigal meanwhile has told Joseph about Jules being legion-cursed but he can't bring himself to believe it. He rushes off to find Jules anyway. If she is legion-cursed, it will be difficult to stop her from killing Mirabella, but if she interferes with the Queens killing each other, everyone will want her dead. 

Mirabella and Arsinoe encounter each other in the woods and Mirabella lashes out with lightning, but Arsinoe is able to evade. Mirabella asks where the bear is, thinking Arsinoe is going to sneak attack but the bear isn't around. Jules meanwhile is rushing to get to Arsinoe and Joseph is hot on her heels. He tackles her to stop her from getting to Mirabella and Arsinoe and Jules thinks that he wants to keep Mirabella safe and for her to kill Arsinoe. The trees begin to rattle then and branches rain down around them. Joseph tells Jules he thinks that was her doing. Soon the bear crashes toward Mirabella and Arsinoe. Arsinoe can feel a tingle in her palm and even though the bear is not her familiar, she is able to make it stop its charge and carry her away from Mirabella and deeper into the woods.

In Greavesdrake, Natalia and Genevieve are shocked to find Katharine throwing knives at one of her maids who is tied down, thinking that this seems very out of character for the once meek queen. They put an end to the sport, but then Katharine suggests that Genevieve take the maid's place. After slicing a curl from near her face, Natalia makes Katharine stop, knowing that Genevieve used to torture her, but still questioning how she could do such a thing and what actually happened to her the night of the Quickening. She merely says she fell and the Goddess saved her before leaving for a horse ride. She soon realizes she's being followed and thinks it's Pietyr who has returned to her, but no, it is the suitor Nicolas Martel. She is drawn to him immediately. 

Back at Wolf Spring, Arsinoe, Jules, Joseph and the newly named Braddock the bear arrive home. Along the way, Jules tells Arsinoe about her legion-curse being bound with low magic. They wonder about what would happen if it was unbound and about how they both have secrets they need to keep safe. Billy arrives soon but with bad news. He has been named Mirabella's food taster since he refused to participate as a suitor. Joseph then tells Jules he's going to see Mirabella, too, to tell her it's over between them. There could never be anything between them anyway because he's not a suitor.

It is time for the suitors to arrive and for their accompanying celebrations. In Greavesdrake, there is of course a poisoned feast. Nicolas finds the fact that there are things that he cannot eat alluring. They discuss other festivals that take place during the Ascension year, one in summer led by the naturalists and one in fall by the elementals. The poisoners have a great feast at every event and Nicolas marvels at how much poison Katharine ate at the Quickening and she makes a comment that she herself might be poison. 

Billy and Joseph arrive at Rolanth and Mirabella is very pleased to see her love has perhaps decided to be with her. When it comes time to feast, Billy plays up his role as food taster and suitor, enjoying bites of Mirabella's food and the fact that his eyes aren't bleeding from poisons. He taunts Mirabella about his potential death, comparing it to what she tried to do to Arsinoe. She thinks back to Arsinoe getting away and wonders why she didn't kill her with her bear when she had the chance. Some say that Mirabella ran away from the fight, afraid of the bear, but Arsinoe is the one who left. Joseph comes to Mirabella then to tell her that it is over between them and that he has chosen Jules and that he will always choose Jules, but it really seems like he actually wants Mirabella. Bree thinks so anyway. He still leaves.

Madrigal helps Arsinoe get dressed in Wolf Spring, or she tries to anyway, but Arsinoe refuses to put on anything other than her typical pants and vest. Arsinoe sees that Madrigal has dropped something and recognizes it as a low magic charm made from a ring that Matthew Sandrin gave to Madrigal's sister Caragh before she was banished to the Black Cottage. Arsinoe is angry at Madrigal for stealing Matthew from Caragh, banished or not. Madrigal's spells won't make him love her, but he must be infatuated with her enough because she is pregnant. Arsinoe is disgusted that Madrigal would use low magic to conceive a baby knowing that it has an awful price. With Jules later, she shows off her war gift that she's been practicing with and finds that she can move things with her mind, a war gift thought to have been lost to the ages. Arsinoe wonders if maybe all the gifts are getting stronger again and what it might mean. Maybe it means a strong queen is coming. 

