QUICK LINKS: Rites of the Starling Recap by Chapter P–8 | 21–30 | 31–40 | 41–51 | 52–59 | 60–64 // Shield of Sparrows Book 1 Summary
Rites of the Starling Chapters 9–20 Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry contains spoilers.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 9
At daybreak, Cap warns Caspia one last time. They’ve already used more than half their food and are running low on water, and he wants to turn back. Caspia pleads for one more day. Cap relents after she promises to forfeit her own water for the crew and agrees not to challenge him if they find nothing by tomorrow.
Xandra joins Caspia at the bow to talk about the visions disturbing her sleep. Xandra has finally started to feel the magical thrum of the ritus herself, which confirms they’re heading in the right direction. Caspia retreats to her cabin and has a vivid vision of a man and a young gray-eyed girl riding toward towering blue mountains.
When Caspia wakes, she thinks about the girl in her dream and finds herself missing her niece. She wonders if her aunt is worried about how long they’ve been gone. Then the magical pull in her chest grows so intense she feels weightless, rising onto her toes. A crew member’s shout from the deck breaks the moment. They’ve finally reached land.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 10
After the bariwolf attack, Odessa, Evie, and Brother Skore stop to camp. Odessa learns that Brother Skore serves a singular god he calls the Divine, unlike her own beliefs. She asks about their destination, and he says they’re headed for Orson Canyon. Four days later, they reach a massive gorge with towering rock walls. The stinging sensation Odessa normally feels from Brother Skore’s magic disappears once they’re deep inside.
The group reaches a platform overlooking a deep abyss and a waterfall. Brother Skore leads them along a narrow path through the mist into a cave hidden behind the falls. He demands Odessa’s help to find something in the tunnels and orders Evie to stay behind with the horses. Odessa is terrified but agrees after he promises their next stop will be Quentis.
The tunnels glow with blue veins of light in the rock. Brother Skore tells Odessa to navigate by following the paths that cause her the most discomfort. The deeper they go, the worse Odessa’s headache gets. At a dead end, Odessa spots a small pool of black water and touches it. A surge of terrible pain shoots through her body. Brother Skore tells her she did well and reaches out for her. The moment he touches her, Odessa loses consciousness.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 11
Caspia and Xandra watch from the shore as Cap and his crew sail away. When the ship disappears, they turn their backs to the sea and face the unfamiliar land ahead. A small stream becomes their guide through vibrant hills toward a distant mountain ridge.
Partway through the hike, lightheadedness creeps in, and their footing feels unreliable. At first, they chalk it up to weeks at sea. But the dizziness only worsens the farther inland they go. Both women begin to suspect it’s not sea legs. It might be the start of their transformation.
Caspia turns the old stories over in her mind. The rite strips away everything a person clings to for safety so something stronger can rise in its place. The first physical change is meant to hurt. Before they can set up camp, a storm rolls in. Xandra spots a dark gap in the rock face ahead.
They climb a slick pile of wet rocks to reach it. Inside, the cavern is enormous and lined with mineral formations like rows of stone teeth. A fire is out of the question in the damp. So they settle into the dark and wait for the rain to pass.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 12
After two days unconscious, Odessa wakes in a grove. Evie is safe, but Brother Skore is already preparing to leave. He tells Odessa to follow the nearby stream to Norcrest, then push past the Harrow River to find people who can lead her to Quentis.
Odessa tries to get answers about the tunnel, but Brother Skore stays cryptic. He tells her to keep the waterfall a secret if she wants her father to stay safe and refuses to say anything more.
Brother Skore also warns Odessa about the High Priest. The man can’t be trusted, even if Ransom believes in him. Brother Skore then tells Odessa to seek out a warrior in Calandra. Then he rides off and leaves her questions about her mother unanswered.
Evie fills in what happened on the mountain. Brother Skore carried Odessa and tied her to his horse so she wouldn’t fall. Evie also saw him slip into the woods at night with a large, clear spherical artifact.
