The memory hit him like a brick to the face. That Yulemas morning, when Celaena had looked so uncomfortable to be receiving the golden arrow of Deanna—the arrow of Mab.

And Chaol counted down the family tree, one after one, until—

My great-grandmother was Fae.

Chaol had to brace a hand against the desk. No, it couldn’t be. He turned back to the chronicle still lying open, and turned to the next day.

Aelin Galathynius, heir to the throne of Terrasen, died today, or sometime in the night. Before help could reach her deceased parents’ estate, the assassin who had missed her the night before returned. Her body has still not been found, though some believe it was thrown into the river behind her parents’ house.

She’d once said that Arobynn had … had found her. Found her half-dead and frozen. On a riverbank.

He was just jumping to conclusions. Maybe she merely wanted him to know that she still cared about Terrasen, or—

There was a poem scribbled at the top of the Ashryver family tree, as though some student had dashed it down it as a reminder while studying.

Ashryver Eyes

The fairest eyes, from legends old

Of brightest blue, ringed with gold.

Bright blue eyes, ringed with gold. A strangled cry came out of him. How many times had he looked into those eyes? How many times had he seen her avert her gaze, that one bit of proof she couldn’t hide, from the king?

Celaena Sardothien wasn’t in league with Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.

Celaena Sardothien was Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, heir to the throne and rightful Queen of Terrasen.

Celaena was Aelin Galathynius, the greatest living threat to Adarlan, the one person who could raise an army capable of standing against the king. Now, she was also the one person who knew the secret source of the king’s power—and who sought a way to destroy it.

And he had just sent her into the arms of her strongest potential allies: to the homeland of her mother, the kingdom of her cousin, and the domain of her aunt, Queen Maeve of the Fae.

Celaena was the lost Queen of Terrasen.

Chaol sank to his knees.

Acknowledgements

More than anyone, this novel belongs to Susan Dennard. For being the kind of friend that usually exists only in books. For being a friend worth waiting for. For being my anam cara. Thank you for the (mis)adventures, for laughing until our stomachs hurt, and for all the joy you’ve brought into my world. Love you.

Endless gratitude to my A Team: my incredible agent, Tamar Rydzinski; my stellar editor, Margaret Miller; and the incomparable Michelle Nagler. I’m tremendously blessed to have you in my corner. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

To my good friend and critique partner, Alex Bracken, who never fails to offer sage advice and brilliant ideas, and who has talked me off many, many ledges. Thank you for being one of the bright lights on this journey. To Erin “Ders” Bowman, for the Friday chats, shenanigans in “Wilderness,” and being a fellow survivor of the brutal 2012 crawfish attack in Lake Glenville, North Carolina. I’m so glad I e-mailed you.

Thanks are also due to Amie Kaufman, Kat Zhang, and Jane Zhao, who have been everything from sounding boards to critique partners to cheerleaders, but always wonderful friends. To the ridiculously clever Biljana Likic, for helping with the riddle all those years ago. To Dan “DKroks” Krokos, for being a true friend and partner in crime. To the legendary Robin Hobb, for taking two debut authors to dinner in Decatur, Georgia—thank you for the wisdom and kindness you showed me and Susan.

There are so many people who work so tirelessly to make my books a reality and get them into readers’ hands. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to Erica Barmash, Emma Bradshaw, Susannah Curran, Beth Eller, Alona Fryman, Shannon Godwin, Natalie Hamilton, Bridget Hartzler, Katy Hershberger, Melissa Kavonic, Linette Kim, Ian Lamb, Cindy Loh, Donna Mark, Patricia McHugh, Rebecca McNally, Regina Roff Flath, Rachel Stark, and Brett Wright. And a huge thank-you to the entire worldwide team at Bloomsbury—it’s an honor to work with you all.

A giant hug for my parents, family, and friends—thank you for the unwavering support. And to my amazing husband, Josh: there aren’t enough words in any language to describe how much I love you.

Thank you to Janet Cadsawan, who makes the world of Throne of Glass come alive with her stunning jewelry. And thank you to Kelly de Groot for the map, the enthusiasm, and just for being awesome.

To my readers: thank you for making this journey such a fairy tale; thank you for the letters and art and for coming to my events; thank you for spreading the word about this series; thank you for letting Celaena into your hearts. You make the long hours and hard work absolutely worth it.

And lastly, I’d like to thank my FictionPress readers, who have been with me for so many years, and to whom I owe a debt I can never repay. No matter where this road takes me, I’ll be forever grateful that it brought you into my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Books by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight

Throne of Glass novellas

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

The Assassin and the Desert

The Assassin and the Underworld

The Assassin and the Empire

Text  © 2013 by Sarah J. Maas

Map  © 2012 by Kelly de Groot

All rights reserved

You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages

First published in the United States of America in August 2013

by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

bloomsbury

This electronic edition published in 2013

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to

Permissions, Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10010

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Maas, Sarah J.

Crown of midnight / by Sarah J. Maas.

pages cm

Sequel to: Throne of glass.

Summary: As the royal assassin to an evil king, eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien

must decide what she will fight for: survival, love, or the future of a kingdom.

[1. Fantasy. 2. Assassins—Fiction. 3. Kings, queens, rulers, etc.—Fiction.

4. Courts and courtiers—Fiction. 5. Love—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.M111575Cr 2013 [Fic]—dc23 2013009063

e: 978-1-6196-3063-5

To find out more about our authors and their books please visit bloomsbury where you will find extracts, author interviews and details of forthcoming events, and to be the first to hear about latest releases and special offers, sign up for our newsletters here.