Arsinoe's feast with the suitors Tommy and Michael goes well and they reveal that they are cousins and they came to her first to see the bear. Braddock is playing and enjoying fish and apples and tussles with Arsinoe and everything is fine. Until it isn't. Arsinoe finds that her poisoned knife is missing from her pocket and that one of the suitors is using it to cut and serve food. Jules won't allow Arsinoe to raise the alarm about it because it would reveal her poison secret. Luke calls out for help as both Tommy and Michael fall.

In Greavesdrake, Katharine is accused of poisoning the suitors and Genevieve is angry about it. They'll have to pay off a lot of people to make this mess go away. Natalia wishes she would poison more specifically and be done with it, so Katharine says she wants to go to see Mirabella and kill her in person. Natalia offers to try to manipulate the midsummer festival that is two weeks away with High Priestess Luca so that can happen.

Billy sets up a picnic for Mirabella with food that he has prepared himself and it is… not very good. He was meant to fatten up and cook a hen for a stew but he couldn't kill Harriet, so they have a sad watery stew instead. After a brief conversation about Mirabella just parroting everything the priestesses have told her to say, Billy ends up confessing to Mirabella that Arsinoe did not send the bear for her on the night of the Quickening but Jules did instead because of Joseph. He seems to want her to know that Arsinoe doesn't want to kill her and has resigned herself to die. Mirabella could have killed her that day in the woods but she didn't. It seems that neither of them wants to hurt each other. 

In Wolf Spring meanwhile, the two dead suitors are boxed up and sent home while Arsinoe quietly freaks out and Jules tries to calm her down. Obviously no one suspects anyone but Katharine for their deaths. In Rolanth, Luca receives a letter from Natalia about the poisoners, elementals and naturalists all having the next two festivals together when they'd normally each do their own thing. Billy, and Harriet the Hen, of course, will be excited to go home. Luca asks him to walk with her and being a gentleman, he agrees. She tells him that they'll be going back to Wolf Spring soon for the festival and he understands it's to bring all the Queens together so they can kill each other sooner rather than later. 

In Greavesdrake, Nicolas and Katharine are practicing archery, Katharine better and stronger now than she used to be. Nicolas seems very bloodthirsty and wants to be there to witness when Katharine kills her sisters. Soon she is summoned to Natalia to greet a guest who turns out to be Pietyr. She takes him to her rooms where she pounces on him with a knife at his throat. She should kill him for throwing her down the Breccia Domain, but he explains that he thought he had to so she would not have been killed by the priestesses to make Mirabella a White-Handed Queen. He says he loves her and she kisses him and then leaves him, telling him he can never have her again. 

Jules and Madrigal are together in the Milone kitchen when Madrigal reveals she is pregnant with Matthew's baby. Jules is furious that Madrigal would do such a thing with her sister's lover, but Caragh is banished and Matthew is Madrigal's now. Jules's war gift, spurred by her short temper, rattles a knife nearby. Madrigal wants to unbind the war gift but Jules is afraid that she'll go mad. Grandma Cait arrives then with word that everyone is coming to Wolf Spring for the festival and sends Jules off to find and tell Arsinoe, who is of course miffed. She doesn't want anyone to get hurt because her friends are all she has. Well, them and low magic. 

Katharine milks Sweetheart, her little coral snake bracelet, for her venom as Nicolas watches on, but soon it's time to leave for Wolf Spring. Katharine will arrive on horseback so everyone can see that she's not a walking corpse but is a living, healthy queen. Pietyr and Nicolas vie for her attention as they pass by a temple. One of the priestesses wishes her well, but Katharine knows all the priestesses want Mirabella to be queen. The priestess says all queens are important, and Katharine says yes, even the ones that the priestesses threw into the Breccia Domain. 

In Rolanth, Mirabella, Elizabeth, Bree and Billy get ready to depart, Mirabella worried about having to face her sisters. Unfortunately they find a novice priestess dead amongst their supplies having put on a poisoned dress obviously sent by Katharine. It seems she doesn't care who she kills anymore. She is either very clever or very cruel.

