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Once Broken Faith

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Once Broken Faith is the tenth novel in the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. A conclave is called to discuss the future of the elf-shot cure.

“ For trust him not that hath once broken faith. ”

–William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part III

Synopsis[]

Once Broken Faith (September 6th 2016, DAW) finds Toby faced with the aftermath of her own actions, as she must navigate a formal conclave to determine whether the cure for elf-shot will be made available to the rest of Faerie. Everything seems fine...until the first murder occurs, and it becomes evident that for some people, this is a matter of life and death. With her allies under siege and her own skills of dubious usefulness, Toby must find a way to bring things to a peaceful conclusion...before everyone involved is lost.[1]

Plot[]

Chapter 1-3: Toby hosts a sleepover for Quentin and his teenage friends, which Arden interrupts to ask Toby a favor: King Aethlin forbid the use of the elf-shot cure until an official decision can be made, and Arden wants to wake Madden and Nolan before Aethlin makes the cure fully illegal. Toby goes to Muir Woods with Arden, where they wake Madden just before Aethlin arrives, a week ahead of schedule. Aethlin is lenient, noting the loophole that Arden exploited but forbidding her from waking Nolan. He also orders Toby to attend the upcoming conclave so that Quentin can observe the political proceedings.

Chapter 4: Toby enjoys some intimate time with Tybalt. When she mentions the conclave, which he was not invited to, he abruptly leaves to address his court. Aethlin and Maida visit Toby's home to check in as parents rather than regents. Toby learns the Queen was born a changeling before she used a hope chest to become pureblood and marry Aethlin.

Chapter 5-6: Toby and Quentin go to the conclave. Quentin worries he will be recognized as his parents' son, but Toby assures him that nobles only see what they want to. The noble guests arrive, including Tybalt and the Luidaeg. The Luidaeg escorts Karen, who is being forced by an elf-shot Evening Winterrose to speak on Evening's behalf. Aethlin opens the proceedings and bids Walther and Toby to explain how the cure came to be, despite a number of nobles who don't think it proper for a changeling to have a voice in the conclave. The Luidaeg backs Toby's truths and Karen privately shares that Evening doesn't want the cure distributed, since she had created elf-shot in the first place.

Chapter 7: They break for lunch. Their meal is interrupted when King Antonio gets offended by Dianda's mixed marriage and starts and argument among all the nobles. Toby slips away with Karen and Quentin, finding a quiet balcony where Tybalt and Raj already await with refreshments. Tybalt cannot publicly show allegiance with Toby since she is allied with the Divided Courts, but he will do as he pleases in private.

Chapter 8-10: They are recalled to the conclave, but on their way find the body of King Antonio. Toby rides his blood and confers with the night haunts but can't determine his killer. Kabos of Highmountain accuses Toby herself and takes insult when Arden defends Toby. Toby announces the murder to the conclave, once again confronted with disbelieve and prejudice as a changeling. The high monarchs give her leave to lock down the knowe and investigate the murder, even as they continue deliberating the elf-shot cure.

Chapter 11-14: Sylvester offers Toby his support. She can't forgive his lies concerning her family history or for shutting out Tybalt when she was overdosing on goblin fruit, but she is willing to resume their working relationship.

Dianda is elf-shot in her private chambers. Toby cannot ride her blood to find evidence or risk being poisoned herself, and they can't use the cure to awaken her or risk showing favoritism to the Mists and its allies. Instead, Toby and Karen visit Dianda's dreams. Dianda identifies Michel of Starfall as her attacker, but when her thoughts turn to Dean and Goldengreen, Evening invades the dream and threatens both Toby and Karen. When they awaken, Toby brings her findings to a private audience with the high monarchs, and they agree to let Toby publicly accuse Michel.

Chapter 15: Tybalt is worried, and they discuss his need to hold himself publicly aloof from her as well as his frantic fears when Toby constantly puts herself in danger. They are attacked by an unseen foe, and Toby takes a harpoon aimed for Tybalt. The damage is severe and the Luidaeg feeds Toby her blood, along with the accompanying memories, to heal her.

Chapter 16: Toby returns to the conclave and names Michel as Dianda's attacker; Aethlin confirms it by riding Michel's blood. He is sentenced to 100 years of elf-shot sleep, and Michel complains that they are all hypocrites who will likely wake Dianda up no matter what the conclave decides.

Chapter 17: Toby interviews the collection of nobles. Antonio's retinue appears blameless, while Theron and Chrysanthe of Golden Shore invite Toby to live in their haven for changelings. Toby theorizes that the murderer is using some form of teleportation spell and the Golden Shore nobles tell her about fairy rings, which can freeze a person in time.

