Kingdom of Ash

Aedion and his armies retreat to Perranth. The soldiers are unhappy about the lack of Aelin’s fire, believing their queen has abandoned them. Aedion’s armies cross the frozen Lanis River, with Morath’s forces following close behind. The Whitethorn Fae temporarily unfreeze the river, drowning a small portion of Morath’s forces. However, when the battle resumes, soldiers from Aedion’s armies flee from Morath’s might.

Lysandra shifts into Aelin on the battlefield, raising morale again. Aedion runs to Lysandra, certain she will not survive fighting against trained soldiers. Lysandra suffers significant blood loss from battle injuries but manages to hold her own long enough to persuade fleeing soldiers to return.

Witches arrive with witch towers—weapons capable of amplifying The Yielding, a magical explosion in which a witch sacrifices her life to emit a devastating blast of power. One witch commits The Yielding, destroying 4,000 soldiers in Aedion’s army in one fell swoop.

Chaol and Yrene meet with Nesryn, Sartaq, and Sartaq’s sister Hasar to discuss battle strategies. Meanwhile, Aelin and her comrades, who got word of the battle in Anielle days ago, make haste toward the city. They walk in on the meeting, where Aelin joyfully reunites with Chaol and recognizes Yrene from a brief encounter years ago.