Coronabeth Tridentarius (Cor-OWN-a-beth Try-den-TAR-ee-us) is Heir to the House of the Third and Crown Princess of Ida. Lacking any true necromantic ability herself, she has spent her entire life glued to her sister, Ianthe Tridentarius's, side to create the illusion of a powerful pair. Naberius Tern, the cavalier she shares with her sister, is fiercely protective of her.
Biography[]
Early Life[]
Before the Tridentarius twins were born, Naberius Tern was sworn to them as a cradle cavalier. Two years later, Coronabeth Tridentarius was born on Ida, and the first born between herself and her sister, Ianthe Tridentarius. As the oldest, she was named Heir and will rule Third House once her father relinquishes his seat. Unusually, this title was not shifted to Ianthe upon the discovery of Corona's lack of necromantic talent.
At six years of age, Corona and Ianthe began a simple ruse—Corona would pretend to be a necromancer, and Ianthe would cover for her with her own considerable talent. As Ianthe became drenched in blood sweat from performing necromancy for two, Corona would be untouched and appear a powerful necromancer. Their sworn cavalier, Naberius, also participated in the ruse, and the twins maintained a close, if somewhat contentious relationship with him. As a child, Corona liked to pretend that she was about to die in order to make Naberius cry. In her teens, she played the same games with Ianthe, tying nooses for herself or threatening to drink poison and leave Ianthe to become the Crown Princess of Ida.[2]
At eight years of age, Coronabeth met Judith Deuteros. The two commenced a lifelong friendship when Coronabeth faked an injury and Judith chivalrously came to her rescue. Each year for her birthday, Coronabeth was allowed control of a single spot on the guest list for her party, and she always chose Judith. Coronabeth spent much of her life cultivating an irresistible persona for herself, but Judith acted uninterested in Corona’s charms. Despite Judith’s seeming indifference, Coronabeth always congratulated Judith’s accomplishments with a delivery of flowers.
When the twins turned twelve, Naberius Tern was officially registered as cavalier primary to both sisters. Due to their pact, the Tridentarii received home instruction and sought no Cohort placement. Despite her lack of necromantic skill, Coronabeth studied various other subjects, though her erratic study habits seemed to be motivated by other people’s interests. Encouraged by Ianthe, Coronabeth studied Cohort movements and how the Houses were being run. She also took an interest in wars and space shuttles in order to impress various crushes. At some point in their relationship, Naberius began training Corona in cavalier skills, though Ianthe claims Coronabeth was not a good swordswoman.
Gideon the Ninth[]
Act I[]
Coronabeth Tridentarius, Ianthe Tridentarius, and Naberius Tern receive a summons from The Emperor to come to The First House and compete for the position of Lyctor. As the summons dictates only the Heir of the House attend, and Corona has no magic of her own, Third House sends the three as a set—claiming that the twins were born at the exact same time.
When they arrive at Canaan House, the additional body in the shuttle causes a delay, and The Third Priest attempts to straighten out the mess. With Teacher's permission, the Tridentarii are allowed to compete together with one cavalier—though Teacher implies it will cause them problems in their attempt to ascend.
Inside Canaan House, the Tridentarii and Naberius join the other competitors in tea and prayer. Naberius is awarded an iron key ring for their House, and Teacher (vaguely) explains the bounds of the competition. Left with more questions than answers, the Tridentarii and Naberius are led to their rooms for the night by a construct.
Act II[]
In their first day at Canaan House, The Third House explores the building, descending the stairs into the hallway near the pool room. At the same moment Gideon is hiding in the shadows. Naberius complains about the competition's vagueness, the food, and anything else he can think of, while Coronabeth and Ianthe pose questions and theories regarding their purpose at Canaan House.
The conversation quickly turns ugly as Ianthe begins to insult Corona's powers and intelligence, and Naberius attempts to defend her. Corona and Ianthe immediately close ranks and chastise Naberius for insubordination. He becomes sulky, and he and Coronabeth continue down the hall.
Days later, Coronabeth bumps into Gideon in the dining hall and invites her to the cavalier sparring matches she has been organizing. She leads Gideon down to the pool room where Naberius, Magnus, Jeannemary, and Marta are already at work. Corona glows, pleased to be the one to introduce the elusive Ninth Cavalier to the group, and sets about arranging a duel between her and Magnus. The match turns out to be no match at all, as Gideon crushes him in three turns. This is plenty enough to get Naberius's attention.