Odessa suspects Brother Skore pulled it from the pool inside the tunnel and worries she unknowingly helped him get his hands on something powerful. She helps Evie onto Freya and heads south toward Norcrest.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 13
Caspia and Xandra spend three days in the strange forest as their health steadily deteriorates. They collapse, convinced they’re dying, and lose consciousness in each other’s arms. Caspia wakes to a clicking sound and shakes her cousin awake. Nearby, they spot a road, but a massive black creature blocks their path. It resembles a giant jackal covered in scales and sharp spines. More creatures burst from the trees and close in, surrounding them.
Xandra drops to her knees as her transformation begins. Her eyes go fully black, and her teeth sharpen into fangs. She tells Caspia to run and drives her away with a snarl. Caspia flees into the woods and trips. When she looks back, one of the creatures is watching her. Caspia keeps moving until the ground runs out at the edge of a cliff above a fast-moving river. Three animals close in behind her.
One lunges. Another beast slams into it and kills it, then forces the pack to back down and takes over as leader. Caspia hopes it’s Xandra in her shifted form. Caspia tries to talk to it, but the beast growls and shoves her toward the edge. She begs Xandra to remember who she is. Only snarls come back. The beast leaps with its jaws open, and Caspia throws herself off the cliff.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 14
Odessa and Evie wake outside Norcrest when a man named Wells prods them with his boot. The local patrol has no tolerance for outsiders, so they need to move on. They grab food from a nearby garden, catch up with Wells, and ride in his wagon toward the Harrow River.
At the riverbank, they find a massive camp of travelers. The ferry operator demands a fee Odessa can’t pay. Wells covers it without being asked and waves off any talk of repayment, telling Odessa to keep her weapon and keep Evie alive instead. On the far side, Wells points out a small cabin before he drives off. A woman named Edda lives there with a house full of children.
Edda lets Odessa and Evie sleep in a lean‑to for free and serves them dinner. That night, Odessa reads a journal entry about a pale‑haired warrior who sets a falcon free in the desert. She wonders if Edda is the savior she’s meant to find.
Later, a man named Sryker walks in and introduces himself as Edda’s husband. Odessa recognizes him from another journal entry. Sryker has deep scars and wears clothing made from monster skin. He offers to guide them through the dangerous bogs to Quentis. When Odessa asks about the warrior from her story, Sryker mentions a group of hired fighters known as the Mavins.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 15
Caspia wakes up screaming from a vision of a red-haired woman trapped in a dungeon. The woman was pregnant and endured medical tests where her blood was taken. Caspia is certain it was Emery before her transformation. Caspia then finds herself in a bed inside a stone house. Someone pulled her from the water and gave her the bed while they slept in a chair.
A man named Andreas walks in and startles Caspia. He speaks a language she doesn’t recognize, but when she tells him to stop, he repeats the word back to her. Their languages share enough for basic communication.
Andreas returns Caspia’s boots and clothing, her hidden knives and jewelry still inside. As they share a meal in silence, Caspia sets a knife on the table to make clear she’s armed. Andreas laughs.
They figure out they both know parts of an ancient language. Caspia notices her magical connection to the rite has gone quiet. Her goals now are to find Xandra and track down the silver-eyed warrior who killed Emery, and for both, she needs to learn the local language.
Caspia asks Andreas where they are, and he tells her the continent is called Calandra.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 16
Odessa, Evie, and Sryker move through a foul-smelling swamp when an alligask smashes through a nearby fence, panics Odessa’s horse, and knocks her pet Faze to the ground. She tries to drive it back with her crossbow, but the bolts barely make a dent. Just before the creature reaches Faze, a pale-haired warrior leaps in and kills it with an ax.
Recognition comes instantly. The tattoos and kohl-rimmed eyes match the description from a journal entry Odessa once shared with Evie. This is the fighter she was told to find. Mercenaries surround them. One man in black leather picks up Faze, and Odessa stands her ground until he gives the animal back. She notices that the alligask has green blood, a grim sign that Lyssa has spread beyond Turah.
The man then introduces himself as Jodhi and confirms that his crew is the Mavins, the mercenary group Sryker mentioned. The woman who saved them is named Thora.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 17
Caspia wakes from a vision that gives her a clearer look at the silver-eyed man she’s tracking.
