Nightbane

After Isla has returned to her room to rest, she and Oro discuss what just happened. Isla is surprised that the Place of Mirrors rejected her despite her owning the key to unlock it. Oro suggests that she may not yet be ready, as she has not mastered all her magical abilities, and he offers to help her train. He argues that Grim may want to wage a war to get her back, and she will need to be able to defend herself. The events of the last few weeks have left Isla feeling exhausted and betrayed, but she reluctantly accepts Oro’s offer. When she tries to seduce him as a distraction, Oro instead encourages her to get some rest before dinner.

That night, Isla joins Oro and most of the rulers of the different realms of Lightlark for a feast. They are gathered to celebrate Isla’s breaking the curse and to discuss their future. Oro is the ruler of the Sunlings and king of Lightlark; Azul is the democratic ruler of Skyling and a friend of Isla’s; Maren is the young new ruler of Starling. Cleo, the ruler of Moonling who tried to kill Isla in Lightlark, is not there, and Grimshaw, or Grim, ruler of Nightshade and Isla’s enemy, is also absent. Isla is greeted with some curiosity and hostility when she arrives, and she feels anxious about her vision of Grim. After dishes from every nation are served, the dinner is interrupted by the arrival of Soren, a Moonling noble sent by Cleo. Now that the Isles can communicate with the newlands since the cursed storms that separated them have disappeared, some people have expressed their desire to either return to their original Isle or move to their newland. Whispers of rebellion against the rulers are growing, and the others express doubts about Isla’s capacity to rule. However, Maren asks her to officially become the Starling ruler. Although she feels inadequate, Isla agrees because she wants to help the desperate Starlings.

Isla and Azul have a conversation about Isla’s feelings of inadequacy. When the young woman confesses that she does not want to rule, her friend praises her choice to be a good leader despite her self-doubts. He tells her that it is normal for her to be afraid and argues that she does not really know her people, having been forced to grow up away from them. He then flies her to the floating city of Sky Isle, which has been rebuilt by his people after their curse broke. Their ability to fly now returned to them, the Skylings have returned home and greet Isla and Azul warmly. The latter then encourages Isla to visit her people and get to know them better.

When Isla visits the remaining Wildlings, she is shocked to see that they are not well fed, having only recently begun to eat food other than human hearts. However, they are grateful to her for breaking their curse, and Isla tells them all about what happened during the Centennial. One of the Wildling leaders, Wren, then tells her that she should visit the Starlings, who need even more help than the Wildlings.

A few days later, Isla attends the Starling coronation ceremony alongside the other rulers, with the exception of Cleo and Grim. After Oro officially crowns Isla, the ground suddenly cracks open, and bloodthirsty winged creatures emerge from its depths. Despite Oro’s best efforts to use his magical fire, the creatures attack the audience and kill many of the guests. Isla tries to fight them off, but she is unable to access her powers. When one creature notices her, it does not attack her and instead flies away, taking the others with it. The survivors, in shock and injured, believe that it was an attack from the Nightshades and that Isla is working with them.

The rulers later meet to discuss the events of the coronation. Cleo attends the meeting, as the Moonlings have provided healers to help the survivors of the attack. When Oro asks her where she stands, Cleo answers that she has not yet decided whether she will side with Lightlark or with Nightshade. After Cleo leaves, Isla comforts Oro, who feels guilty for being unable to protect his people against the creatures, which are called dreks.

That night, Isla is dragged out of her bed by the ocean, which rises up through her window. She wakes up tied up in an underground cave, surrounded by strangers from all the different realms wearing masks. Afraid and in shock, she wonders whether they are rebels trying to kill her. When one of them steps closer to her, Isla accidentally unleashes her power and sends everyone around her flying. Now free, she runs away until she finds an exit and finds herself in the city. After a guard rescues her and brings her back to the palace, Isla meets with Oro, who is worried and angry, and the other rulers. Oro threatens anyone who would harm a ruler, then introduces two Skyling bodyguards, Avel and Ciel, to Isla. Shaken by the events of the night, Isla tells Oro that she wants to start her training.

Oro brings Isla to Remlar, an ancient Nightshade well-versed in magical abilities (see Lightlark). Since Isla’s Wildling and Nightshade powers are so tangled together, she is unable to use them. Remlar magically detangles them, a process that overwhelms Isla with pain and strange sensations.

There is a flashback from a year before the Centennial that recounts how Isla met Grim. While she was secretly visiting the Nightshade lands, she was almost caught by some guards. As she ran to escape them, unable to stop and create a magical portal back home, she stumbled onto a parade of young women being prepared for an event. After donning the same dress and makeup, she joins the young women but realizes that they are waiting for the Nightshade ruler to come and select one of them. When Grim appears, he picks Isla, who has no choice but to follow him. Once they are alone, Grim kisses her, and Isla, despite her fear, is seduced. However, she comes back to her senses and stabs Grim before creating a portal and slipping away.

Isla wakes up next to Oro and reflects on the memories that she is gaining back. Now that her powers are awoken, Isla is overwhelmed by sensations that make her sick. She then asks Oro to take her somewhere she cannot accidentally hurt anyone again. They spend the next few days in the abandoned Place of Mirrors while Isla recovers, with Oro taking care of her and comforting her.

Another flashback shows Isla and Grim’s second meeting. After Isla has returned home, she is one day visited by Grim, who has learned who she is and teleported through a mirror to her room. He grabs her and threatens her for trying to assassinate him. Isla orders him to leave, and he disappears.

Now feeling better, Isla begins her training. She tries to move a rock without touching it but is soon overwhelmed by her emotions and unable to use her powers. Over the next few days, Oro teaches her how to focus and tells her about his own learning process. When he was young, he accidentally killed a man with his powers and subsequently spent years trying to master them. The next day, Isla decides to let her emotions run wild instead of trying to suppress them, and she is eventually able to control the rock with her powers.