Crown of Midnight

Celaena wakes alone in Chaol’s bed, and she guesses he’s fulfilling some obligation as Captain of the Guard. She imagines life with him. As she returns to her room and eats breakfast, another list of names arrives from Archer. Nehemia doesn’t come for their Wyrdmark lesson, but Celaena isn’t surprised after their argument yesterday. She’s grateful for a chance for their tempers to cool. She spends her day in Rifthold tracking down the men on Archer’s list, but Chaol doesn’t arrive for dinner when she returns to the castle. By 10 o’clock, she runs to Chaol’s room, worried about where he is. When she enters, she sees a sealed envelope with her name. The note tells her that someone has Chaol and lists an address. They warn her to come alone by tomorrow morning, or they will kill him. She feels the same rage she felt during her murder spree at Endovier.

Chaol is chained to a stone wall and gets beaten if he tries to pull against his irons. He is thirsty and has a headache. He doesn’t know who has captured him; they wear long robes and hoods that conceal their faces. Some are armed. They all speak in low voices and grow more uneasy as the day passes. He realizes they are waiting for something. He pretends to doze off and overhears them arguing about releasing him, but someone says “she” has until dawn and will show up. Chaol realizes they are waiting for Celaena and that this is the rebel group she has been trying to hunt down.

In a dark cloak and hood, Celaena makes her way stealthily across the city. She is alone but heavily armed. She stops on the top of the building next to the warehouse—her destination—and looks down to see several guards in the alley and more by the front door. She looks through the warehouse windows to see Chaol chained to a wall. She leaps from the rooftop through the second-floor window of the warehouse.

Chaol sees the reflection of moonlight off steel just before Celaena jumps through the window and throws daggers at several archers. The men shout and rush toward her, but they can’t defend themselves against Celaena’s two swords. Just as Celaena is about to attack the man guarding Chaol, another runs forward and tells the guard to drop his weapons. The man removes his hood to reveal white hair and a wrinkled face. He pleads with Celaena to listen to him, but Chaol’s guard charges her, and another fight ensues. Celaena hears her name just in time to dodge an arrow; it’s Archer, and the arrow hits his shoulder. He wears the same robes as the other men, and Celaena realizes he has set her up. Archer begs Celaena to listen to him, but she demands that Chaol be unchained immediately. His guard obeys.

Archer explains that he’s been working with Nehemia for the past few months to lead this group. He orders everyone in the building to leave. Once they are alone, he tells Celaena that he and Nehemia have been leading the rebel movement together in the hopes of raising a force in Terrasen. They also hope to uncover the king’s plans. Celaena thinks back to how busy Nehemia has been and the times she was missing from the castle. Celaena asks where she is, and Archer tells her to ask Chaol. Chaol pleads ignorance, so Archer explains that someone had threatened Nehemia, which Chaol knew but never mentioned to Celaena. Archer also claims Chaol was going to interrogate Nehemia, so they took Chaol to find out what questions he would ask her. Chaol says the king will question Nehemia, not him. Celaena realizes what this all means, and she asks where Nehemia is. Archer says he has sent men to the castle, but that it is probably too late.

Celaena races back to the castle, vowing to destroy anyone who hurts Nehemia, including the king. She jumps over a stone wall, lands in the garden on the other side, and enters the castle. She runs to Nehemia’s room first, passing some guards and Dorian. People call her name, but she ignores them as she runs on. She breaks through the door and sees Nehemia’s guards dead on the floor. The room is freezing, and she can see Nehemia’s dead, broken body on the bed.