How does Malice end?
Dun Carreg falls when Evnis opens its gates from within and Nathair’s Eagle Guard turns on King Brenin, who is cut down in his throne room. Corban flees through hidden tunnels with Gar, Gwenith, Edana, Storm and other survivors, escaping by fishing boat while believing his sister Cywen dead. Far away at Haldis, Calidus springs a second betrayal that costs Kastell his life. Corban is the true Bright Star, and his escape means the God-War is only beginning.
Who betrays Dun Carreg in Malice?
Evnis is the traitor, having sworn himself to Asroth and to Queen Rhin of Cambren eighteen years before the main story. He engineered the war itself, killing Owain’s son Uthan while posing as a warrior of Brenin’s, and then let the invading army into the fortress. Nathair and his Eagle Guard arrive claiming to be allies but join with Owain and Evnis, and Brenin dies in his own throne room.
Does Cywen die at the end of Malice?
The book leaves her true fate unresolved. Confronting the traitor Conall on the battlements and unable to beat him outright, Cywen hurls herself at him and takes them both over the wall. The survivors escaping below believe the fall killed her, and Corban sails into exile mourning her alongside their father Thannon.
What happens to Kastell and Maquin at Haldis?
The assault on the giant fortress of Haldis turns into a trap when Calidus orders the Jehar to fall upon Romar and the warriors of Isiltir. Kastell tries to reach and defend his king, but his cousin Jael blocks his path and murders him. Maquin lives, left to witness both the treachery and the loss of his oldest friend.
Is Corban or Nathair the Bright Star in Malice?
Corban is the true Bright Star, Elyon’s champion, which is why Gar and Brina spent years quietly training and guarding him. Cywen learns the secret when she overhears Meical discussing her brother with Gwenith and Thannon. Nathair, meanwhile, has convinced himself that he is the Bright Star and reads any opposition as proof that others cannot grasp what salvation demands, even as his part in the conquest of Dun Carreg advances the Black Sun’s ascendancy.
What does the ending of Malice set up for Valour?
The story continues in Valour, the second volume of The Faithful and the Fallen. Malice ends with Ardan handed over to Rhin and Asroth, Dun Carreg in enemy hands, and Corban carrying his grief into exile by sea alongside Storm and Gar, with Gwenith, Edana, Dath, Brina and Camlin among the survivors. With Aquilus and Brenin dead, Nathair certain of his own destiny, and Maquin left alive after the massacre at Haldis, the God-War has properly begun.