She rejoins her friends and the Luidaeg explains fairy rings further, supporting Toby's running theory. Toby rides her own blood to reexamine the gathered conclave guests and hones in on the Barrow Wight servant accompanying the Highmountain monarchs, whom Quentin tells her are staunch traditionalists and blood purists.

Chapter 18: Before she can hunt them down, however, Tybalt is hit with another harpoon. Toby frantically calls for help and administers CPR as Tybalt lies responses, catching glimpses of Tybalt's memories from the blood on his lips. Siwan uses Toby's blood to heal Tybalt, but the damage is too great to heal completely. Toby decides to administer pure elf-shot--only the sleep agent, no poison or tricks--to give him time to heal. Tybalt resists at first but she promises to wait for him even if it means turning herself fully fae.

Chapter 19: Madden helps her track the attacker, Quentin close behind. They find Verona of Highmountain bullying the Barrow Wight servant, Minna, who she and Kabos compelled to do their dirty work while keeping their own hands technically clean. Minna finally snaps when Verona once again threatens her sister and attacks, killing Kabos. Toby tries to stop her but gets caught in one of the many fairy rings around the room. She breaks the trap to find herself completely alone; Verona, Minna, Madden, and Quentin are gone. She tracks a trail that Quentin leaves for her to the tower where the elf-shot victims are being kept.

Chapter 20: She finds Madden, injured, and pauses to dress his wounds. She enters the tower to find Walther and Quentin elf-shot, and Minna facing off against Verona. Knowing she'll be killed for her crimes anyway, Minna throws herself and Verona out of the high window and Toby is dragged along with them, falling from the deadly height.

Chapter 21: Toby awakens to Jin's care.Toby has spent two days healing; Jin says the fall had literally killed her and Toby somehow came back to life, and the Luidaeg provided her own blood to help the healing process. Verona and Minna are dead. Sylvester is relieved to see Toby awake and escorts her to the conclave, where she reveals the murderers and also argues in favor of the cure, pointing out how cruel elf-shot is to pull someone out of time for a hundred years, even if it doesn't kill them. She argues that the justice system, too, is unfair, since Kabos and Verona were legally innocent of the crimes they compelled Minna to commit.

Chapter 22: She visits the sleepers while the conclave continues their debate. The Luidaeg comes to tell her that the vote went in favor of distributing the cure and provides Toby with doses to awaken Quentin, Tybalt, and Walther; Tybalt is still not fully healed, but sleeping gave Jin the time to bring him out of danger.

Chapter 23: After the conclave concludes, Aethlin considers whether Toby is too dangerous to be permitted around monarchies as a whole; Arden defends her by pointing out that Toby has only toppled kings when compelled by her regents and that Toby has given up every opportunity she might have had to hold power.

Characters[]

Major[]

Allies[]

Antagonists[]

  • Kabos and Verona: Daoine Sidhe rulers of Highmountain, conspire to murder rivals
  • Minna: Barrow Wight servant of Highmountain, compelled to kill for Kabos and Verona
  • Michel: Duke of Starfall, doses Dianda with elf-shot
  • Evening Winterrose: compels Karen to speak against elf-shot

Minor[]

  • Raj: Prince of Cats, Tybalt's heir, Quentin's best friend
  • Chelsea Ames: Tuatha de Dannan, Etienne's daugther
  • Etienne: Tuatha de Dannan, seneschal of Shadowed Hills
  • Dean Lorden: Merrow / Daoine Sidhe, Count of Goldengreen, Quentin's boyfriend
  • Stacy Brown: changeling, Toby's friend
  • Marcia: thinblooded changeling, seneschal of Goldengreen
  • May Daye: Toby's Fetch and housemate
  • Jazz: Ravenmaid, May's girlfriend and housemate
  • Walther Davies: Tylwyth Teg, alchemist and chemistry professor
  • Madden: Cu Sidhe, Seneschal of the Kingdom of the Mists
  • Luna Torquill: Blodynbryd, Duchess of Shadowed Hills
  • Cagney and Lacey: Toby's mortal cats
  • Spike: rose goblin, Toby's pet
  • Lowri: Glastig, Captain of the Guard in the Mists
  • Siwan Yates: Tylwyth Teg, Queen of Silences
  • Holger Yates: Tylwyth Teg, King of Silences
  • Dianda Lorden: Merrow, Duchess of Saltmist, mother of Dean
  • Patrick Lorden: Daoine Sidhe, Duke of Saltmist, father of Dean
  • Li Qin Zhou: Shyi Shuai, acting Duchess of Dreamer's Glass
  • Elliot: Bannick, seneschal of Tamed Lightning
  • Elizabeth Ryan: Selkie, leader of the Ryan Clan
  • Grianne: Candela, knight of Shadowed Hills
  • Jin: Ellylon healer of Shadowed Hills
  • Bucer O'Malley: Glastig, shady, formerly of Home

