The Songbird and the Heart of Stone

The group reaches the precipice of the Sanctum of Psyche, where Asar warns them that their thoughts can be manipulated and they should trust nothing they see. As they enter Psyche, Asar is shocked to find the Heir mark appearing on his hands, signaling that Raoul has passed away and that he is now the rightful ruler of one of the three vampire kingdoms. Before Asar can fully process what this means, Elias stabs him.

Elias betrays Asar, revealing that he is working with Egrette to clear her path to the throne. He shoves Asar off a cliff, and Luce jumps after him without hesitation. When Elias asks Mische to help him navigate back to the surface, promising her freedom from the queen, Mische instead chooses to leap after Asar.

As she falls, memories flood her mind. She recalls being eight years old at the Citadel of Destined Dawn with her sister, glowing in Atroxus’s light. In the background, a firefinch perches on a statue of Atroxus, its song sounding like a funeral hymn. Her memory shifts to her 16-year-old self in a golden dress, preparing for her marriage to Atroxus, with the firefinch in a golden cage nearby. As Atroxus calls her to him, she steps toward the bird instead, even as Atroxus urges her to stay. The memory shifts to her sitting with Malach just before he turns her. Behind him, she notices Asar, with the firefinch perched on his shoulder. The final memory then fades into a vision born of desire: Mische and Asar giving in to their passion. However, the firefinch soon appears above them, screeching in warning—which pulls Mische back to reality.

Mische, pulled from her visions, searches for Asar, but Chandra intercepts her. Chandra begs her to return to the surface with her and Elias, but Mische insists on finding Asar. Chandra warns her not to die for Asar, claiming that his soul is tainted and she, as a child of light, shouldn’t be concerned with him. Mische refuses again and walks away, only to turn back when she hears Chandra scream. Fanged wraith women grab Chandra, hissing about how she took them. Mische does not understand who or what the wraith’s mean by “them.” As Mische reaches for Chandra’s hand, she has a vision of Chandra as a midwife, delivering vampire babies and immediately sacrificing them to the sun god. Repulsed, Mische leaves Chandra to die.

Mische continues her search for Asar but gets pulled into his memories. She sees the day Malach killed Luce when Asar was a child, and how his father then forced him to learn necromancy. After successfully resurrecting Luce, Asar’s father planned to use his abilities for his own ends. The memory shifts to Asar, now an adult, at one of his father’s parties, meeting a vampire noble named Ophelia—whom Mische recognizes as the woman from the Sanctum of Breath. Time blurs by, and Mische sees them buy a house together and attend society events, until one day Asar returns home to find Ophelia murdered by Malach.

Asar tries to resurrect her, but her body has been dead for days. The failed attempt tears open a rift to the Underworld, allowing wraiths to claw at Ophelia—hungering for her lifeforce—and, by extension, Asar. This creates the scars that mar his arms and face. Mische calls out to Asar, breaking through Psyche’s influence. Asar, momentarily lucid, reaches for her.

Mische and Asar return to reality with Luce, and they rush toward the temple at Psyche’s center. Inside the temple, they find an altar with a box on top. When they approach it, a burst of light floods the temple, forcing them to seek shelter. 

Ophelia arrives at the scene, and Asar decides to confront her, allowing Mische to face Atroxus’s trap. She runs toward the illuminated box, only to come face to face with a doppelgänger of herself. The doppelgänger shoves a hand into Mische’s chest and condemns her as “tainted.” Flashing memories of every sin Mische has committed flood her mind. After declaring her tainted, the doppelgänger attacks. When Atroxus’s magic fails to respond to her calls, Mische taps into Shadowborn magic, wielding it with rage to defeat her doppelgänger.

Mische obtains a key for the box on the altar and opens it. Inside, she sees a fragmented memory of Alarus and Nyasia getting married at the precipice between worlds. Mische grabs the silver ring from within the box before collapsing from exhaustion.

Mische wakes up in Morthryn with Asar. Asar has arranged the relics nearby, but Mische notices there are only four poppy petals instead of five. She realizes Elias must have stolen one—containing part of Alarus’s magic, which Egrette might now use for her own purposes. Mische then notices that Asar’s heir mark is flickering. Asar admits it’s because he’s closer to death than life, and that Egrette may already have half an heir mark on the surface. Asar offers Mische the chance to return to the surface and abandon the mission. While Mische knows she should continue because of Atroxus’s orders, she chooses to stay to ensure Asar’s survival.

As Mische and Asar continue their journey deeper into the Descent, they become closer. Mische asks Asar whether there is anything he’s always wanted to learn but hasn’t, and he responds that he has always wanted to learn the cello. Despite the lighter moments, Mische feels a growing fear as they venture deeper. The pull of Shadowborn magic is much stronger than Atroxus’s light, and it terrifies her. Her nights are filled with troubling thoughts. She wonders what will happen to Asar if she completes her mission—whether he will be purged, like all the other vampires condemned by Atroxus. Eventually, Asar leads them to a house in the middle of an open plain. Asar introduces Mische to a harmless wraith named Esme, who resides there.

Esme is introduced as Asar’s predecessor. She was the former warden of Morthryn for nearly three hundred years before she displeased Raoul, who had her killed. Esme is the one who trained Asar. Asar explains their mission to Esme, and she expresses concern about the risks they face. Later, when Mische goes to take a bath, she overhears Esme warning Asar to turn back to spare his own life. However, their conversation is cut short when Asar catches Mische eavesdropping.

Mische bathes and dresses in a nightgown left by Esme’s servants. When Asar leaves for his own bath, Esme mentions to Mische that she believes Asar cares deeply for her. Esme is amused when Mische calls her relationship with Asar a friendship. Esme then admits that she cares for Asar and that Mische should be cautious about how much she sacrifices for Atroxus. She warns that these sacrifices won’t just impact Mische’s life—they will extend to Asar as well.

When Asar returns, Esme persuades him to play the piano for them so that Esme and Mische may dance. When Esme retires for the night, Mische convinces Asar to dance with her. During the dance, Asar probes into Mische’s past with Atroxus. He disapproves of the way Atroxus has bound her to him from a young age, demanding sacrifices again and again. Asar insists that love should never feel like that. Mische asks what love should feel like, and Asar responds by gently kissing her. Although Mische desires it deeply, she pulls away, overwhelmed by guilt for betraying her vows to Atroxus. Their moment is interrupted when the house explodes, hurling them apart.

Wraiths flood inside, spearheaded by Ophelia. Malach appears among the wraiths as well, paralyzing Mische with fear. Esme offers to keep them at bay, giving Asar and Mische enough time to flee.