Coronabeth attempts stave off her eager cavalier, but in the end allows the two to fight. She pushes aside concerns of her impartiality to officiate, and calls out the rules. The match is long and fairly evenly matched, but eventually ends when Naberius disarms Gideon. Corona is slow to call the victor, and Gideon, thinking the match unfinished, punches Naberius. Concerned, she rushes to him and attempts to soothe both his pain and his anger. She is only moderately successful, and it puts an end to dueling for the day.
Coronabeth attends the anniversary party thrown by Magnus and Abigail and spends much of the night in conversation with Magnus.
Act III[]
When Third House first arrives on the scene of the Fifth House murders, Ianthe joins a number of other nercromancers in bleeding themselves to call forth their passing spirits. Coronabeth tends to her sister, but does not join in. Failing this, the twin work side by side to attempt to raise Abigail and Magnus, leaving and returning to the scene a number of times. Though Coronabeth lacks any true ability, they make a show of kneeling together and holding hands--leaving Ianthe drenched in blood and sweat. As time passes, Ianthe turns to her house specialty, cannibalizing chunks of Naberius' hair, nails, and even flesh to power her spells. She is not able to achieve any results.
Back upstairs, Coronabeth quickly reaches the end of her tether with Judith Deuteros. She insists that the Second Right has no authority to call upon the Cohort to investigate the death of Abigail and Magnus, and that certainly Judith has no right to claim any authority over the necromantic Scions gathered at Canaan House. Naberius supports her, and she tries to remind Judith that they (Second and Third) grew up together and grew up knowing Abigail and Magnus.
She attempts to push the conversation in a more productive direction, but it only opens the floor for Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth to start bickering and tossing out veiled accusations. She interrupts again, stressing that if they can't find a way to trust each other, the entire competition will devolve into madness. Palamedes takes over for her then, suggesting they investigate the bodies of Abigail and Magnus and try to learn more about what may have killed them before deciding on any next moves.
The matter is nearly resolved when Teacher pressures Ianthe into admitting she also is in possession of a Facility key, a fact that is news to both Corona and Naberius. Third House leaves the meeting "with dislocated proximity and the clenched jaws of three people on their way to have an enormous tiff." [3]
A while later, Teacher is in the Dining Hall when Coronabeth approaches him and asks for a key to the Facility. He explains to her that the key is Naberius' by right, and there is only one key for each cavalier present. She asks for the Fifth's key, and he explains that Magnus had already asked for his when he died and that he does not know where it is. At this point, Palamedes offers to escort her to the Facility with his own key. Despite Judith's protests, she asks him to help her get the same keys as her sister, promising a favor (wealth, military prizes, research material, etc) in return. Judith denounces the bribery passionately, but Palamedes is forced to decline and reveal to the group that there is only one key for each testing chamber.
Coronabeth is quick to find the positive and insists that this means the teams are destined to work together. However, Teacher reiterates his sermon from the first night in Canaan House-- "What I mean is, there is no law. [...] I have given you your rule, and there are no others. Some things may take you swiftly down the road to Lyctorhood. Some things may make the row harder to plough." [4] When it is finally put bluntly, that nothing stops the teams from murder, theft, blackmail, deceit, intimidation, or any other unlawful action, Coronabeth quickly disappears to find her sister.
Coronabeth and Naberius are swimming in the Pool Room when Gideon and Isaac Tettares come in. Isaac is looking for Coronabeth due to a discovered body, and Marta, Naberius, and Colum tag along. Isaac takes them to the incinerator chimney, and a burned pile of ashes and bone. The group studies the ashes and argues as to whether it constitutes anything alarming. Colum proclaims the ashes need a bone magician and leaves to prepare for his duel with Protesilaus, taking his ref, Naberius, with him. Left with Coronabeth and Gideon, Isaac explains he's been seeing things and Jeannemary says she wanted the two of them so they "could get the warning." [4] They look exhausted and feral as they leave. Coronabeth and Gideon close the grate to the incinerator.
The next day, all of the necromancers gather to examine the remains. Ianthe pronounces the ashes to be three months dead and notes that the ashes seem to be from two separate people, but Coronabeth does not deign to get her hands dirty. Silas arrives with Dulcinea's keys and Judith Deuteros tries to assert her authority by taking them from him. Failing that, she forces a duel between her cavalier and Camilla for the Sixth's keys. Coronabeth claims that Naberius will represent the Sixth, but Ianthe forbids Naberius from interfering. When Corona tries to convince him to go against her twin, he refuses. Camilla wins in an upset, but is badly injured in the fight. Despite this, Ianthe presses Naberius to challenge her himself.