Mentioned[]

Places[]

Toby's Allies[]

The Conclave[]

Kingdom Location Ruler(s) Ruler's Blood Status Stance on elf-shot cure
High Kingdom of the Westlands North America Aethlin and Maida Sollys Daoine Sidhe deliberating
Kingdom of the Mists San Francisco Arden Windermere Tuatha de Dannan pro-cure; wish to awaken sleeping allies
Court of Dreaming Cats San Francisco Tybalt Cait Sidhe unknown
Kingdom of Silences Portland Siwan and Holger Yates Tylwyth Teg pro-cure; wish to prevent elf-shot's use as a weapon of war
Kingdom on the Golden Shore Central California Chrysanthe and Theron Golden Hinds anti-cure; afraid changelings will be put at greater risk if elf-shot has even fewer consequences
Kingdom of Angels Los Angeles Antonio Robinson Candela anti-cure; elf-shot is how they enforce their very few rules
Kingdom of Highmountain Colorado Kabos and Verona Daoine Sidhe anti-cure; traditionalists and blood purists
Kingdom of Copper Arizona (unnamed) Centaur anti-cure; fears it is dangerous to his people
Kingdom of Endless Skies Kansas
Kingdom of Evergreen Washington/ Vancouver
Kingdom of Prisms Alaska no representative sent
Kingdom of Starfall Idaho Represented by Duke Michel anti-cure; drugs Dianda with elf-shot to show the Mists' and High Regents' hypocricy
Kingdom of Painted Skies Nevada
Independent Duchy of Helen's Hand between Silences and Evergreen (unnamed) Hamadryad
Kingdom of Leucothea Undersea / Pacific Coast Duchess Dianda and Duke Patrick Lorden of the Duchy of Saltmist Merrow and Daoine Sidhe pro-cure after Dianda is elf-shot
Kingdom of Frozen Winds Oversky / Pacific Coast Duke Islay of the Duchy of Staggered Clouds Sluagh Sidhe
Kingdom of Warm Skies Oversky / Inland

Continuity[]

Debts[]

  • Maida thanks Toby for offering the changelings of the Kingdom of Silences the chance to do-over their Changeling's Choice.[2]
  • Jolgeir is indebted to Toby for shifting his changeling daughters to fully fae[2]
  • Highmountain claims formal insult against the Mists. They probably won't follow through on seeking recompense, all things considered.
  • The night haunts help Toby investigate Antonio's debt, mostly because she threatens to claim debt for a favor she'd done them previously.
  • When Tybalt is injured, the Luidaeg must charge Toby a debt to provide flame to heal him, and looks sad when Toby agrees without negotiating.
  • Toby is indebted to the pixies for helping her find the tower where Quentin was taken. They seem surprised that she acknowledges their help.

Current Book[]

  • Toby describes Quentin as her "semi-adopted little brother." She should really just admit he's the child she never got to raise.
  • When Quentin becomes a knight errant, he will still answer to Toby until the day he is crowned.
  • Oberon's Law applies to Firstborn killing one another, but not to Firstborn killing regular fae.
  • A night-haunt will look like the person they ate for as many years as that person had been alive.
  • Sylvester was granted Shadowed Hills in reward for services to the Westlands, presumably in the War of Silences, and for his service in the Kingdom of Londinium.
  • Aarnivalkea and Lampads are presumably extinct races of fae.
  • Li Qin and April are considering uniting Tamed Lightning and Dreamer's Glass
  • Patrick feels that he was a better brother to Simon than Sylvester was. He and Sylvester are not on good terms.
  • Raj likes romantic comedies. April likes movies where everything explodes. Chelsea is into spaceships, and Karen likes dinosaurs.
  • Toby quietly wishes for children someday
  • Toby reconciles with Sylvester but tells him that if he ever keeps secrets from her for her own good again, she will leave him forever.

