Elantris 43: Raoden

Raoden and Galladon get to the top of the wall. The look out and see that the guards are at Telrii's house. They decide to ask Sarene what is going on, since despite spending every waking hour with Raoden she hasn't told him anything.

In an expository interlude we learn about the risk of invasion once Fjordell sees a chance. The Arelenes are a bit pacifist and helpless after centuries of relying on ancient alien technology to protect them.

Sarene is doing rather unusually well and her injuries don't even hurt. Come on Raoden, figure it out! She's not hungry because hes feeding her. This is what Hrathen won't be expecting. She'll be better in no time and back to take over. She can't draw Aons because she's not an Elantrian. Instead she reads books about politics. Apparently the Fjordell priests made up their history to make themselves look cooler.

Raoden is shocked to learn his dad killed himself. Maybe now he'll reveal his identity.

Elantris 42: Hrathen

Hrathen is feeling smug. Dilaf is under control. Telrii will be king within the week. He's got 6 weeks before the deadline to take the country without force. I'm willing to bet he's wrong on all counts and things are soon going to start going very wrong for him.

Elantris 41: Sarene

Raoden shows Sarene New Elantris. She likes him again now that she has seen what he has done and that the people like him.

New Elantris is such a happy place that children are running in the streets. Is that wise? What if they scrape a knee and it never heals? I think there was something about the Shaod not being as bad for children, but still. I'm worried.

Sarene sees a mad seon and assumes that Ashe will be like that. But he won't, since she was not really taken. I wonder if she will figure it out before she gets better.

Raoden is pretending to be some minor noble. I don't know why he doesn't tell her the truth at this point. It's getting weird. She's going to be annoyed when she does find out.

Sarene feels the cold but other Elantrians don't. Come on, Sarene, figure it out! Even Ashe the seon comes to visit her, proving her seon is not mad like the others. She sends him off to tell her family she's ok, but first she phone's her dad. He tells her his spies say that Telrii is waiting a few days before taking the throne. Will she get better in time to leave the city and put a stop to it? Her dad wants to break her out but she's having none of it. She thinks she can still help.

Elantris 40: Raoden

Raoden and Galladon find a stairway to the top of the wall. They're keen to look out because the city guards have disappeared.

Sarene arrives. Annoyingly Raoden is still keeping his identity a secret. He convinces her to go with him.

Elantris 39: Hrathen

The shortest chapter ever mainly confirms that Sarene was poisoned.

Elantris 38: Sarene

Sarene is suspicious of Hrathen's recovery. She knows it must have been a trick.

The head of the Korathi religion, the patriarch Seinalan arrives in town from Teod. He's ostensibly there for the king's funeral but Sarene wonders if he has other reasons to visit.

The funeral happens. It is short and to the point. Sarene notices that Telrii looks frustrated, presumably because she is going to marry Roial which eliminates his claim on the throne. I am not so sure. Then the patriarch makes an announcement. Turns out Iadon left a will that fixed all the titles in place after his death. His plan was to have people fight for noble positions, and then let the winners keep them. This also changes the rules of succession to the crown but Sarene assumes that strengthens her claim.

She's still going to marry Roial, though. Belt and braces, I suppose. Though I'm not entirely sure what the rules of succession are now. Iadon doesn't have another son. It's all a bit vague.

At the wedding Hrathen looks calm. Hrathen and Telrii are definitely up to something. There is something of the badly playing band about them. The wedding goes well until Sarene lifts her veil and everyone screams. Looks like Hrathen has given Sarene the fake Shaod poison.

Oh boy, now all the set up is going to pay off. Sarene is going to be thrown into Elantris, meet Raoden, and find out that she's still actually married to him. Then they'll find out that she hasn't really got Shaod. Hrathen probably expects her to die of starvation in Elantris, but Raoden probably has some sort of food supply and she'll be fine. She'll emerge a few days later and it will look like she has healed. That might help with her claim to the throne!

Elantris 37: Raoden

Raoden is getting attacks of sudden intense pain. At first he thinks he is hoed, but it turns out he glows when it happens. The theory is that the AonDor, the magical power of Elantris, is trying to escape through him.

Although it has given some of their followers hope, Galladon and Raoden are suspicious of Hrathen's recovery.