Coronabeth immediately protests, but Ianthe insists that she is doing this to secure a Facility key for her. Judith protests, saying that she has no cause and it goes against the rules--but Ianthe neatly throws every argument and discussion Judith has led that proves that is not the case back into her face. She coaxes Coronabeth gently, and her sister folds immediately. Camilla is readying herself to fight when Ninth steps in and volunteers to represent the Sixth, with Jeannemary close behind demanding the next duel. Faced with two strong duelers, Naberius withdraws and the gathering breaks up.
Act IV[]
Palamedes and Harrowhark gather the remaining postulants and bring them to Dulcinea's sick room. With Protesilaus' decapitated head in hand, Palamedes proposes that Protesilaus has been dead the whole time and has been reanimated by flesh magic called the beguiling corpse — which Dulcinea confirms easily. Corona says little throughout the conversation, except to agree that Harrow should not have carrion rights to Protesilaus' head or bones. Ianthe and Naberius start to squabble, and the Third leaves.
Third House takes it upon themselves to investigate the bodies of Fifth House, and realizes that Abigail has had a key concealed inside her since she was murdered. Ianthe takes the key and they proceed to the study. Inside, Ianthe learns the final piece to the megatheorem puzzle and consumes Naberius — ascending to Lyctorhood. Coronabeth is crushed by her sister’s betrayal and breaks down into tears. She stays huddled on the ground for the entirety of the confrontation with Sixth, Eighth, and Ninth House, and they leave her to her grief.
As Yet Unsent[]
In the aftermath of the Battle at Canaan House, Coronabeth pulls Gideon Nav’s rapier out of the rubble, then goes to find Judith Deuteros. The insurgent group Blood of Eden (BoE) captures both of them, along with Camilla Hect and Gideon Nav’s corpse. With the three survivors in tow, Blood of Eden escapes the First House without drawing the attention of the Emperor or Cohort.
Initially the three captives are imprisoned together in spaceflight. BOE designates Coronabeth as the receiver of their meals and Judith’s caregiver. Judith believes that Coronabeth was chosen because she is an “easy mark,”[5] but Camilla maintains that Coronabeth “deliberately put herself in harm’s way," [5] and that this intervention is what saved all three of them. Regardless of Corona’s intention, BoE focuses concerted pressure on her to convert to their cause, and over time, Corona is radicalized. BoE removes her from confinement and begins to integrate her into their hierarchy, treating her with camaraderie, offering her information, and training her to use a gun.
Coronabeth takes to arguing with Judith about the Edenite cause, which Judith claims is a way for Coronabeth to “sharpen her own reasoning.”[5] She lays out BoE’s grievances with the Nine Houses and questions Judith about the Emperor’s motivations. Coronabeth believes that the Cohort’s slash-and-burn method of flipping planets and resettling the inhabitants is too costly to make sense. The arguments between Corona and Judith are circular, and occasionally result in violence, including Corona striking Judith, Judith arguing so passionately that her staple wounds open up, and on one occasion, Corona threatening to kill Judith. Despite this fickle relationship, Corona visits Judith often, and when they arrive at a ground camp on an unknown thanergetic planet, Corona accompanies Judith on her regulated trips outside.
After observing Coronabeth flirting with Camilla, Judith asks her if she has designs on Camilla. Corona is surprised by the question and tells Judith “one half plus one half is only ever half.”[6] Then she turns the question back on Judith, asking if the captain is interested in Camilla. Judith responds that they should not form connections that BOE could exploit, which upsets Coronabeth.
When Judith asks her fellow captives to kill her before Blood of Eden can do worse, Coronabeth only says that she’ll think about it. Despite this ambivalent answer, when Judith’s health takes a turn for the worse, Corona commands her to live, confessing that she had always expected Judith to become the Fleet Admiral of the Cohort. The two reminisce on their childhood friendship, then Coronabeth pleads “Jody, you can’t die on me. I’m so alone now.”[7] Unrepentant, the Captain restates her preference for death over being used against her will. The princess breaks down in tears, telling Judith that she’s going to die talking to Corona like it’s just another obligation she has to get through. Desperate for Judith to survive, Corona searches the room for antibiotics, to no avail. Corona tries to make Judith as comfortable as possible, before sitting next to her in silence until the Edenites come to take the princess away.
After Judith is healed by an unnamed Lyctor (recognizable to the reader as Mercymorn), Corona and Judith take one last walk around the ground camp, in preparation for BoE’s departure from the planet. They come upon the corpse of Gideon Nav, which remains unchanged, despite BoE’s many experiments on it. Coronabeth touches the corpse’s cheek and smooths her hair, complimenting Gideon’s personality and looks. Looking back to Judith, Corona reveals that she still has Gideon’s rapier, against BOE’s wishes. Seized by a fit of desperation, Corona offers the sword to Judith, begging to become a cavalier once again. She asks “What throne will I mount, if you don’t bind me down?”[8] Judith rejects her offer.
