Throne of Glass Chapters 49–52 Summary & Analysis

Chapters 49–52

Chapter 49

Dorian and Chaol watch in horror as Celaena writhes on the ground, screaming, and Cain continues to hit her. Nehemia gets up and begins chanting in Eyllwe, circling the ring and making hand gestures. Celaena kneels on the ground; in her hallucination, Cain is ordering an army of evil spirits to attack her. Then, suddenly, a portal opens and Elena descends, scattering the legions of dead that surround Celaena. Invisible and manifested only as wind to everyone except for Celaena and Cain, Elena fights the dead army and disarms the shadow-version of Cain. She draws out the poison in Celaena’s body and begins to disappear, along with the rest of the spirits, as Celaena regains full consciousness and stands to face Cain.

Chapter 50

Celaena prepares herself to fight again, feeling a mark Elena had etched on her forehead glowing blue. She charges at Cain and stabs him deep in his side with Nehemia’s broken staff before cutting open his arms. He makes to attack her but she disarms him fully, and the duel ends with Cain on the ground, the staff aimed at his throat. Celaena is pronounced the winner, and she limps off the ring. Looking up, she sees Nehemia fall to the ground, caught by her guards; Celaena tries to go to her but collapses as well.

Dorian and Chaol attend to Celaena, Dorian cursing himself for not coming to her aid during the duel. He sends for a healer, but in that moment, Chaol sees Cain and the king exchange a glance. Cain grips a dagger and goes to stab Celaena in the back, but Chaol jumps forward and kills Cain first. Chaol is instantly in shock from what he has done. Celaena speaks incoherently about the duel, trembling furiously, and Dorian holds her, deciding never to let her go.

Kaltain, despairing, watches Dorian carry Celaena out. She goes to challenge Duke Perrington, and he openly accuses her of poisoning Celaena’s wine. She grows enraged at the duke’s betrayal and is seized and dragged out by guards.

Chapter 51

Dorian goes to meet with his father, who says Chaol will not be punished for killing Cain. The king toys with Dorian’s affection for Celaena but ultimately says he will send her the work contract soon.

Celaena lies in bed in recovery from her countless injuries after the duel. Nehemia comes to visit her, and reveals that what Celaena saw at the duel were not hallucinations; the poison in her wine had made her see into the spirit world, and Nehemia had seen it too, opening the portal for Elena to come and save Celaena. Nehemia tells her that she could speak the common tongue all along, and had pretended not to as a defense upon coming to the castle. She knows all about Wyrdmarks, and had been drawing the ones under Celaena’s bed all this time to protect her from the ridderak. Nehemia says that she has been closing Cain’s portals for months, and that she came to Rifthold to spy on the king. She gives Celaena back the Eye of Elena, and goes to take Fleetfoot on a walk.

Chapter 52

Dorian visits Celaena the next day and expresses how terrified he had been for her at the duel. He apologizes for not saving her, and they lie on the bed and kiss.

The king sends for Duke Perrington, and reflects privately on his own acceptance of Celaena as his Champion, and how, despite being knowledgeable about Wyrdmarks, he has never seen the one that burned on Celaena’s forehead. When he finally speaks to Perrington, he praises the way the duke used “the power” to manipulate Kaltain. They agree to continue to use Kaltain as a puppet to test out this mysterious power, controlled through the obsidian rings on their fingers.

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