A Day of Fallen Night

Glorian is crushed with the news of her parents’ death as burnt bits of wood wash up on the Inysh coast. Glorian is summoned to meet with the Dukes Spiritual, the highest council, and is told that she will assume the title of Queen of Inys with Lord Robart as Lord Protector until Glorian’s 18th birthday.

Weeks pass since the dragons of Seiiki woke and still no wyrms have arrived on their shores. Doubts, fueled by the River Lord, are rising about Dumai’s intentions. Dumai must find answers, and invites Nikeya to join her on the trip to the Empire of the Twelve Lakes to find the alchemist Kiprun.

Tuva is tracking Siyu and stops in the village Bujato, which Siyu passed through less than a day ago. Canthe follows Tuva and offers to guide her through Carmentum.

Glorian listens to her mother’s most trusted lady-in-waiting, who warns her to stand strong against Lord Robart to prove she is a capable ruler. She is called to meet with the Dukes Spiritual, who have no news of her parents’ death and must proceed with the shift in power. Glorian relinquishes her right to the Hróthi throne to her cousin Einlek. The Dukes Spiritual insist that Glorian quickly marry and produce an heir, informing her of her mother’s final pairing for her: Prince Therico, called Theo, of the House Vetalda.

Wulf survives days in the freezing water and washes up in Hróth with all the ship’s dead. He is found by refugees fleeing the plague and informs them of King Bardholt’s death.

Canthe and Tuva reach Carmentum and search for Siyu and Lukiri. Carmentum was founded by refugees of the Nameless One’s attacks and now elect a Decreer to voice their wants. Canthe and Tuva stop in an inn for the night, and Canthe tells Tuva that she too lost a daughter. Their bond grows stronger as they support each other in their grief.

Canthe and Tuva venture into the city and locate Anyso’s younger sister and Lukiri. Siyu told the family that Anyso died from a snakebite, and they let her stay with them. Siyu’s ichneumon, an intelligent and large mongoose, is caught by the Master of Beasts, and Siyu is taken trying to win her back.

At the Lionsgarden, Tuva finds Siyu just as a gigantic wyrm attacks. Tuva leads Canthe, Siyu, and Lukiri out of the city, where the wyrm turns its attention to them. Tuva fights the wyrm, and when it seems like the wyrm will kill them, Canthe steps forward and unleashes a blinding light that wards off the wyrm. They escape, leaving the ruins of Carmentum behind.

The Empress of the Twelve Lakes says the alchemist is unavailable and, in her anxiety, Furtia says that only “fallen night” can stop the wyrms. As they prepare to meet Consort Jekhen, Nikeya flirts with Dumai, and this time, she flirts back. Consort Jekhen gives Dumai permission to speak to the alchemist upon his return.

On her way back to the castle after her parent’s entombment, Fyredel, a gigantic wyrm, drops the bones of her parents in front of Glorian. As the city descends into chaos, Glorian stands against the wyrm as it expresses its intent to return in the summer, seeking revenge for his master, the Nameless One.

Wulf reports the death of King Bardholt to Einlek, the nephew of King Bardholt and new ruler of Hróth. Wulf pledges his services to Einlek and prepares to leave for Inys to share his eyewitness account of the death of Queen Sabran and protect Glorian. When he arrives at his ship, he is met by the remaining members of his lith: Karl, Thrift, and Sauma. Karl refuses to board the ship with Wulf, swearing he causes the death of all near him.

Tuva, Canthe, and Siyu return to the Priory. Canthe explains that her magic is the obverse of siden, which comes from a comet called the Long-Haired Star called sterren. She mentions that Esbar’s spear, Mulsab, may also possess sterren and therefore be used to hurt a wyrm. Canthe tells Tuva that she believes she has met her lost son, named Wulfert Glenn, in Inys.