Harrow the Ninth[]
Two Months Before the Emperor's Murder[]
Coronabeth, Camilla, and Judith track Harrowhark Nonagesimus to an isolated, uninhabited planet where she is completing a mission for the Emperor. Coronabeth watches over Judith while Camilla seeks out Harrow's assistance to locate the revenant of Palamedes Sextus. Camilla returns a while later with an unconscious Harrow. She shares whatever explanation Harrow has offered in her letter about her amnesia with Judith and Coronabeth. When Harrow wakes, she sees Coronabeth and Judith and, after reading two letters to herself, necromantically seals their jaws shut. Seizing her only opportunity to rebel against the Blood of Eden, Judith attempts to warn Harrow of a traitor amongst the Emperor's inner circle. Curious, Harrow unlocks their jaws, however, Coronabeth covers Judith's mouth and drags her back into the shuttle before she can get out more than a few words. Judith attempts to communicate with Cohort hand signals, but Harrow does not know them.
Nona the Ninth[]
Before Day One[]
Coronabeth continues to integrate herself into Blood of Eden’s ranks. She even adopts a new name in accordance with BoE customs, going by the name Crown Him with Many Crowns Thy Full Gallant Legions He Found It in Him to Forgive[9] or Crown for short.
After the Emperor learns of his familial connection to Gideon Nav, he orders an attack on Blood of Eden to successfully retrieve the corpse. Around the same time, Pyrrha Dve arrives on BoE’s doorstep via the River with Harrowhark’s unconscious body. Despite calls from other Edenites to kill them both, Commander We Suffer protects them, hoping for Blood of Eden to gain a Lyctor of their own to use against the Emperor. When Harrowhark wakes up with no memories and no Lyctoral powers, We Suffer assigns Pyrrha and Camilla to look after her and determine her identity.[10] To accomplish this goal, We Suffer elevates Crown to the rank of lieutenant and puts her at the head of Troia cell, or the Lyctor Project.[9] Though Camilla, Pyrrha, and the person in Harrowhark’s body (nicknamed Nona) live in a BoE safehouse on New Rho, Crown lives at the BoE facility and only visits them occasionally until Judith has a detrimental effect on Nona and is banned from visiting.[11]
Soon after, the Resurrection Beast appears in the sky over New Rho sending the populace into a panic. Merv Wing uses the resulting chaos to abduct the members of the Sixth House Oversight Body who Camilla had invited to New Rho to negotiate a future with Blood of Eden. This abduction is a betrayal of We Suffer’s promise of safety for the Sixth House and incites a falling out between the members of Troia cell, as Camilla considers Crown to be “part of the lie.”[12]
The appearance of the Resurrection Beast also inflicts the necromancers on the planet with the blue madness. Judith becomes bedridden and, in addition to her other Blood of Eden duties, Crown becomes Judith’s caretaker, though she’s frustrated with BoE’s “primitive”[12] medical capabilities.
Day Three[]
After Nona and Camilla are delivered to the Blood of Eden facility for a meeting with We Suffer, Crown meets them in the waiting room. Though Nona greets her enthusiastically, Camilla coolly criticizes Crown’s lighthearted attitude and her choice to carry a cavalier’s rapier. Crown urges Camilla to listen to what the Commander has to say and warns her to be careful when she notices Camilla donning sunglasses to obscure her eyes.
Crown leads them to a conference room where Commander We Suffer, Pash, and Pyrrha are waiting. Crown salutes We Suffer and begins the meeting with a formal address. Camilla asks if Blood of Eden had prior knowledge of a recent riot that caused twenty-two casualties. Pash dismisses the question, accusing Camilla of being a zombie loyalist. Crown leaps to her defense, challenging Pash with right of recourse. We Suffer threatens punishment to both of them and brings the meeting back to order.
We Suffer reveals that a House shuttle has entered the orbit of the planet. Though Crown already knew the intel, she exchanges a look with Camilla before commenting about the size of the ship. Suspicious that Palamedes is in control of Cam’s body, Crown casually uses the nickname “Millie,” confirming her theory when Palamedes gives no reaction. Despite Pyrrha’s experience with the Cohort, she defers to Crown’s more recent knowledge, and Crown confirms that ship is too small to contain a stele. Pyrrha posits that the ship arrived via the River, piloted by a Lyctor.
The potential arrival of a Lyctor puts pressure on Troia cell to produce a Lyctor of their own, which turns the conversation to Nona and her lack of necromantic skill. Crown defends Nona, suggesting BoE rely on other means for combatting House forces. At Pash’s angry outburst, Crown tells her to shut up, which quickly devolves into a fight and ends with We Suffer assigning them additional tasks as punishments. After offering Camilla proof of life for the kidnapped members of the Sixth House Oversight Body, We Suffer adjourns the meeting.