Arsinoe and Madrigal are in the clearing with the bent tree, preparing to use low magic to curse Mirabella and Katharine, but as Madrigal begins burning Arsinoe's blood over a huge fire, Arsinoe realizes she loves her sisters and doesn't want to go through with the curse, especially since Madrigal doesn't even know what it is going to do. When Arsinoe tries to stop her, the flames rush up and engulf Madrigal. She starts freaking out, screaming about her baby, but even though the flames were scary and she is a little burned, absolutely nothing would have harmed the baby. Arsinoe tries to get Madrigal to share what just happened but she can't, or won't.

High Priestess Luca and her priestess Rho get settled in Wolf Spring, but Luca wonders if they are doing the right thing, gathering all the Queens for the festival. Rho thinks they are, and thinks it's helpful to Mirabella who seems to be on the lookout for Joseph. Billy finds her after taking Harriet to stay with the Sandrins and is mad at her for not being terrible. He wishes that he could just hate her, but he can't, though he's not obviously in love with her like Joseph is, he just genuinely likes her as a person. Mirabella asks if Billy told Arsinoe that he told her about the bear attack not happening on purpose, but he did not. He worries about what's going to happen at the festival and if everyone is going to survive. Katharine meanwhile is sharpening knives and planning to take down a bear. 

The Queens and their families come together to begin the festival, sending wreaths and lanterns out on the water. Mirabella believes everything is going to be fine, Arsinoe wonders where Jules is (she is with Joseph, but she's overwhelmed with worry and feels like she's losing Joseph even though he's right there, taking off her shirt) and Katharine seems jealous of everyone. She insists that Arsinoe, being from Wolf Spring, lead the Queens in a hunt. It's clearly a challenge that cannot be denied. Arsinoe worries about controlling Braddock during the hunt and again wonders where Jules is. She needs her help.

Arsinoe takes off on her own to the orchard with Braddock at her side. Billy and Luke try to help her, but she tells them she has to do this on her own and they should find Jules. Mirabella has Bree and Elizabeth with her and worries about Arsinoe who doesn't have a guard or anyone to help her, but everyone else thinks that's great. Katharine has war-gifted Margaret Beaulin from the Black Council at her side and Pietyr and Nicolas, plus some others. She also has knives and arrows tipped in poison. She is ready. Jules wakes up after sleeping with Joseph for her first time, but they have slept too long. 

Arsinoe tries to get Braddock to run away so he doesn't get hurt, but since he's not really her familiar, she can't actually control him. They run. Mirabella meanwhile is hoisted up into a tree and Bree and Elizabeth will act as decoys, trying to guide the others beneath Mirabella so she can burn them or strike them with lightning. Katharine is on horseback and plans to chase her sisters down. She wants to knock the bear out and keep him alive, but not her sisters. 

Jules rushes around, looking for Arsinoe, thinking the feast will have started because she doesn't know about the hunt. Luckily Luke finds her and fills her in. She and Camden and Joseph, after a little cajoling, race to find Arsinoe and Braddock. They can't interfere with the Queens killing each other, but they can't not help Arsinoe.

Katharine catches up to Braddock and Arsinoe. Her party attacks Braddock while she aims her crossbow at Arsinoe. Mirabella yells for Arsinoe to run but it's too late. Arsinoe is hit in the back with a poisoned bolt. Katharine doesn't realize Mirabella was there because Bree caught up to her and covered her screams. Jules finally arrives and uses her war gift to push Katharine away from Arsinoe, and Mirabella and Bree don't know what they just saw. Not the war gift, surely? Jules summons Katharine's horse and rides off with Arsinoe. Katharine joins Pietyr on his horse when he arrives and they follow, Katharine needing her sister's body. Mirabella should be happy that she's safe and that she only has one sister left to fight, but she's not. At all.

Joseph isn't fast enough to keep up with Jules, so he goes to find everyone else. Mirabella comes out of the woods and apologizes, telling Billy that Arsinoe was shot in the back and that Jules tried to help and fled with her body. Katharine arrives shortly thereafter and confirms that she shot Arsinoe. She also reveals that Jules pushed her away with the war gift before fleeing. She announces that Jules is legion-cursed. 

