Lightlark

Arriving via portal to Lightlark, Isla immediately encounters Grim, another ruler. She is both attracted to and repelled by his dark seductiveness and wonders if his people, the Nightshades, who have the powers of darkness, might have been the ones to cast the curse in the first place. Grim is ancient, older than the 500-year-old curse, as are some of the other rulers who arrive next: Azul, ruler of the Skylings, and Cleo, the ruler of the Moonlings. Isla befriends Azul, who is open and cheerful, and she gives him a diamond ring. However, she instantly dislikes the elegant Cleo, finding her haughty. The ruler of the Starlings, a silver-haired girl named Celeste, arrives next, and the five rulers begin walking toward the palace. As they walk, Isla considers the island of Lightlark, which was split into shards thousands of years ago. They are heading toward the Mainland palace, which was historically shared by all six realms but is now under control of Oro, the sixth ruler. Oro is Sunling-born but shares the blood of four realms, meaning he can wield four different Lightlark powers. However, these powers have made him wary of romance because on Lightlark, falling in love leaves one open to having one’s powers stolen.

When the five rulers reach the palace, crowds of their people are waiting for them, but no citizens of Nightshade or Wildling are present, as these communities no longer reside on Lightlark. Grim and Isla share the experience of being distrusted by the crowd before they enter the palace, which is decorated with gold and flames. Each ruler is led to their own chambers. Isla meets her assigned attendant, Ella, a Starling girl with a limp. Ella leaves Isla in her new chambers, and Celeste arrives, greeting Isla enthusiastically. They have secretly been friends for years, with Isla using her starstick to visit Celeste in Starling territory. No one else at the Centennial knows about their alliance or their strategy to break the curse together, but it has to happen at this Centennial because Starlings are cursed to only live 25 years.

Isla goes to her balcony to sing, a Wildling talent. Someone hears her and begins clapping, surprising her so much that she falls from her balcony into the sea. She wakes up on her balcony, having been saved from drowning by her mysterious observer. Isla is shocked that someone saved her life, both because she is a hated Wildling and because a prophecy says that one of the six rulers has to die for the curse to be broken. Her death by drowning might have fulfilled that part of the prophecy, which makes it strange that someone would rescue her. Isla readies herself quickly for dinner, foregoing the elaborate makeup and hair that her guardians prepared for her but hurriedly putting on a revealing gown. At dinner with the other rulers, while everyone seems surprised by her appearance, Isla finally meets Oro, the Sunling ruler and king of Lightlark. He is rude and dismissive toward her, while Cleo is sarcastic. Isla insults Cleo and makes an enemy of the Moonling ruler by reminding her of her realm’s curse, the certain death of any Moonling caught at sea under the full moon. Oro further embarrasses Isla by demanding that she eat a Wildling meal—a raw human heart—in front of the other rulers. She forces down one bite before Grim asks that the heart be sent to her room to be eaten later. That night, Isla vomits blood.

Isla’s greatest secret, only known by her guardians, Terra and Poppy, is that she was born without powers as a consequence of her mother’s attempt to circumvent the Wildling curse. Isla’s powerless state makes her land vulnerable, as each of the lands feeds on its ruler’s power. At a gathering of the rulers the next day, Oro recites the rules the participants must follow: First, rulers may not attempt to kill each other until after the 50th day of the Centennial. The rulers will pair off at day 25, and rulers may not attempt to kill their partner. Second, every ruler has to attend every Centennial event. These events—hosted by each ruler in turn—include demonstrations of power. Third, no rulers can have an heir. This final rule raises the stakes of the Centennial even higher, as a realm whose ruler dies without an heir will itself die, along with all its people. Oro requires each ruler to drip blood into a magical fire, sealing their promise to abide by the rules. Each ruler’s blood has magical properties in accordance with their realm’s abilities, but since Isla has no powers, she uses sleight of hand to make it appear as though a rose has bloomed from her blood.

Isla gives Ella, her attendant, a Wildling potion to heal her limp and negotiates for Ella to give her regular meals in place of the hearts Isla is supposed to eat. Then she dresses up and goes out to the marketplace for an appointment with the tailor who will make her a new wardrobe, a custom for every ruler at the Centennial. She encounters Grim, and he walks with her around the marketplace. Isla is uncomfortable in his company; Grim is handsome and charming, but she has heard stories of his reputation as a warrior and a wielder of dark magic. Able to read her emotions, he jokes with her about her nervousness around him and then flirts with her at a chocolate shop. Finally, he drops her off at the tailor and disappears. The tailor magically crafts a stunning red gown for Isla just before Grim reappears in the shop. Isla asks the tailor for pants and armor she can fight in and then leaves the shop with Grim, who gives her an invitation to his Centennial event—scheduled first—and warns her she’ll need a sword. He disappears again, and Isla wonders why he’s helping her.

Isla tells Celeste about her time with Grim, including the information he gave her. Celeste warns Isla that Grim will try to use her and perhaps seduce her. The two women begin talking about their plan for the Centennial: finding and using a bondbreaker, a magical needle that can break curses but requires a huge price in blood. Isla and Celeste hope that by sharing the cost, they can break their realms’ respective curses without killing either of them. To find the bondbreaker, they will disguise themselves and search all of the libraries on the different isles surrounding Lightlark. That night, Isla goes to the tailor’s shop in the marketplace to steal clothes in the colors of all the realms. However, she can’t find any clothing in gold, the Sunling color.

Isla wears her new armor to Grim’s Centennial event, which turns out to be a duel. Celeste and Isla have decided they will perform adequately but not memorably in the demonstration to reduce the chance that another ruler will see them as a threat and increase the chances that they will be paired together when the pairings are announced. The first match is between Oro and Azul; Oro wins almost instantly. Next, Celeste and Cleo face off, and Cleo wins. Finally, Isla duels Grim. She forgets to restrain herself and wins her match, a move that pits her in a duel against Oro. The king tries to wear Isla down, but the intense, torturous training she endured with her guardians has made her very strong, and she attacks him with surprising skill. At the last moment, she remembers to pull back and allows Oro to win the match and the demonstration. He stares at her suspiciously, and she wonders if he knows she lost on purpose.

Isla recalls how she used the starstick to meet and form a secret alliance with Celeste three years ago, and she laments how her performance in the duel might have ruined their chances to escape notice and find the bondbreaker. Celeste doesn’t abandon Isla, but she reminds her to stick to the plan. Their next step is to get a pair of enchanted gloves that will allow them to get into the libraries or any other areas restricted to a specific ruler’s power. Celeste will handle this part, as long as Isla can get onto Moon Isle to search it. This will be difficult, however, because Moon Isle is guarded day and night.

Isla arrives at dinner one night to discover that the meal is Azul’s Centennial event. He asks the other rulers for a demonstration of their powers, and Isla begins to panic because she doesn’t have any powers. Grim goes first, projecting a vision of himself duplicated across the room and making it seem as though the room is cracking apart. Cleo forms a living ice-shark out of everyone’s wine, while Celeste shoots starry fireworks around the room. Azul creates stormy clouds and lightning above everyone’s head. When Isla is called, she asks Oro to help her with her demonstration and then blindfolds herself and throws a throwing star at his crown, knocking it from his head. Oro goes last, winning his second demonstration by turning the banquet table to gold, a display of power that surprises even his nobles and makes Isla wonder what other secrets he is keeping.