Previous Books[]

  • "I have a bad track record with roses" -Toby
    • Dealing with Evening Winterrose, twice[3][4]
    • Using the Rose Roads to access Blind Michael's Realm[5]
    • Using Ceres's roses to find the elf-shot cure[2]
  • Jessica Brown is in therapy to deal with the trauma of being kidnapped by Blind Michael[5]
  • The magic-nullifying potion has finally worn off of Chelsea and Etienne[6]
  • Toby is willing to dig at the High King for putting the wrong monarch on the Throne of the Mists[7]
  • Luna resents Toby for not awakening Raysel when she removed the Blodynbryd from Raysel's heritage.
  • Elizabeth Ryan greets the Luidaeg as "Annie-my-love."[8]
  • Patrick recalls how he and Dianda met [9]
  • Toby has died before, when Connor saved her from drowning [3] and when Rhys stabbed her in the heart [2]
  • Toby used to use marshwater charms for small magics when she was still thin-blooded [3]

Future Books[]

  • Toby has a role in higher plans of Faerie.
    • "Oh, this is going to be beautiful. You're stumbling from goalpost to goalpost, triggering all manner of dangerous things, and you have no idea. I came back because you opened certain doors and put certain pieces back on the board, and I wanted them." -Evening Winterrose
    • The Luidaeg has plans for Toby and doesn't feel like the trouble of replacing her[10]

Quotes[]

Cultural References[]

  • “For trust not him that hath once broken faith. —William Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part II
    • In the play, Prince Hal and his allies fight against rebels trying to overthrow the crown
      • Similarly, the rulers of the Westlands, Mists, and Silences must gather allies and quash dissenters as they argue over the usability of the elf-shot cure.

Other[]

  • "If you can't afford the deaths you risk, perhaps you can't afford to go to war." -Patrick Lorden
  • "Oh, please. We don't have a judicial system. We have one law, which we break constantly, and everything else is arbitrary punishments handed down by whoever's higher-ranked in the nobility than the person who did something wrong. If High King Aethlin says someone's punishment is getting punched in the face over and over by an angry mermaid, that's as valid as anything else he might want to hand down." -Toby
  • “Never invite a death omen to a murder party.” -Luidaeg
  • “Anyone who says the past was perfect is a liar and wasn’t there. Everything that thinks can aspire, and everything that aspires wants something better than what they’ve left behind them.”
  • “Hope can be cruel, but giving up is worse."
  • “Faerie genetics don’t follow rules so much as they obey vague suggestions, at least when they feel like it.”
  • “Understanding my own mind doesn’t stop it from hurting me.”

Trivia[]

References[]

  1. ↑ http://seananmcguire.com/toby.php
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 A Red-Rose Chain
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rosemary and Rue
  4. ↑ The Winter Long
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 An Artificial Night
  6. ↑ Ashes of Honor
  7. ↑ Chimes at Midnight
  8. ↑ In Sea-Salt Tears
  9. ↑ Heaps of Pearl
  10. ↑ The Unkindest Tide
October Daye Series
Novels
Rosemary and Rue • A Local Habitation • An Artificial Night • Late Eclipses • One Salt Sea • Ashes of Honor • Chimes at Midnight • The Winter Long • A Red-Rose Chain • Once Broken Faith • The Brightest Fell • Night and Silence • The Unkindest Tide • A Killing Frost • When Sorrows Come • Be the Serpent • Sleep No More • The Innocent Sleep
Bonus Novellas
Strangers in Court (R&R) • Never Shines the Sun (CAM) • Full of Briars • Dreams and Slumbers (OBF) • Of Things Unknown (TBF) • Suffer a Sea-Change (NAS) • Hope is Swift (TUT) • Shine in Pearl (AKF) • And With Reveling (WSC) • Such Dangerous Seas (BTS) • Candles and Starlight (SNM)
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In Sea-Salt Tears • Forbid the Sea • No Sooner Met • Heaps of Pearl
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The Fixed Stars • Rat-Catcher • Through This House
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Stage of Fools • In Little Stars • The Voice of Lions • The Act of Hares • Shore to Shore • Instruments of Darkness • With Honest Trifles • In Deepest Consequence • Write in Water • Live in Brass • These Antique Fables • Jealous in Honor • Quick in Quarrel • The Ambitious Ocean • And Thrice Again • Of Strange Oaths • Sun Sets Weeping • Dreams and Sighs • Wishes and Tears • Poor Fancy's Followers • Our Trial Patience • Earth for Charity • Mean and Mighty • And Deeps Below • Sacrifice Your Tears • Into the Sea • In Safety Rest • Upon Your Honor • With Sweet Peace • Like a Dream • Give Sorrow Words • Distinction of Place • Notes of Sorrow • Drown the Lamenting
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