Wulf’s ship is beached because of a storm, and he refuses to reboard it, haunted by his time on the Conviction. Thrit agrees to accompany him the rest of the way. As they ride, they discover another beached Hróthi ship and evidence that the plague has reached Inys. Meanwhile, Ascalun burns in the aftermath of Fyredel’s arrival. Glorian demands that her council bring Prince Therico to Inys so that she may conceive an heir and take up arms against Fyredel. In her dreams, she speaks to Dumai, pleading for rain to stop her city from burning. The rain comes.

Dumai hears Glorian in her sleep and somehow sends rain to Inys. She meets Kiprun, who introduces a theory about natural balance in the world that follows the lines of fire and water and day and night. He suggests that there is an imbalance that has plunged the world into an age of fire, waking the wyrms and draining the dragons. He is not sure how to fix it and suggests that they search for an astronomer. Suddenly, a gold wyrm called Taugran attacks the city, and though Dumai and Furtia battle it, it wounds Furtia, causing Dumai to fall.

While Glorian and Lord Robart receive petitions, word arrives that wyrms are wreaking havoc across Inys. Wulf is brought to the throne room, where he reports Queen Sabran and King Bardholt’s deaths and informs Glorian of the coming plague before swearing fealty to her.

Glorian is shocked when news of Prince Therico’s death arrives. Their marriage contract instructs that a relative of Prince Therico should now fill his place. Lord Robart endorses the only suitable candidate, the 74-year-old Prince Guma. Prince Guma owns a gold mine, and his dowry will help resolve Inys’s debt. Glorian reluctantly agrees to a marriage by proxy for the good of Inys.

Nayimathun, a Lacustrine dragon, wakes the Imperial Dragon, and with Furtia’s help, they drive Taugran away. After the battle, Kiprun expresses the need to reach the peak of Brhazat, the tallest mountain, to speak with the astronomer who established the theory of balance. Consort Jekhen endorses the trip, and in return for the knowledge Dumai will deliver, agrees to send plans for anti-wyrm weapons to Seiiki.

Helisent, one of Glorian’s ladies, expresses to Wulf her extreme mistrust of Lord Robart. Her father told her that his men reported seeing Lord Robart in the haithwood, practicing heathenism. Wulf agrees to follow him during the Feast of Early Spring. After their meeting, Glorian finds Wulf to thank him for his service. He, in turn, offers to have a child with her so that she might maintain some autonomy.

Tuva arrives in Jrhanyam, the home of the Ersyris, while the city is under attack by the great wyrm Dedalugun. She fights her way to Esbar and gives her the spear Mulsab, encouraging her to use it. Esbar throws it at Dedalugun, piercing its chest and causing it to retreat, ending the siege on the city. After the battle, Canthe arrives, wanting to go West to scout for wyrms. She invites Tuva to join to look for Wulf, driving a wedge between Tuva and Esbar.

Wulf returns home and surprises his father, who thought he died on the Conviction. Lord Edrick agrees to help his son and works to secure a member of the Virtues Council to join them and legitimize their accusation. Back in Ascalun, Lord Robart is away for the Feast of Early Spring, and when beasts begin amassing at the city’s gates, Glorian takes charge, ordering the evacuation of the city.

Wulf’s entire family joins him to follow Lord Robart into the haithwood, but his father wants him to stay behind and wait for Lady Gladwin, their witness, to transport her safely to Glorian. He expresses his long-held belief that Wulf’s origins in the haithwood are sinister, even if Wulf himself is not. He tells Wulf about the night he found him. He eventually agrees to let Wulf come.

Wulf is the first to reach Lord Robart and his followers; he experiences flashbacks of the clearing. Lord Robart interrupts his ritual to bring Wulf forward. They are trying to summon the Hawthorn Mother, and he tells Wulf that he was meant to be her successor. Robart wants harmony in nature and reveals his plans to mold Glorian into a supporter of his cause. He encourages Wulf to join him in forsaking the Six Virtues, and when Wulf refuses, allows himself to be arrested by Lady Gladwin.