QUICK LINKS: Rites of the Starling Recap by Chapter P–8 | 9–20 | 21–30 | 31–40 | 41–51 | 60–64 // Shield of Sparrows Book 1 Summary
Rites of the Starling Chapters 52–59 Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry contains spoilers.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 52
Caspia wakes from a haunting vision of Hain praying in Nelfinex on a cliffside just before his execution. She tells Andreas the vision felt certain and unavoidable, and that Hain used plural language in his prayers. Caspia takes this as proof that Hain knew about Xandra all along.
Driven by the certainty of Hain’s death, Caspia decides to find and destroy the hidden magician orbits, convinced it’s the only way to lift the curse on Calandra and end the migrations for good. Andreas tries to talk Caspia out of it but eventually gives in and insists on coming with her.
In their discussion, Caspia and Andreas consider where the orbits might be hidden. Caspia believes the Starling ancestors buried them deep in the earth. Andreas suggests a few locations, such as the Evon Ravine, the deep mines in Laine, a waterfall in Ozarth, and sea caves in Genesis.
Caspia wonders if the cave she and Xandra found when they first arrived was near one of the orbits, since that would explain why they both became so sick. Together, Caspia and Andreas decide to begin their search at the Evon Ravine.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 53
Caspia and Andreas leave Roslo with a large team for a five-day journey to the Evon Ravine. Caspia feels suffocated in the stuffy carriage and insists on getting out to walk during a break.
The quiet moment ends when a riderless horse with a bloody neck charges out from the trees. A soldier shouts that lionwicks are nearby. Caspia and Andreas scramble back toward the carriage through the thick grass. One beast lunges at them. Andreas kills the beast with his crossbow, but another strikes him across the chest with its barbed tail. Caspia grabs Andreas’s sword and kills the second beast herself.
The healer confirms Andreas will survive, but one soldier didn’t make it. Caspia wonders if the orbits are influencing the monsters and whether they’re targeting her because of her Starling blood. Another soldier notes that the lionwicks behaved strangely since they usually hunt from the trees.
Caspia looks at her hands, still covered in her husband’s blood, and refuses to wash them. She wants it there as a grim reminder of the risks they’re taking.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 54
Ransom leads Odessa and Evie back to their suite and explains that Brothers Skore and Dime belong to the Kennin, a radical group that believes magic users alone are fit to lead. Ransom worries the High Priest will be furious if he learns the king has been protecting a traitor, and warns that Odessa’s father could face devastating consequences.
Odessa decides she can’t keep secrets anymore. She tells Ransom about her hidden journal, what she saw in the tunnels, and admits she’s been spending time with Brother Skore. They agree that the Voster order is their only real source of truth. Ransom heads to the docks to arrange a secret letter for the High Priest.
Later, Odessa takes Faze to the gardens before meeting her sister, but six drunk guards corner her. They want to steal Faze and sell him. Mae jumps in to help, but things turn ugly when one guard holds a knife to Odessa’s throat while the others attack Mae. Odessa stabs the guard in the neck.
Ransom arrives and loses control. He kills most of the attackers and keeps beating the last guard long after the man is dead. When Odessa tries to stop him, Ransom nearly strikes her. He sees that Odessa is bleeding and disappears into the darkness. Mae asks Odessa if she truly knows what kind of man her husband has become.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 55
Caspia and Andreas descend into the dark, glassy canyon of the Evon with a merchant named Seth Hay and a group of soldiers. When some men grow dizzy from the heights, Andreas sends them back to the surface.
At the bottom, Caspia feels the sting of magic and uses it to guide the group. Seth and a few guards stay behind with the horses while the rest continue on foot.
A giant bat-like creature called a chiroptus swoops down and kills Seth. Andreas wounds the creature, and the soldiers finish it off, but another attack claims a second soldier. The survivors learn to press flat against the canyon walls whenever they hear the chiroptuses chirping.
Caspia pushes forward despite the pain until the group reaches what looks like a dead end. She finds a tiny opening in the rock and slips through into a hidden tunnel. The magic is so strong it makes Caspia sick, but she refuses to stop.
On the other side, Caspia finds a waterfall and realizes the magic travels through the water. The orbit rests at the bottom of the pool. Andreas pulls it out. Relief overwhelms Caspia, and she passes out.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 56
Ransom never comes back after the attack. Odessa waits all night, gives up, and covers the wound on her neck with a scarf. She takes Evie to see Alore, but the healer has made no real progress on a cure.
