
War spreads across Erilea as Aelin Galathynius returns to Terrasen and discovers her throne is contested, forcing her to seek allies beyond her borders. While she and her court fight to secure ships, armies, and ancient tools needed to stop Erawan, the Valg king counters with witch legions, engineered monsters, and political traps designed to isolate and break her.
Meanwhile, survivors and fugitives collide on the road to destiny: Elide Lochan flees Morath carrying a mysterious shard; Lorcan Salvaterre hunts Wyrdkeys while battling his own loyalty; Manon Blackbeak faces a brutal reckoning that shatters everything she believed about her bloodline; and Dorian struggles to rule a fallen kingdom while mastering dangerous new magic.
The alliances Aelin builds come at a cost, and the deeper she reaches into her power, the clearer it becomes that even gods and immortal queens have been shaping her path. When Maeve finally strikes, Aelin’s court must decide whether the world can be saved without losing the one person who made their resistance possible.