A Trial of War (Valdor #4)

Recap as told by Castor Aegaeon

Well… a phoenix. Yes, yes, Skylar is a phoenix. I’ll give you a moment to let that sink in, because I know you’ve all been biting at the bit for three whole books waiting for that reveal.

Go on… gasp, applaud.

I’ll wait.

Alrighty, let’s move on to the recap now. So, Skylar, the champion of two trials, decides to embark across the Narrow Sea for the final trial… alone. Yes, alone. As in, without me.

Naturally, I was thrilled. (That was sarcasm by the way, in case the gods haven’t blessed you with my level of wit.)

While she was sailing away, I marched north… and prepared for her arrival and the inevitable chaos that she dragged with her wherever she went.

And what did our little shifter champion discover along the way? I’m so glad you asked.

One, the veil surrounding the Inner Kingdom is fading, and its magic is probably tied to the trials. Wonderful, I just love that for us.

Two, shifters apparently no longer need a full moon or adulthood to shift. Oh, no. Now they are just popping into their animal forms like it’s a party trick. Powers are strengthening, rules are unraveling, and yes, it is all very on brand for our impending doom.

Three, there were losses in Solace since Skylar was away. Significant ones. The tension between humans and shifters boiled over into bloodshed, bodies piling on both sides… including Julia. Not exactly the warm homecoming anyone dreamed of.

And four, my personal favorite: Gilen is now the alpha she had to challenge and defeat for the trial of the soul, because nothing says “welcome back” like being told you need to fight your childhood best friend and former almost-lover.

Oh, and Talon is not the beta? Even I didn’t see that twist coming.

Now, let’s zip back to the far more entertaining point of view, since I know my chapters were your favorite.

I’m in camp, surrounded by battle preparations, tension thick enough to choke a lesser male, and what am I thinking about? Strategies? Wishing for a warm bath and a barrel of wine? The looming threat of absolute annihilation?

Of course not.

I’m thinking about her—Nyssa.

A living, breathing goddess dropped into my war-torn world.

Me, the prince with the silver tongue and a chronic allergy to emotional stability or monogamy.

But all I can think about is her. Nyssa slips past my walls like they were never there.

She sees me. Not as a prince, or the flirt, or the reckless conspirator. Just… me.

And gods help me, there are very, very few beings in this world capable of that. And then—because I am only a male, and she is everything I never knew I needed—I kissed her.

I kissed her because resisting her is like trying to resist breathing.

I kissed her because she is my mate.

Alright, alright. Back to Skylar and Daxton, because apparently the universe, or this author, J.E., that I need to have some words with, refuses to let me divulge more of my own romantic spin-off.

So, Daxton, the brooding hero, is currently imprisoned.

Probably glaring holes through solid stone.

And while he’s stuck in that charming predicament, what does he get blessed with?

Anjani and Rhett. They torture him with visions of my death (I honestly don’t know how he survived that one), along with Gunnar, Idris, Adohan—basically all the key players in the series.

Yikes doesn’t even begin to cover it. Even I get chills thinking about it.

Just to add a cherry on top of all that, Anjani decides to bring up the oh-so-lovely fact that Daxton did not claim Skylar before she embarked on the final trial. And she is now returning to a male who very much intends to claim her.

Can Anjani just die already?

If Daxton wasn’t already half feral with worry, that certainly did the trick.

Next up on the chaos tour: Skylar challenges Gilen as alpha, after he tries yet again, and fails yet again, to claim her as his mate.

I mean… come on. Gilen or Daxton? That’s not even worth the brain power to form the question.

Their face-off was the kind of fight bards will write songs about for centuries, and I’m only devastated because, of course, I didn’t get to witness it myself. But the important part is that Skylar becomes alpha and obtains the final key to the trials: the alpha’s dagger.

Yay! (That was genuine enthusiasm, by the way. I’m capable of it sometimes.)

But does she leave after that? Of course not. This is Skylar we’re talking about.

Instead, she goes on a brief side quest to find her uncle, who has been lost to his animal form. Because apparently saving kingdoms and facing trials isn’t enough cardio for her.

Thankfully, she succeeds.

Then she leaves Magnus in charge of the pack—a solid choice, I’ll give her that—while she sails away.

But this time, she’s not alone. Oh, no, no, no.

Shaw joins her.

Why? Because he’s her beta! A very important role that Skylar has tried her best to explain to me, yet I lost interest because I’m not a shifter.

And now… time for Daxton’s grand escape. Or as I like to call it, Finally, something went according to plan.

Daxton is imprisoned, stewing in a delightful blend of trauma, rage, and brooding silence. Lucky for him, Zola is lurking in the shadows like the world’s sassiest emotional-support spy, slipping in to keep him sane.

Then comes the invitation, and by invitation, I mean a summons to the world’s most obnoxious party hosted by Minaeve and Seamus so they can gloat. (They can go pound sand.)

So, while the royal munchers toast to their imagined victory, fireworks go off inside to make the party extra special.

Daxton manages to slip free with Zola’s help, and most importantly, he escapes with the scroll of the trials.

But Daxton is wounded. Wouldn’t want to tarnish his selfless, cinnamon-roll character arc.

Thankfully, Skylar is not far behind, and with the help of the water nymph king, Skylar and Shaw sneak ashore, while Fjorda takes the Opal to Silver Meadows.

Skylar and Daxton finally reunite, and for approximately three seconds, the world is perfect. They’re together, alive, touching, breathing the same air… You know, the whole mates-being-reunited-in-a-world-ending vibe.

But of course, the timing with these two is always impeccably terrible, because who bursts into the spotlight next?

Idris is in labor, and Adohan begs Skylar to help because it is not going well.