Jules, Camden and Arsinoe, on Katharine's horse, ride far away. Jules doesn't think Arsinoe is dead and wants to help her by removing the crossbow bolt. When she starts to, Jules is shocked when Arsinoe tells her not to touch it, fearing whatever poison Katharine used will hurt Jules. Jules knows that no one will help Arsinoe since they can't interfere with her death, but there might be one place they can go. 

Mirabella, Bree and Elizabeth wait anxiously to hear what the Black Council has decided Jules's punishment will be for throwing Katharine, stealing Arsinoe's body and being legion-cursed. Luca arrives with a small amount of good news. Jules will not be punished by the Council for taking Arsinoe's body away, nor will they punish her for her gifts, but she will have to be questioned. It's possible that Wolf Spring will not punish her at all since she is so powerful, or they might kill her because of the curse. 

Jules and Arsinoe have made it some distance away and they stop to allow their stolen horse a moment to rest. Jules apologizes for being with Joseph and not with her, and Arsinoe finally comes clean about the low magic she and Madrigal did that probably led to Joseph sleeping with Mirabella. She blacks out right after, so Jules gets them back on their way, hopefully to safety.

Katharine's entourage takes over an inn in Wolf Spring and they celebrate, telling the story of Katharine killing Arsinoe over and over. They bring the bear in, unconscious but not dead, and wonder what will happen to it now that Arsinoe is dead. Eventually Katharine rises and gives a toast to Arsinoe, calling her innocent and weak, just like she used to be and turning everyone's ire against Mirabella, the “Chosen” Queen. 

Jules and Arsinoe make it to their destination, The Black Cottage, where Jules's Aunt Caragh was banished. Caragh and Willa, the midwife who helped with the birth of the current queens, at first tells Caragh that Jules and Arsinoe can't be there, but then she takes them in and offers to help. When Jules mentions the poisoned bolt, Caragh is shocked that Arsinoe is still alive, but Willa is not. She's known all along about Arsinoe actually being a poisoner. She is, too, so she's able to remove the bolt and stitch Arsinoe up. It will be a long time before she is well, but Willa says she was always the toughest of the three.

On the way to Rolanth, Mirabella and Billy mourn Arsinoe but decide to ally with each other for her sake. Billy will become King-Consort when Mirabella takes the throne, uniting Rolanth and Wolf Spring against the poisoners. When they arrive, Mirabella makes their announcement and challenges Katharine to a duel in Indrid Down. Mirabella will kill Katharine before the next festival. 

Things in Wolf Spring aren't going so well for those closest to Jules and Arsinoe. Joseph is at Luke's shop, cleaning splattered eggs off his window. Luke is very sad about the loss of his friend and Queen and Madge, another shop owner, comes by with a meal for him and compassion for Jules and her curse. When she leaves, Madrigal arrives. She and Joseph wonder about where Jules is and when she'll be back, and then they realize that she will be with Caragh at the Black Cottage. Joseph wants to rush there immediately, but they have to be smart about it. 

Back home at Indrid Down, Katharine has a proper party. The bear has woken up and is a spectacle. Everyone celebrates, but as Katharine and Nicolas dance, he notices she keeps glancing at Pietyr. He demands she send him away but she refuses. He leaves to get her a gift and Pietyr dashes in immediately. He really is the only one for her, even if she hates him for throwing her into the Domain. Nicolas returns with a unique poison they don't have locally and that Katharine has only been exposed to once or twice in her life. She downs the drink and Natalia sends her away under the guise that she will soon be too drunk. In Natalia's rooms, Katharine convulses with the poison but won't allow Pietyr or Natalia to help her. She says to them You can't kill what's already dead. 

Arsinoe wakes up at The Black Cottage sore but ultimately fine. Jules tells her about using the war gift to throw Katharine and Arsinoe almost asks about it taking a toll on Jules's mental health but decides against it. Instead she asks Jules if she really did tell her in her stupor that she used low magic on her and Joseph that backfired, and yes, she did, but Jules forgives her, and Joseph, too. Soon, Joseph and Madrigal arrive, happy to know that Arsinoe is alive. 

