House of Sky and Breath

Bryce is enraged when Juniper gets overlooked as principal dancer at the CCB again. She decides to use her status as Starborn Fae princess to help her friend. Bryce secretly calls the ballet’s director as “Her Royal Highness Princess Bryce Danaan” (395) to ask him to promote Juniper.

Hunt is called to Celestina’s office and told off for his disappearing act the night of Ephraim’s welcome. Celestina tells him Ephraim, her mate, did not like the fact that two members (since Baxian followed Hunt out) of her triarii left without her permission. To asset her authority, Celestina bids Hunt to stay only at the barracks for two weeks. Hunt is dismayed as this means staying away from Bryce. The Hind meets Hunt at the Comitium, questioning him about his ties with Ruth, Ithan, and Tharion. Hunt refuses to get riled up.

Bryce decides to join Tharion and Ithan in their trip to the mystics, even though she thinks it is a bad idea. and Bryce are going to see the mystics. The mystics are managed by an elderly humanoid man who calls himself the Astronomer and wears four glass rings, each containing what appears to be an enslaved fire sprite. These are possibly the source of his power. Bryce struggles to hide her distaste at the pitiable state of the sprites. The mystics themselves are “one male, one female, and one both … perfect balance” (404). They are wasted figures sleeping in tubs filled with water, wearing breathing tubes. Mystics sell themselves or are sold by their families to managers such as the Astronomer. They spend their lives sleeping in the tubs, so their minds can float to any dimension seeking the answers customers seek. Bryce find this unnerving.

The Astronomer brings out an orrery, a holograph of their solar system. Through this, he can track the mental travel of the mystics. He infuses a summoning salt infused with blood in the water in the tubs to speed up the travel of the mystics. The mystics first go in search of Connor, in exchange for a heavy fee. Connor appears to be in Hel, which Bryce thinks is a terrible fate. The mystic man makes contact with none other than Thanatos, a Prince of Hel, known as the Prince of Ravines.

Thanatos possesses the mystic and appears in the tub and tells them Connor is still in the Bone Quarter. He has yet to be fed to the gate. Thanatos now wants to feed on the soul of the mystic man and covers the tubs in ice, cutting off their respiration tubes. The mystics begin to drown. Ithan shatters the ice and lifts the mystics from their tubs before Thanatos can take their souls. The astronomer is furious and throws Bryce and the others out, restoring his charges in the tubs. The threat from Thanatos seems to have passed. Bryce is enraged at Tharion for suggesting a visit to the mystics, and tells him she will not work with him anymore. Outside the building, the three run into Mordoc.

Having learnt of Danika’s relationship with Mordoc, Bryce scans the dreadwolf’s face for a resemblance to her best friend. Something about Mordoc’s movements reminds her of Danika. Shaken by the meeting with the mystics, Bryce plays it cool in front of Mordoc. She, Ithan, and Tharion walk away from Mordoc, pretending they never fought. Bryce forgives Tharion and decides to give him another chance.

At the barracks, Hunt tries to get along with Baxian. The two play a video game. Hunt tells Baxian he has changed since he met Bryce. Baxian nods in understanding, and Hunt assumes it is because Baxian is lonely. Finding Baxian not as terrible as he had assumed, Hunt thinks it is time to let go of the past.

Declan analyses the footage from the gallery and finds information about Danika. In the clip, Danika picks up a particular book from a shelf when Bryce and Lehabah go out briefly. Danika can be seen taking pictures of pages from the book, and then placing it back in the shelf. Declan zooms in on the book’s cover, which is titled, Wolves Through Time: Lineage of the Shifters. Bryce gets the book from Jesiba. The page Danika was most interested in mentions the first wolves of the Fendyr line, Niklaus Fendyr and Faris Hvellen (Danika was a Fendyr). Since there is no information on them online, Bryce decides to visit the wolf Prime, Danika’s kind grandfather, for help.

Ruhn distracts Sabine so Bryce can slip into the Den (the quarters of wolf shifters) and talk to the Prime. The Prime fondly calls Bryce a wolf, as he had done in the House of Earth and Blood, witnessing her bravery and loyalty. Bryce is touched. The Prime doesn’t know the names Danika was exploring, but he tells Bryce why certain wolf ancestors are kept out of official history. They did “unspeakable things during the First Wars” (444), and then gave up their true nature to become the Asteri’s servants. Danika could have led the wolves back into their free selves. “to what we were before we arrived here and became the Asteri’s creatures inside and out” (444). Bryce tells the Prime Sabine—his daughter—has kicked out Ithan. As wolves began to sense Bryce’s presence, she has to leave the Prime and run from the Den. When she gets back to her apartment, she learns that the hit on the Spine was successful. The rebels are bringing the mech-suit prototype and other seized supplies to Coronal Islands near Crescent City. Cormac believes Pippa wants to launch an attack on the Vanir from Coronal Islands. Bryce and Cormac decide they need to go there to stop Pippa. They will need Hunt’s help.

Bryce’s plan to help Juniper backfires. The faun is angry that Bryce made a call to the CCB’s director on her behalf. Everyone now believes Juniper got the Principal dancer’s position only because of Bryce’s influence, and not Juniper’s own talent. Bryce regrets acting so presumptuously. Fury tells Bryce to give Juniper a few weeks to cool off.

Bryce visits Celestina to request Hunter be released from the barracks for a night, supposedly so he can visit her parents. She actually wants Hunt to accompany her and their friends to Coronal Islands. Celestina agrees. Bryce senses Celestina is uncomfortable about her betrothal to Ephraim. She tells Celestina she is always available for a talk. Bryce and Hunt reunite at the barracks, kissing each other passionately. The Hind and Pollux pass them by, mocking them. Pollux makes sexually derogatory remarks towards Bryce. Bryce retorts he needs to come up with some new material.

Ithan gets a call from the Prime. The Prime offers Ithan a way into the wolf community: making Ithan the Alpha of his own pack. Ithan promises to consider the old wolf’s offer. Still concerned about the fate of the mystics, Ithan goes to the Astronomer’s building. The Astronomer is out at the Meat Market buying parts to fix the respirator of the mystic woman, who is awake. The other two mystics are sleeping, restored to their tub. As Ithan talks to the mystic woman, he realizes she is an Alpha wolf from the tundra, sold to the Astronomer as a pup. He is outraged at her pack’s betrayal. He offers to rescue her, but the wolf tells him her earnings keep her siblings are parents well-fed. They would starve were she to leave. Desperate to help someone in the oppressive place, Ithan steals the Astronomer’s ring box with his rings inside.

Ruhn and Day are conversing on the mind bridge, their forms still hidden from each other. He and Day flirt with each other and exchange information. Ruhn tells Day about the plan to intercept Pippa in Ydra. Day tells Ruhn that Pippa is dangerous; if her squadron attacks them, their best option is to run, rather than fight. Day suddenly begins to convulse, as in pain. Ruhn runs across the bridge to help her but slams against a black adamantine wall, as if she is blocking her mind to him. Ruhn can sense Day is being touched. He gets the sense someone sleeping next to her woke her up for very rough sex. The sex doesn’t seem meaningful to Ruhn. When Day returns after a while, she tells Ruhn that although she hates the man with whom she slept, she has sex with him for complicated reasons. Ruhn cannot understand what she means, but tells her he was scared for her safety when she turned away from him.

Meanwhile, the River Queen commands Tharion to join the team who is meeting Pippa so he can get information on Emile. Tharion requests for a back-up of 25 mer so he can catch Pippa. The Queen refuses.