On their way back, Odessa and Evie run into friends who have just arrived. Samuel and Jonas Hay are there along with Cathlin, Geezala, and Zavier. The reunion between Evie and Zavier is emotional. Back in the suite, Odessa fills Zavier and Cathlin in on the chaos of the last few days.
Mae bursts in with terrible news. Their father had Ransom arrested and thrown into the barracks. Odessa decides they have to leave Quentis. Mae asks to come along and hints that the king may not be her biological father. Odessa lets the subject go and tells Mae she’ll always be her sister.
In the throne room, Odessa confronts her father. He claims he’s holding Ransom for the deaths of several guards and General Banner. Odessa tells her father that she killed Banner and tries to get him to arrest her instead. He refuses and plans to exile Ransom while forcing Odessa to stay. Odessa tells her father that she knows he’s been provoking Ransom from the start and walks out.
Odessa bribes a guard to enter the barracks and finds Ransom in a cell, shaking with rage. The bars bend where Ransom tried to break free. They share a brief moment before Brother Skore appears. Despite her distrust, Odessa asks him to help. Brother Skore begins pulling the infection from Ransom’s blood.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 57
Caspia wakes from a terrifying vision of four Voster priests charging into a marble room to track her and Andreas down. Andreas tries to defend them with a dagger, but an invisible force knocks the weapon away. Caspia doesn’t know when the vision will come true, but the images haunt her all day.
Andreas tells Caspia the orbit is safely locked in his family’s vault. Caspia notices her magical senses are already dulling, a sign that removing the orbit has begun to drain the Voster of their power. Andreas gives Caspia the key and explains what happened while she lay unconscious. He told the soldiers they were searching for an old artifact, paid them bonuses, and supported the families of those who died.
Caspia is moved to learn that Andreas personally carried her and the orbit out of the chasm.
Andreas tells Caspia she’s not allowed to hunt the remaining orbits alone. Caspia agrees since the two of them can’t finish this before the migration starts. They decide to recruit trusted allies like Taven and Faxon and remain in Roslo while they gather information on the other orbits.
Shaken, Andreas admits he feels lost now that he knows his gods aren’t real. Caspia promises to share her faith with him. Andreas places his hands on Caspia’s stomach, and the baby moves against his palm. Caspia carries his child.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 58
Brother Skore cleanses the infection from Ransom’s blood and leaves without a word. The dark veins fade from Ransom’s skin. It’s not a permanent fix, but it buys them time. Ransom is exhausted, though stable.
Odessa tells Ransom about her father’s plan to banish him and suggests they use the exile as cover to sail home in the morning.
Ransom then shares something he’s held back since Ellder. The creature that attacked them was a shapeshifter. When the creature died, it took the form of a woman with curly hair that looked just like Odessa’s. Ransom believes the shapeshifter was hunting one of them and had the body burned before rumors could spread.
Odessa blames herself for Luella’s death, but Ransom won’t let her. They wonder why creatures like the shapeshifter have never been documented. Ransom also confirms that Ramsey has retreated to his capital and is keeping the other kingdoms in the dark about the coming migration.
Before they can continue, Margot arrives with the guard Odessa bribed. Margot apologizes but says she can’t free Ransom since the king holds the only key. She hands Odessa a deep purple book and admits she always tried to protect her, hoping Odessa would never find the necklace she wears. Margot tells them to read the book together, then find the king on the balcony of the throne room. The book holds the truth about Odessa’s dynasty.
Rites of the Starling Chapter 59
Caspia has a vision of her sister Emery arguing with their aunt Oleana. Oleana begs Emery not to go looking for Caspia and Xandra, but Emery refuses. Caspia understands this choice will lead to her sister’s death.
In the present, Caspia lives in the castle with Andreas and their newborn daughter. Andreas is now king after both his parents died suddenly. The thrumming in Caspia’s chest, quiet during her pregnancy, has returned stronger than before. Andreas nicknames the baby Dess after Caspia’s mother, Odessa.
The moment breaks when a steward arrives to say four Voster priests are in the throne room. Caspia recognizes this from her visions and sends Andreas down while she prepares.
Caspia hides her necklace in a secret floor compartment for her daughter to find one day. She calls for her maid, Margot, places the baby and a journal in her arms, and makes her promise to protect the child and give her the book when the time comes. Caspia also asks Margot to keep Andreas from falling apart after she’s gone.
Caspia enters the throne room and watches everything unfold as she foresaw. The priests use wind magic to restrain Andreas while two head upstairs to find the baby. Caspia tells Andreas to strike her through the heart, then gives in to the change. She transforms into a winged creature with sharp talons and kills the priests to save her family.