In Greavesdrake, Natalia and Genevieve are starting to get annoyed with each other. Soon, they hear Katharine outside screaming. Just before she started screaming, Katharine was prancing around on her new horse and taming it quickly. She has also made the bear like her, too, or at least she has mollified him somewhat with lots of fish. Then she receives a letter from a messenger and starts screaming. Mirabella has challenged her to a duel in Indrid Down, the capital city. 

That's not the worst part, though it is bad. The letter she received wasn't actually a letter but a flyer that has been posted everywhere. Natalia and Genevieve rush down to her and she goes into hysterics, screaming that that's not how they planned it, but then she is meek and apologizes to Natalia for her outburst and decides to host a ball. She and Pietyr go inside where she overeats poisoned berries, smiling creepily at Pietyr, and says she's not worried about the duel, although she should be because Mirabella will have the advantage. She's not worried because they are on her side.

Mirabella, Bree and Elizabeth are pleased to learn that Bree's flyer is posted all across Fennbirn. Mirabella tries to stay angry at Katharine so she'll be able to defeat her in the duel. She visits with Luca who doesn't seem to be doing so well, spilling her tea all over. She doesn't think that the Goddess is really behind Mirabella anymore as the Chosen Queen, but Mirabella believes she'll have the advantage as an elemental facing off against a poisoner in an arena duel.

At the Black Cottage, Arsinoe helps Willa prepare dinner and learns that her mother, poisoner Queen Camille, was responsible for naming her a naturalist instead of a poisoner even though she named Mirabella the Chosen Queen. What's the harm in sabotaging the other babies when one is so obviously meant to be crowned? Meanwhile, in the stables, Madrigal tells Caragh about being pregnant with Matthew's baby and yes, Caragh is upset, obviously, but she has been banished and there's nothing to be done about it. 

As they chat, a neighbor comes by with supplies and delivers the letter announcing the duel. They all wonder about the other two queens killing each other and Arsinoe becoming Queen Crowned, but Willa says she's earned her life as a secret fugitive and that Mirabella will be Queen. Arsinoe agrees and plans to attend the duel and help her win. 

Mirabella prepares to head to Indrid Down and feels almost like she's leaving everything behind. Billy comes to see her, bringing with him a beautiful necklace that she is almost sure was meant for Arsinoe, but accepts it anyway and allows him to put it on her. It is nearly time for them to stop their mourning for Arsinoe though they both still miss her because fallen queens are not meant to be remembered. Mirabella asks Billy to send word ahead to Indrid Down that he has chosen Mirabella as his Queen and will not be courting Katharine. Mirabella wants to give one last blow to Katharine's ego before they arrive for the ball. 

Natalia and Genevieve walk through the streets of Indrid Down and oversee the preparations for the ball and the duel. Genevieve seems worried about the duel and about Katharine and how strange she has become, but Natalia feels as if Katharine has woken up. She is pleased that they will be having a ball before the duel and has plans to sabotage Mirabella. Genevieve is shocked that Natalia would try to poison Mirabella, but that is not her plan. She still has the Chatworths on her side and knows that Billy will do what he is told. Mirabella will be made too weak to win. 

Mirabella and her entourage arrive at their hotel in Indrid Down. She only has a little time left before she will face off against Katharine. Billy brings her some bread and apples and cheese and they discuss seeing Braddock down below in a cage and what will become of him without his bond with Arsinoe and what she would want for him. Outside on the street, Mirabella hears jeering from a crowd of poisoners and calls a storm cloud above them. 

Pietyr glares down at Nicolas as he practices archery and Katharine glares at Pietyr while he does it, worried that he'll do something to Nicolas or that Nicolas will do something to him. She tells Pietyr to leave because Nicolas is more suited for her now but he speaks to her as if she is a child, telling her he won't leave her when she is about to take part in a duel. She comes at him with a poisoned blade, slashing him, and when he tries to stop her, she slashes at her own face as if trying to carve off a mask. She tells him in a gravely voice that she is not Katharine and hasn't been since he threw her into the Domain. He flees in fear and plans to go back to the Breccia Domain in hopes that he can right what is wrong with Katharine. 