But Ember is born, tiny and perfect. Skylar helps heal Idris, but peace? Oh, no. We don’t do peace here.

Because suddenly, fallen, garmr, and harpies launch an attack. And as fate would have it, the wards surrounding Crimson City are down.

Thanks, Minaeve, for nothing.

The entire city launches into action. Shaw shifts into a very large, very terrifying panther—which, honestly, is good for him, but also petrifying for the rest of us.

(You ever tell him I admitted that, and we’ll have words.)

The battle erupts into absolute pandemonium. And Idris, who just had a baby, mind you, flies into the fight on her pegasus.

Who gives birth and then immediately goes to war? A badass, that’s who. I mean, if anyone needed confirmation that Idris is a force of nature, there it is.

Once the magic is finally restored, you’d think things might calm down for a blessed minute. But no, of course not. Because Zola, in her infinite wisdom, decides to step out alone to confront the fallen. She is trying to buy them time, which I admire, but she should know better.

Skylar takes off into danger, determined to drag Zola back from death, by the hair, if necessary. But who gets there first? Shaw. Yes, Shaw. The very large, very fast feline freight train with teeth the size of my hand.

He beats Skylar to the fight and is the one who protects Zola… There is more to this later. Hold your horses. Everyone ends up safe, secure, breathing, and mostly intact.

But Skylar starts acting odd. She refuses food, which, for her, is the equivalent of waving a giant red flag in Daxton’s face. She says she’s grieving Julia, which is true, but not the whole truth.

And Daxton can sense it, of course. The male reads Skylar’s emotional state with more accuracy than most people read weather patterns. But he leaves it alone.

Skylar touches the dagger to the scroll that Daxton secured, and she sees a clue for the location of the Heart of Valdor. A lake, the wilt, and a volcano… Straight to where our camp is located.

Shaw, Zola, Daxton, and Skylar all show up at our war camp, and the plan is set.

Daxton, Skylar, Shaw, and I will follow the trail to the Heart of Valdor.

Before we march off into legend—or deathly demise—I steal a moment with Nyssa.

And let me tell you, if it were physically possible, I would claw my way back from the crossing itself just to get back to her.

But duty calls, of course.

Skylar’s blood creates a clear path for us through the wilt, and just like that, we’re off. Winding paths lead us on an hours-long journey (and I do mean hours) through a volcano…

Finally, we come upon an ancient cave drawing. And let me just say: shifters, in my opinion, were primitive beings, but this? This really drove the point home.

And then, I have a premonition. Skylar runs off to do the most unselfish, terrible, heartbreaking thing imaginable. She willingly gives her life to the Heart of Valdor to heal our world.

Can you even imagine the sheer scale of courage and heartbreak required for that?

And Daxton… Oh, gods, Daxton.

Okay, I need a moment here. Because if your heart didn’t hurt, if you didn’t feel a crack open somewhere deep in your chest, or maybe even shed a tear… then I don’t know what to tell you.

Skylar’s body is cradled in Daxton’s arms as we teleport back, and naturally, we have no time to mourn because the enemy does not wait for us to grieve.

Cue Queen Minaeve and Seamus. The absolute nightmare duo, co-captains of the team, ‘Fuck Off’. If you can’t tell, we collectively do not like them.

But hold on to your dusk jackets, because here comes the twist.

Rhett. I am surprised. Apparently, he’s the one from the prologue of the last book who fell in love with that shifter champion, Stark. He smashes Minaeve’s crown. And guess what that crown holds… My mother’s memory stones.

We remember everything.

Turns out, Minaeve is not our queen. She isn’t even High Fae. She’s… human.

I’ll let that plot twist sink in a little more.

And my brother, Daxton, is our high king.

We learn that Minaeve tried to steal the Heart of Valdor, obtained her dark magic by killing her own parents (yikes), and as if that wasn’t enough… Istar, who is somehow still alive through their weird twin siphon magic bond, appears through a portal with his horde of human mages.

Oh, and the wilt?

All her doing.

And Seamus… Oh, Seamus. He was our friend. His mind was twisted by Minaeve, bound by a blood oath, now under her control. Gods above, he officially wins the award for worst luck from the gods. Ever.

And while all this chaos is unfolding… Skylar is dead.

But don’t worry, she’s off having heartfelt, tear-inducing conversations with Stark and her aunt Julia at the crossing to the afterlife.

It is emotional, absolutely devastating for anyone with a heartbeat.

And then… she decides she’s not done with this life. Oh, no, far from it. She comes back!

She’s a phoenix… Flames, rebirth, dramatic entrance, the works.

Minaeve escapes (sigh, naturally, since the series isn’t done yet), and she takes the Heart with her… But Skylar is alive.

And somehow, Daxton can walk through her flames, and they teleport away.

Where to?

Well, aren’t we a nosy little reader looking for something with an extra pepper rating? All I know is that there was mate-claiming involved. Because after all that death, magic, betrayal, and heartbreak, the universe decides to let love triumph in its own ridiculously dramatic way.

Then it flips to Shaw’s chapters. He and Zola are left picking up pieces, figuring out what to do next, bonding in their own awkward, intense, very “mate-y” way.

It’s adorable, yes, but also slightly infuriating, because somehow everyone gets the spotlight while I’m over here…

Well, you know, just being outstandingly me.

Finally, Skylar and Daxton return, and naturally, we all kneel before the high king and high queen. Because if anyone earned that title after all this, it’s them. Hands down.

However, we all feel it.

War is coming.

So, enjoy this final book, or don’t. Because war, my friends, is messy, complicated, and, above all, brutal. And no matter how many powers, bonds, or dramatic entrances you have… it’s going to be absolute chaos.

Good luck, my Fated Few, you’re going to need it.