not loved him already, she would have loved him then, learning that truth. Seeing the man he was becoming, turning into, after all of it.
“The king somehow missed them during his initial research and purging.”
“Or perhaps some god made sure he did,” Yrene mused. She lifted a brow. “I don’t suppose there are any Baast Cats at that library.”
Chaol shook his head and set down the looted corpse of the pomegranate. “Aelin has always had a god or two perched on her shoulder. Nothing would surprise me at this point.”
Yrene considered. “Whatever did happen with the king? If he had that Valg demon.”
Chaol’s face darkened as he leaned back on the not-nearly-as-comfortable replacement for the shredded gold sofa. “Aelin healed him.”
Yrene sat up straighter. “How?”
“She burned it out of him. Well, she and Dorian did.”
“And the man—the true king—survived it?”
“No. Initially, yes. But neither Aelin nor Dorian wanted to talk much about what happened on that bridge. He survived long enough to explain what had been done, but I think he was fading fast. Then Aelin destroyed the castle. And him with it.”
“But fire rid the Valg demon within him?”
“Yes. And I think it helped save Dorian, too. Or at least bought him enough freedom to fight back on his own.” He angled his head. “Why do you ask?”
“Because that theory I had …” Yrene’s knee bounced. She scanned the room, the doors. No one nearby. “I think …” She leaned closer, gripping his knee. “I think the Valg are parasites. Infections.”
He opened his mouth, but Yrene plowed ahead. “Hafiza and I pulled a tapeworm from Hasar when I first came here. They feed off their host, much in the same way the Valg do. Take over basic needs—like hunger. And eventually kill their hosts, when all those resources have been used up.”
Chaol went utterly still. “But these are no mindless grubs.”
“Yes, and that was what I wanted to see with you yesterday. How much awareness that darkness had. The extent of their power. If it had left some sort of parasite in your bloodstream. It didn’t, but … There was the other parasite—feeding off you, giving it control.”
He was silent.
Yrene cleared her throat, caressing her thumb over his wrist. “I realized the night before. That I had one of my own. My hatred, my anger and fear and pain.” She brushed away a stray curl. “They were all parasites, feeding on me these years. Sustaining me, but also feeding on me.”
And once she had understood that—that the place she most feared to tread was inside herself, where she might have to acknowledge what, exactly, dwelled within her …
“When I realized what I was doing, I understood that’s what the Valg truly is, deep down. What your own shadows are. Parasites. And enduring it these weeks was not the same as facing it. So I attacked it as I would any other parasite; swarmed around it. Made it come to you—attack you as hard as it could to get away from me. So that you might face it, defeat it. So you might go where you feared most to tread, and decide whether, at last, you were ready to fight back.”
His eyes were clear, bright. “That’s a big realization.”
“It certainly was.” She considered what he’d related—about Aelin and the demon inside the dead king. “Fire is cleansing. Purifying. But amongst the healing arts, it’s not often used. Too unwieldy. Water is better-tuned to the healing. But then there are raw healing gifts. Like mine.”
“Light,” Chaol said. “It looked like swarming lights, against their darkness.”
She nodded. “Aelin managed to get Dorian and his father free. Roughly, crudely, and one did not survive. But what if a healer with my sort of gifts was to treat someone possessed—infected by the Valg? The ring, the collar, they’re implantation devices. Like a bad bit of water, or tainted food. Merely a carrier for something small, the kernel of those demons, who then grow within their hosts. Removing it is the first step, but you said the demon can remain even afterward.”
His chest began to heave in an uneven rhythm as he nodded.
Yrene whispered, “I think I can heal them. I think the Valg … I think they are parasites, and I can treat the people they infect.”
“Then everyone Erawan has captured, held with those rings and collars—”
“We could potentially free them.”
He squeezed her hand. “But you’d have to get close to them. And their power, Yrene—”
“I would assume that is where Aelin and Dorian
Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 1 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 2 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 3 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 4 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 5 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 6 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 7 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 8 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 9 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 10 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 11 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 12 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 13 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 14 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 15 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 16 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 17 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 18 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 19 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 20 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 21 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 22 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 23 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 24 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 25 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 26 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 27 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 28 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 29 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 30 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 31 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 32 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 33 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 34 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 35 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 36 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 37 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 38 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 39 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 40 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 41 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 42 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 43 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 44 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 45 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 46 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 47 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 48 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 49 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 50 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 51 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 52 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 53 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 54 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 55 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 56 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 57 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 58 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 59 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 60 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 61 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 62 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 63 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 64 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 65 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 66 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 67 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 68 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 69 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 70 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 71 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 72 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 73 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 74 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 75 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 76 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 77 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 78 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 79 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 80 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 81 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 82 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 83 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 84 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 85 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 86 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 87 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 88 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 89 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 90 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 91 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 92 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 93 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 94 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 95 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 96 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 97 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 98 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 99 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 100 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 101 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 102 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 103 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 104 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 105 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 106 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 107 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 108 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 109 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 110 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 111 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 112 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 113 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 114 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 115 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 116 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 117 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 118 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 119 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 120 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 121 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 122 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 123 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 124 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 125 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 126 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 127 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 128 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 129 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 130 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 131 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 132 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 133 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 134 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 135 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 136 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 137 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 138 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 139 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 140 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 141 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 142 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 143 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 144 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 145 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 146 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 147 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 148 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 149 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 150 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 151 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 152 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 153 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 154 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 155 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 156 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 157 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 158 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 159 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 160 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 161 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 162 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 163 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 164 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 165 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 166 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 167 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 168 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 169 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 170 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 171 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 172 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 173 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 174 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 175 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 176 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 177 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 178 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 179 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 180 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 181 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 182 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 183 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 184 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 185 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 186 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 187 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 188 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 189 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 190 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 191 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 192 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 193 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 194 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 195 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 196 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 197 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 198 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 199 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 200 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 201 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 202 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 203 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 204 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 205 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 206 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 207 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 208 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 209 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 210 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 211 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 212 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 213 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 214 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 215 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 216 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 217 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 218 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 219 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 220 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 221 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 222 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 223 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 224 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 225 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 226 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 227 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 228 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 229 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 230 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 231 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 232 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 233 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 234 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 235 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 236 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 237 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 238 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 239 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 240 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 241 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 242 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 243 Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6) - Sarah J. Maas - Page 244