The Trials of Morrigan Crow

With the Chase Trial months away, Morrigan spends the summer enjoying her time at Hotel Deucalion: She helps Dame Chanda pick outfits for dates, helps Martha fold napkins, and tastes vampire dwarf Frank’s dishes for various dinner parties. She wants to attend the Nevermoor Bazaar, which occurs every Friday evening. Jupiter has not been able to take her because of other matters, including frequent rumors of a malicious Wundersmith. He remembers his nephew Jack will be home from school soon and promises to take him, Morrigan, and Hawthorne to the bazaar soon. One morning, Morrigan arrives in the dining room to find an eyepatch-wearing Jack sitting in her chair. He came home from school early and eventually storms off after being difficult.

Morrigan and Hawthorne start a Friday evening by playing board games but quickly shift to exploring available doors at the hotel. They find a door that Morrigan can open using her brolly umbrella; inside sits a large lantern that creates shadows. The shadows come alive and create shapes, desirable and otherwise. Morrigan tells a story about a witch who eats children when the shadows create the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow. She and Hawthorne flee the room, and she tells him about her escape to the Free State. Some of the shadows escape the room.

Morrigan and Hawthorne find Jack while looking for one of the escaped shadows—a wolf’s shadow—and explain the situation. Jack is angry, and tells them to split up and seek the shadow at all costs. He sends Morrigan to the North Wing, but she accidentally goes to the forbidden South Wing. While exploring, she sees Mr. Jones again, who assures her that the shadow faded on its own. She confronts Jack, and he confronts her about going to the South Wing and not knowing how shadows work.

Summer is ending, and the Chase Trial occurs in three days. Morrigan tries to talk to Jupiter about the upcoming trial, but he insists he will make a plan. Rather than being comforted, she becomes nervous while trying to remember all the roads and districts of Old Town. She wakes up on the morning of the Chase Trial, still uncertain what steed she’ll be riding for the race. After Morrigan eats breakfast, Jupiter informs her that she’ll be riding the Magnificat Fen.

While Morrigan and Jupiter check in for the Chase Trial, Fen sizes up the competition and threatens any who come close to her. Jupiter explains Fen was a cage fighter until an incident with the former prime minister’s son. On their way to the starting line, Morrigan encounters Noelle, who mocks her for being “illegal” and her steed. The two banter before Noelle storms off. The Council of Elders announces the race structure: There are 150 targets for 300 candidates. The goal is to hit a single target of any color; hitting a target guarantees placement in the third trial. The closer to the town center the candidates get, the fewer targets there are; these few gold targets grant entry to a special dinner with the Elders. Jupiter tells Morrigan and Fen to aim for a middling green target. Fen ignores this advice and charges the town center for a gold target. Morrigan sees two other candidates moving toward gold targets: Noelle on a horse and her friend (Cadence) on a rhinoceros. Cadence loses control of the rhino, which charges Fen.

Fen eventually loses stamina, and the rhino catches up. The rhino stumbles and tosses Cadence onto the street. Morrigan instructs Fen to rescue Cadence so nothing tramples her; Fen reluctantly agrees. Once they save Cadence, Fen returns to Courage Square and charges the fountain with the last gold target. Morrigan hits the target, but the gold dust covers Cadence, since she was ahead. Morrigan argues with an official, but Cadence gets credit for the gold target.

Jupiter and Fen are furious when Morrigan tells them the situation. Jupiter protects Morrigan when police surround them, and Inspector Flintlock again asks for Morrigan’s papers while preparing to deport her. Jupiter pretends to look for papers while Morrigan sneaks away. However, an official hands her an invitation to the third trial—as another candidate rode a pegasus, which breaks rules.

Hawthorne sleeps over at Hotel Deucalion to celebrate Hallowmas. Jupiter, marching in the Black Parade with the Wundrous Society, convinces Fen to escort Morrigan and Hawthorne to the parade. While waiting for Fen, the pair listen to vampire dwarf Frank sing scary stories, including those about a malicious Wundersmith. Dame Chanda and hotel employee Kedgeree insist Frank exaggerates his stories and tell Morrigan the true history of the Wundersmith: Over a hundred years ago, the Wundersmith created monsters. He tried to take over Nevermoor and failed; in response, Nevermoor banished him from all seven pockets of the Free Realm, and many organizations now work to keep him out.

The Black Parade begins with the traditional procession of Wundrous Society members in black robes, honoring the members who died in the Courage Square battle against the Wundersmith. After the march, many floats go by, making people delightfully scream. The most controversial float is the Wundersmith, a cartoonish older man. As the final floats go by, someone blocks Morrigan and Hawthorne’s view, so they climb a dumpster. While in the alley, they hear an older woman’s voice from the sewer, asking for help as they fell. Morrigan insists on helping and climbs down. Once she reaches the bottom of the sewer, the ladder disappears behind her, and she finds she and the older woman are not alone.

The seven witches of Coven Thirteen surround Morrigan and reveal the beginning of the Fright Trial. She faces two options: climb out of the sewer and forfeit, or continue following a glowing light in the sewer. Though she wants to abandon the task, she presses on. A gateway takes her to Morden Cemetery, where she reunites with Hawthorne. They use his torch to escape a horde of zombies and flee to the crypt where he saw a candle. The tomb where the candle rests is locked, but Morrigan notices a statue pointing to an open grave. She pulls Hawthorne into the grave with her, and they teleport to the subsequent trial station, where they must choose one of four gateways. Morrigan is drawn to a pond, while Hawthorne is pulled toward an apple tree.

Morrigan reaches the bottom of the pond, and teleports to the abandoned street where she left the Black Parade. She receives a letter informing her that she failed the trial, and that “they” are coming. Then, the Hunt of Smoke and Shadow surrounds her. Morrigan climbs a nearby lamppost to keep herself in light so the shadows cannot reach her. As she ascends, the lamppost becomes a ladder that deposits her on the street again. Hawthorne believes he’s lost his legs and must fight a dragon, but Morrigan breaks him out of his illusion. Coven Thirteen congratulate the two on passing the Fright Trial and give them invitations to the Show Trial—as well as a coupon for 10 percent off at Cauldrons ‘R’ Us.

Morrigan and Hawthorne find the Black Parade almost over once they return. She asks him about Cadence, but he doesn’t know who she’s talking about. The pair come across Mr. Jones, who asks about the trials and congratulates them. They meet up with Fen, who reveals she knew about the Fright Trial. Hawthorne asks about Morrigan’s knack, but she’s still uncertain what it is. They then talk about Mr. Jones and Morrigan’s Bid Day. Fen blanches and tells them to never discuss Ezra Squall—the name of the Wundersmith.

Morrigan and Hawthorne return to Morrigan’s room. There, she ponders why the Wundersmith wants her as an apprentice. She believes it must be because she’s evil. Morrigan wants to tell Jupiter about Mr. Jones, but Hawthorne convinces her to wait until after the Show Trial; she warily agrees.