Arsinoe, Jules, Joseph, Caragh and Madrigal all ride toward Indrid Down, Jules studying a map of the city the entire time. Arsinoe wonders if it is the war gift that gives Jules such a mind for strategy and planning but no one knows. Arsinoe worries about her friend, especially since Jules will be using the war gift to throw Katharine's poisoned weapons off course during the duel. Natalia meanwhile has snuck off to meet up with William Chatworth, giving him a bottle of poison for Billy to use to weaken Mirabella. 

At the ball, with Jules and Arsinoe sneaking around in the background, Mirabella and Billy dance and chat with Joseph who definitely shouldn't be there while Katharine watches, seething. She then sneaks up to Mirabella and pulls her into a dance as everyone stares awkwardly. Katharine finds Mirabella to be weak and tells her what they do to the dead queens. They throw them into the Breccia Domain to feed the island and, the creepiest part, she says they are tired of it.

After many days of travel, Pietyr arrives at the Breccia Domain. His horse is frightened and so is he. There are no sounds in the dark woods surrounding them. He uncoils a length of knotted rope and ties one end to a tree, dropping the other into the void. Pockets full of matches and a lantern at his waist, he climbs down until the rope ends. He can see nothing around him but hears bones rattling as fetid air wafts around him like foul breaths. Pietyr drops his lamp and sees an upturned face as he scrambles back up the rope. Katharine is a Queen and she somehow made it out, but Pietyr is no queen.

Arsinoe, Jules, Camden, Madrigal and Caragh sneak into the arena where the duel will be held so late that it might as well be dawn. Their plan is for Jules to use her war gift to throw Katharine's poisoned weapons off course. Madrigal laments binding Jules's gift, but what if that binding is the only thing keeping her sane?

After the creepy dance with Katharine is broken up by Natalia and Luca, Mirabella goes to her room with Bree and Elizabeth, but something isn't right. She is cold and her skin prickles in pain. She is too weak to hold a teacup. She must have somehow been poisoned. They call for help and Luca, Sara Westwood and Rho arrive, and are soon followed by healers. They know she was poisoned but not how or by what. They only know she is too weak to win in the arena.

The arena begins to fill, mostly with poisoners and elementals, hardly any naturalists, and a handful with the war gift from Bastian City that Caragh points out to Jules before she and Madrigal leave for the Volroy to release Braddock. Joseph arrives and he, Arsinoe and Jules discuss what their future will look like when Mirabella is Queen and they escape. Arsinoe thinks a life of hiding isn't much of a life, but Jules would disagree, though she has agreed to stay with Arsinoe until the very end, or she goes legion-curse mad. 

Katharine is strapped head to toe with weapons and eats her fill of poisoned food before the duel begins. Natalia warns her of sickening, but doesn't seem worried about the outcome of the duel at all. Mirabella meanwhile has recovered more quickly than anyone suspected, but she is still too weak to command the elements. Rho suggests she stay out of Katharine's way and wait to make one perfect strike.

Katharine realizes almost immediately that Mirabella has been poisoned. It makes her angry that Natalia still sees her as a failure despite all she's done lately, but it doesn't stop her from loosing her arrows and throwing her knives at her sister. What does give her pause is that none of her attacks fly true. 

Mirabella can't fight back and is barely dodging Katharine's attacks. When an arrow pins her skirt to the ground, she yells up to Luca, Bree and the others to turn away and not watch as Katharine comes at her with a sword raised. 

Suddenly, Katharine is thrown off her feet as a shout comes from the crowd and Arsinoe, Jules and Joseph run into the arena. Katharine yells that Arsinoe is dead, that she saw her blood, but she says her bolt never pierced her leather armor and Katharine only saw what they wanted her to see. All of this is a bluff of course, but Arsinoe cannot reveal that she is a poisoner. She and Mirabella declare that they will not kill anyone and that the fight is over. They are carried away by guards. 

