Aelin and Dorian prepare to channel their power to forge the Lock, but disaster strikes when Dorian collapses, severing their connection. Rowan realizes Aelin has deceived them all, planning to sacrifice herself alone. Aelin's intention is to face the nameless King of Adarlan without endangering her friends, showcasing the ultimate Sacrifice and Selflessness.
Chapter 96: The Final Deceit
Aelin, hand in hand with the nameless king, pours her magic into forging the Lock, enduring immense pain as penance for shirking her duty to Terrasen. As the Lock nears completion, the king delivers a final message from her parents, filled with love and pride. With these words, he fades, consumed by the Lock. Alone, Aelin gives the last of her power, her identity screaming as her magic is extinguished. The Lock is forged, leaving Aelin utterly empty.
Chapter 97: A Bargain Denied
Aelin, now a hollow shell, is confronted by twelve divine figures who demand she use the Lock to open a portal to their world. Among them, she sees her ancestor Elena held captive. Remembering her friends' vote to fight Erawan on their own, Aelin attempts to bargain, offering Erawan's soul in exchange for Elena's release.
The gods, led by Deanna, refuse. Elena begs Aelin not to make the trade, but Aelin is determined to buy her ancestor's peace. Deanna crushes Elena's head, obliterating her soul. The gods' betrayal is absolute, leaving Aelin in despair as her noble sacrifice is met with cruelty. The chapter ends on a note of profound Hope vs. Despair, with despair seemingly triumphant.
Chapter 98: A Map Home
As the gods depart, Rowan feels the mating bond with Aelin fraying. He desperately clings to it, refusing to accept her fate. In the crossroads between worlds, Aelin is gutted by the gods' cruelty. Mala, the Sun Goddess and Aelin's ancestor, hesitates at the threshold. Remembering her promise to Kaltain Rompier to see the gods punished, Aelin finds her defiance.
Mala offers Aelin a final gift: a kernel of white-hot power, a "fallen star." She also reveals Rowan had hidden Wyrdmarks within the tattoo on Aelin's back, creating a map home. Filled with renewed power and rage, Aelin accepts the gift, unleashes her power, rips open a portal to a hell-realm, and traps the screaming gods before closing their archway forever. She pours Mala's gift into the Lock, sealing all gates, but holds back a kernel of her own self. With a final roar, she leaps through the closing gate to her world.
Chapter 99: The Queen Who Walked Between Worlds
Aelin is thrown through countless worlds, guided by Rowan's Wyrdmarks. As she plummets through a world of snow-capped mountains, a winged Fae male (Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses) slows her descent.
This intervention allows her to find her way home. Guided by the tether and her mother's words, Aelin hurls herself toward Erilea, plunging back into her body just as the Wyrdgate slams shut. Rowan feels the mating bond surge back to life. Aelin collapses, alive but irrevocably changed: her fire magic is gone, leaving only a small ember from Mala's gift. Furthermore, the journey burned away her human mortality, leaving her fully Fae and immortal. All that remains of her original power is a single droplet of water, her mother's gift.
Chapter 100: The Siege of Orynth
The narrative shifts to Orynth, a week after the sacrifice of the Thirteen. The brutal siege continues, and the mood is grim. Aedion Ashryver and Lysandra share a quiet moment of comfort before battle, their bond a small point of light.
Meanwhile, Manon Blackbeak is consumed by grief, reeling from the loss of Asterin Blackbeak and the Thirteen. She refuses to rest, fearing that if she stops, she will break. Petrah Blueblood warns her that exhaustion will make her a liability, but Manon refuses to listen. Ansel of Briarcliff offers to share the Wastes with the witches if they succeed, planting a seed of a possible future. Evangeline learns that Morath is bringing a siege tower to the walls, and Murtaugh decides to join the fight on the western wall himself.
Character Development
- Aelin Ashryver Whitethorn Galathynius: She transforms from a self-sacrificing martyr to a defiant survivor, reclaiming her agency and refusing to be a pawn of the gods. Her identity is fundamentally altered, stripped of her immense power but solidifying her will to live and fight for her world on her own terms.
- Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius: His character is defined by his absolute devotion and love for Aelin. His despair at her apparent death highlights the depth of their bond, while the revelation of the Wyrdmark tattoo shows his foresight, hope, and cleverness.
- Manon Blackbeak: Manon is depicted in the depths of grief, operating on pure instinct and rage. Her refusal to rest showcases her immense willpower but also her vulnerability.
- Aedion Ashryver & Lysandra: Their relationship evolves into one of quiet, profound support. In the midst of war, they find solace in each other, their bond strengthening through shared trauma and exhaustion.
Themes & Symbols
- Sacrifice and Selflessness: This theme reaches its apex as Aelin is willing to give up her magic, her life, and her future. However, the narrative subverts a purely sacrificial ending by having her fight to survive, suggesting that living for one's world is as important as dying for it.
- Endurance and Resilience: Aelin's refusal to yield her innermost self, even when giving up everything else, is the ultimate act of resilience. This theme is mirrored in Orynth, where the soldiers, Aedion, Lysandra, and Manon endure an unending siege through sheer force of will.
- Hope vs. Despair: These chapters are a violent pendulum swing between the two extremes. The despair of Aelin's sacrifice and Elena's destruction is countered by the hope of Mala's gift, Rowan's tattoo, and Aelin's miraculous return.
- The Wyrdmark Tattoo: This serves as a powerful symbol of Love and Mating Bonds. It is a physical manifestation of Rowan's love, faith, and desperate hope—a literal lifeline that guides Aelin home when all seems lost.
Key Quotes
"The debt has been paid enough, Fireheart."
These words, delivered by the nameless king, echo the sentiment that Aelin has suffered enough for her past mistakes. They serve as a poignant reminder of her parents' love and forgiveness, even in her darkest hour.
"We do not make bargains with mortals. Not any longer."
Deanna's cruel rejection of Aelin's bargain highlights the gods' arrogance and disdain for mortals. This moment underscores the futility of Aelin's sacrifice and the gods' indifference to the suffering of Erilea.
Significance
These chapters represent the climax of the series' central magical plotline. The forging of the Lock and the sealing of the Wyrdgate resolve the thousand-year-old problem that allowed Valg and other creatures to cross between worlds. By trapping the gods, Aelin frees Erilea from divine interference, placing the world's fate squarely in mortal hands. This fundamentally shifts the nature of the conflict: the supernatural threat of the gates is gone, but the physical threat of Erawan and his armies remains. Aelin's survival and transformation—losing her immense power but gaining immortality—redefines her role as queen and warrior for the final confrontation. The shift back to the grim reality of the siege in Orynth underscores that even with this magical victory, the war is far from over.
Maas masterfully subverts the "chosen one" trope in these chapters. Aelin was prophesied to be the sacrifice, the key to locking the gate. While she fulfills the prophecy's requirements, she ultimately rejects its intended outcome—her own destruction. Her defiance against the gods is a powerful statement on free will versus destiny. By having Aelin survive, Maas emphasizes that the strength of her character, her will to live, and the love of her found family are more powerful than any divine plan.