She’s still recovering at a hunting cabin in Genesis with Andreas, who found her washed up on a riverbank and nursed her through days of fever. During that time, they learned each other’s languages.
Caspia’s body is changing despite the illness. Her vision is sharper, and she feels stronger than ever. She tells Andreas she needs to find her cousin, but he tries to talk her out of it and warns her about the bariwolves. There’s real tension between them, and she almost gives in, but starting something with him means she’ll never leave.
Andreas draws Caspia a map and explains that each of the five kingdoms has a distinct eye starburst color. No one in Calandra has silver eyes, so the man from her vision will be easy to spot. Caspia decides to head for Turah. A vision of a timber fortress matches the lumber-rich region Andreas described. She keeps her real destination to herself, though.
When Andreas walks out the door, Caspia knows it’s their final goodbye.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 18
Odessa, Evie, and Sryker make camp in a temporary farming village just past the bogs. Sryker brings up how unusual the alligask attacks were, which hits close to home for Odessa. She has already been quietly wondering whether these creatures are hunting her specifically.
Before Sryker leaves under the cover of night, Odessa warns him about the crux scout and urges him to find shelter before the migration hits.
She then goes to the Mavins’ camp to negotiate. She offers a thousand zillahs per person to escort her and Evie to Quentis, payment due on arrival. Jodhi shuts her down.
As she walks away, Odessa mentions the migration is far closer than anyone thinks. That stops everyone cold. She tells them about the crux scout that wiped out Ellder. A warrior named Mose takes her seriously and leaves to warn his family. The rest stay skeptical, and Jodhi accuses Odessa of lying to get a free escort.
Thora calls Odessa back and overrules the men. She agrees to lead Odessa and Evie to Quentis and tells the group they will leave at dawn. Odessa owes the full payment on arrival.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 19
Caspia wakes at dawn to find Andreas already gone. He left a note and a satchel filled with food, gold, and a far better map than before. Even so, she feels vulnerable as she sets out alone.
The quiet road is broken by a fenek. Back home, these animals are cherished companions, so Caspia tries to use her Starling powers to calm the fenek. But this one is feral. It ignores her and lunges. Bound by an oath never to harm such a creature, she runs instead of fighting. The chase is close, and the fenek nearly drags her down when it grabs her cloak.
Caspia reaches the point where she knows she has to kill the fenek to survive. Before she can act, an arrow takes it down. Andreas steps out from the trees. He’s been following her the whole time to keep her safe.
The dead animal brings Caspia to tears. She explains to a puzzled Andreas that feneks are treated like family where she comes from. Andreas stays beside her while she grieves.
Once Caspia composes herself, Andreas mentions a nearby village and makes an unexpected offer. He wants to travel with her all the way to Turah. Speaking in Caspia’s native tongue, Andreas tells her he admires who she is and wants to see who she’ll become. They finally share a kiss before they continue on together.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 20
Odessa and Evie have spent four days trekking through the Laine desert with the Mavins. The heat is brutal and the landscape unforgiving.
Jodhi keeps mocking Odessa’s migration warnings since none of the travelers they’ve passed have heard anything about a scout.
Odessa learns the group plans to cut through the Evon Ravine to reach Quentis, avoiding the sea in case a migration breaks out.
Thora then cuts Jodhi off with a revelation. She already knows Odessa is the Sparrow and the daughter of the Gold King, and she’s only along to collect the King’s reward and pay off a debt. Odessa is fine with being used as a pawn if it means Evie gets to safety. When Jodhi starts asking about Evie’s identity, Odessa puts a hand on her sword. Thora finds it amusing and admits she likes Odessa.
The night turns dark when five Mavins return from a hunt with a dead kaverine. Normally nocturnal and avoidant, this one was strangely aggressive. Its blood is sickly green and its eyes milky white. Golding has deep claw marks on his leg. Odessa asks if it bit him and relaxes when he says no. The warriors are puzzled, and Odessa prepares to explain what Lyssa infection is.