Arsinoe and Mirabella are locked together in a cell and Jules, Camden and Joseph are taken elsewhere. As the sisters discuss what will come next, Billy arrives. He professes his love for Arsinoe and Arsinoe all but professes hers back while Mirabella watches happily in the background. Billy says he'll get them out by the end of the day. Arsinoe tells him about Caragh, Madrigal and Braddock and sends him after Cait and Ellis to get their help. 

The Black Council convenes to determine what is to be done with the Queens. Ultimately, without the Council in the room, Natalia and Luca agree to publicly execute Mirabella and privately execute Arsinoe since she's caused too much trouble already. They agree that none of their plans have gone the way they wanted them to, but when Luca is offered three seats on Katharine's new Black Council she falls in line with Natalia, just as Natalia knew she would. Luca will crown Katharine herself. 

Billy manages to find Braddock, Madrigal and Caragh in the woods and they try to figure out what they should do next. Madrigal sends word to Cait and Ellis with her crow familiar, but there's no way anyone from Wolf Spring will make it to the capital in time to help. Billy is convinced his father has sway with the Arrons and the Westwoods and decides to go to him for help. Caragh says they should seek help from the war-gifted who were there to watch the duel, after all, Jules is one of theirs now, too. Speaking of Jules, she and Camden are locked in one cell and Joseph is in another. They don't know if they'll ever get out, but if they do, and Arsinoe does not, Joseph asks Jules to run away with him to the mainland. She agrees.

Billy expected his father to help, but William has done everything to have his son crowned king. He was the one who poisoned Mirabella before the duel. They receive word that the crowning will happen and that Arsinoe is either already dead or will be soon and that Mirabella will be executed publicly after the crowning. Billy refuses to go along with his father's plans for him to marry Katharine and leaves. 

Katharine's crowning is a simple, private affair. Natalia mentions it being too bad that Pietyr is not there to see it, but Katharine isn't bothered. She will be crowned and she will kill her sisters and then she will be wed. Luca says a prayer and then tattoos a crown right beneath Katharine's hairline. Natalia insisted on a tattooed crown which hasn't been done in ages, but it seems fitting. After the crowning, Katharine chooses her suitor and does not select Billy Chatworth as she is instructed and instead chooses Nicolas Martel. 

Freshly crowned, Katharine goes down to the cell holding Arsinoe and Mirabella. They have discussed possibilities of what will happen to them. Arsinoe, who has always known she would die, is more prepared than Mirabella who was raised as the Chosen Queen. When Katharine arrives, she tells them she is handing down their sentence, not delivering news. Arsinoe is to be poisoned right then and her corpse will be left with Mirabella so she can mourn. Mirabella will be publicly executed the next morning, with Arsinoe's body on display. Arsinoe kicks and flails as the poison is administered. She convulses and falls to the floor while Mirabella crashes lightning down above them, causing the cells to rumble. Katharine flees as Mirabella holds Arsinoe's limp body. After she is sure everyone has left, Arsinoe opens her eyes. 

Katharine and Nicolas are wed, but the ceremony is more Nicolas pledging himself to the Goddess than to Katharine. They don't even touch. After, he tries to kiss her and demands they consummate their wedding immediately, but she breaks free of his grasp and refuses. They will be together soon at her rooms in Greavesdrake while the Volroy is prepared for her. 

Natalia is in her rooms, writing to her brother Christophe about Pietyr's whereabouts and what has transpired with the crowning. William Chatworth storms in, drunk, demanding she undo Katharine's marriage to Nicolas and make her marry his son instead, but Natalia insists that cannot be done, though he'll still have most of his trade agreements and he'll get to keep his son, which should suffice. He strangles her to death and beats and kicks her lifeless body until Rho comes in. He demands she find someone else for him to deal with, but instead, she immediately stabs him, killing him almost instantly, her old war gift relishing in his death. She calls for some initiates to roll his body up and throw him in the river and to tell Genevieve what has happened to her sister. 

Soon enough, guards come to take Arsinoe away from Mirabella. Luckily they still treat them as Queens and are respectful. If they were gruff or angry, Arsinoe would not have been able to break free and knock out the two lifting her from the ground with punches to the face, and Mirabella would not have been able to knock hers out either. They tie up the guards and steal their keys so they can free Jules, Camden and Joseph.

