The Battle of Evernight
 First edition hardback frontcover | |
| Author | Cecilia Dart-Thornton |
|---|---|
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Series | Bitterbynde |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Warner Aspect, a division of Time Warner U.S.A. |
Publication date | 1 Aug 2003 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 480 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-333-90757-4 |
| OCLC | 52325021 |
| Preceded by | The Lady of Sorrows |
| Followed by | N/A |
The Battle of Evernight is a fantasy novel by Cecilia Dart-Thornton, published in 2003 by Warner Aspect, a division of Time Warner U.S.A., Pan Macmillan U.K., Pan Macmillan Australia, Editrice Nord, Italy, Luitingh-Sijthoff, Netherlands, Pipe Verlag, Germany and A.S.T. Publishing, Russia.. It is the third novel in the Bitterbynde trilogy and the sequel to The Lady of Sorrows.
Imrhein/Rohain/Tahquil/Ashalind, with Caitri Lendoon and Viviana Wellesly, must travel to Arcdur. The three girls, with the help of an urisk, moves through a forest, where Caitri is hit by ǣlf shot. They go to Appleton Thorn, where Tahquil inadvertently charms the village master. The girls go through a land full of water paths, guided by a swanmaiden, Withihue. They go to Cinnarine, an orchard land, where Viviana falls prey to a Love talker, Vallentyne. Later, Caitri and Viviana are taken by the Hunt. Tahquil, on a water horse Tighnacamoire who is indebted to her because of the first book, goes to Namarre. Tahquil is taken by a scavenger, and escapes into a lava land. She then goes to Darke/Evernight, ruled by the malign Crown Prince of Faerie, Morragan. Tahquil, as a swan, infiltrates Darke, but is captured. Morragan holds her, waiting for her to remember where the Gate is. Ashalind soon realizes Thorn, her lover, isn't James D'Armencourt the Sixteenth of the Empire of Erith, but Angavar, High King of Faerie. She recalls certain and almost obvious evidence to confirm it. The real James XVI was killed by Nuckalevee, an unseelie wight, but not before summoning Angavar. Angavar agrees to take James place as King-Emperor until Prince Edward (who survived Tamhania's destruction) is crowned. A while after that, the Legions of Erith attack Evernight. The barbarians are easily defeated. Then Morragan unleashes the Unseelie Host. For the Imperial Troops, all is lost until Angavar slays Huon. Angavar and his company then proceed to fight Morragan and his retinue. Angavar challenges Morragan to mortal combat(no magic). Ashalind, who was dragged to the battle, uses sign language to summon the shang wind for "My ghost lies therein." The unstorm deceives Morragan, who thinks Ashalind is escaping. Angavar slices Morragan's side. The wound becomes fatal when Morragan kills Yallery Brown, an unseelie wight.
After Morragan dies and becomes a raven and the traitors banished from the Fair Realm, a victorious Angavar, along with Ashalind, leaves for Caermerlor, revealing the truth about him and James XVI. Prince Edward is crowned, and Angavar, relieved of James final boon, takes Ashalind and his company, as well as some mortals, to Arcdur to find the Gate so he and Ashalind can be wed. However, the Raven (Morragan) ambushes them, separating Angavar and Ashalind. Alone, Ashalind finds and is scared into the Gate by Nuckaluvee. 5 minutes later, 7 years have passed (time is different in Faerie and Erith) Ashalind is believed dead, and Nuckaluvee killed by Angavar, who unmakes sildron. The girl is taken to King Edward, who kisses her and makes her forgetful again (she was under a curse again. If an Erith-born kissed her, she becomes amnesic). A few days later, Caitri and the urisk, Tullie, try to make Ashalind remember, but are unsuccessful; she is defiant, although she accepts the truth some what. In the epilogue, it's commonly accepted that Ashalind marries King Edward, who wants her to himself. Ashalind outlives Edward and near her death, her beauty slowly fading. However, a select few saw what really happened, including Edward: Angavar caught wind of Ashalinds' still living through the wizard Sargoth (who was convicted by Angavar when he was the King-Emperor). Sargoth saw her leaving and entered through the open Gateway to Faerie. When asked how he entered, he described Ashalind. Angavar came to the wedding, and he talked to Edward just before he and Ashalind kiss. Edward steps aside and let's Angavar kiss Ashalind instead. Angavar turns into an eagle and Ashalind an elindor, an Erithan seabird, and the couple fly away, most likely to the Fair Realm, never to be seen in Erith again.
Thus ends the Bitterbynde Trilogy.