Katharine is nervous as she and Nicolas arrive at Greavesdrake and he basically drags her to her room. Natalia and Genevieve are not there. There are no tittering maids or servants. As Nicolas roughly kisses her, she thinks of Pietyr, but he is not there either. 

Arsinoe, Mirabella, Jules, Joseph and Camden make their way out of the cells and into the Volroy, killing or incapacitating guards along the way. Joseph gets cut but says he's fine and they make their way out of the cells, expecting to find even more guards, but everyone is knocked out and there is a group wearing cloaks standing amongst the fallen. These are the Warriors from Bastian City, led by Billy, and they are there for Jules.

Katharine wakes with Nicolas by her side. He was not like Pietyr in bed, but he is not Pietyr. She touches him to rouse him and finds blood on her fingers. Nicolas is dead, bloody and purple, poisoned from their intimacy. She panics but knows Natalia will be able to help. Soon enough, she hears hoofbeats on the cobbles outside, but it is Pietyr, not Natalia. She hastily tells him everything that has happened but he only cares that he is back with her and she is safe. He tells her he went into the Breccia Domain and knows what happened there. She then realizes that she will not be able to bear the triplets because no one without the poisoner gift, and certainly no one from the mainland, will be able to impregnate her. She cannot be Queen.

The warriors, led by one called Emilia Vatros, guide everyone out of the Volroy through Indrid Down and into the woods, pushing Jules in her war gift to help them. Once they are safe, they scold Madrigal for not letting Jules choose between being a naturalist or a warrior. They offer to protect Jules and anyone else if she chooses to go with them. Mirabella and Arsinoe choose to go to the mainland and will take Billy and Joseph with them to get Joseph help from a mainland doctor.

Genevieve arrives at Greavesdrake and is shocked to find Pietyr there with Katharine but tells them that Natalia is dead. When she realizes Katharine's poisonous body killed Nicolas, she breaks down because they've failed. They'll have to get Mirabella from the cells and name her Queen instead since Katharine is unable to bear the triplets. Pietyr takes charge and tells them none of that will happen. They will conceal Nicolas's death and Katharine will still execute Mirabella and be Queen, but she will be the last one. Then they hear someone outside shouting that the queens have escaped. But Katharine poisoned Arsinoe herself!

Arsinoe, Mirabella, Jules, Camden, Joseph and Billy steal a ship that is hopefully large enough to withstand the mists that conceal Fennbirn so they can escape. With Mirabella guiding them, they should be able to make it. Jules was offered a place with the Warriors but she is Arsinoe's guardian and won't leave her behind. The offer still stands from the Warriors if or when Jules no longer has to be with Arsinoe. Madrigal wants Jules to stay as well and to be with her when her baby is born, but Madrigal has Caragh, the Queen’s midwife, for a sister, so Jules is confident she can leave them behind. Mirabella regrets not being able to say goodbye to Bree and Elizabeth and Arsinoe misses Braddock, but for their safety, they have to leave. Joseph is still bleeding but seems in high spirits, so they head out to sea.

At the Volroy, everyone waits for word about the traitor queens and a messenger arrives alerting them that they stole a ship and got away before they could be caught. Pietyr is upset that no one has gone after them, but with Mirabella's wind and water powers, no one could hope to catch up. Katherine looks out to sea, sees a storm churning, and knows that she will never see her sisters again. The dead queens deep in her bones are muttering, but she has done what they wanted and is Queen.

The sailing is rough and the Goddess’s mist and storm fight hard to keep Mirabella and Arsinoe, and by extension, Jules, Camden, Joseph and Billy, but Mirabella fights the storm with her own. Lightning strikes lightning. Mirabella stays at the front of the ship while Billy and Arsinoe steer, Jules holds Joseph, and Camden stays safe below deck. Jules and Joseph talk about their future and that they'll be able to do anything and everything they've ever wanted, but Joseph's future is cut short. His wound was much worse than he let on and he dies shortly before they break through the mist. Jules decides she belongs on Fennbirn now that she has no future with Joseph, so she and Camden take a little whaling boat from the side of the ship and row back into the mist.