Crown leaves the meeting angrily, but agrees to take Camilla and Nona to visit Judith Deuteros. While she leads them to a lower level, Crown explains that Judith is having a bad day and keeping her underground is doing little to mitigate the effects of the blue madness caused by the Resurrection Beast. After the trio enters the room, Judith begins to thrash while her monitor beeps frantically. Taking control of Cam’s body, Palamedes rushes forward to help Judith through his necromancy. The crisis averted, Crown reveals that she recognizes him as Palamedes and critiques him for being obvious.
Judith coughs, prompting Palamedes to use necromancy again to clean her kidneys. Regaining consciousness, Judith follows Cohort protocol for prisoners of war. Exasperated, Crown claims she’s regressing. Judith clings to the belief that the Cohort will rescue them and absolve them of working with Blood of Eden. This speech throws Judith into another fit and Crown and Palamedes hold her down. Judith accuses Crown of selling them out for “propaganda and a leash.”[12] Finding no sympathy in Crown, Judith addresses Nona before breaking off into a long scream, yelling in a language only Nona can understand. Palamedes puts the Captain to sleep, then Camilla returns. Crown offers disapproval of soul-swapping, but promises to keep it secret from Blood of Eden. When Camilla asks, Crown refuses to leave Blood of Eden, but offers Camilla a hug which she shrugs off.
As they return to the waiting room, Crown warns Camilla not to trust Pyrrha, then offers to join them on the ride home. Crown convinces the Edenite guards to treat them more gently, then asks them to stop near Nona’s school. Despite Cam’s protests, Crown offers to walk Nona to school. On the way, Nona and Crown gossip about Crown’s type, and Crown is upset by how accurate Nona’s observations are. They arrive at the door to the school at the same time as Aim, the school’s science teacher. Despite Aim’s position in Blood of Eden, they do not seem to recognize Crown and deny her entrance to the school because of her gun. Before leaving, Crown claims to know who Nona is, but won’t reveal it, only saying that she envies Nona.
Though this interaction is relatively short, Crown’s presence at the school does not go unnoticed by the Merv Wing squad keeping watch on Aim. They consider it a power play and accuse We Suffer of “putting more of her own people in.”[13] The misunderstanding increases tensions between the two BoE wings.
Later in the day, the House shuttle lands, and its occupants announce a city-wide broadcast. Appearing in the corpse of Naberius Tern to avoid the effects of the Resurrection Beast, Ianthe the First leads the broadcast. Reasserting House control of New Rho, Ianthe outlines the terms and conditions of the Emperor’s revised agreement with the citizens and condemns Blood of Eden. To end the broadcast, Ianthe reveals what appears to be the corpse of Gideon Nav, dressed in an impeccable Cohort uniform.
Day Five[]
Crown volunteers to spy on her sister for Blood of Eden, claiming that she is the only person who could infiltrate the barracks without it being a suicide mission. She is fitted with an earring that doubles as an audio device, and orders a sniper to line up a headshot in case her cover gets blown. Then, without authorization, she doses Judith with a sedative, plants an additional audio device on her body, and steals her away from the facility basement.
As Crown drives through the streets, angry citizens throw things at her car, and she uses this to her advantage to beg for House protection at the barracks. She identifies herself as Ianthe’s sister and the missing Princess of Ida. At Crown’s fervent request, the gate guards begrudgingly agree to bring Ianthe to identify her sister.
Ianthe and Crown reunite with a tearful hug. Ianthe tries to get Crown inside, but Crown resists and returns to the car, revealing Judith’s unconscious body. Ianthe protests, claiming it would be easier to simply put Judith down. Losing her patience, Ianthe makes an overt comment about Crown’s earrings. Crown makes a show of innocence, but eventually confirms that Blood of Eden is listening. Ianthe speaks directly into the audio device and demands that BoE deliver Camilla Hect and Harrowhark Nonagesimus to the barracks. Crown begs for clemency for Judith, but is distracted by a newcomer: Pyrrha Dve. Crown is initially horrified, but tempers her emotion when she realizes that Pyrrha is pretending to be Gideon the First. Pyrrha orders Ianthe to destroy Crown’s audio device, then with Judith in tow, all three retreat into the barracks.
Some time later, Crown manages to get away from Ianthe for long enough to find Pyrrha guarding Judith’s unconscious body. Crown activates the hidden audio device on Judith, but Pyrrha refuses to leave them alone. Ianthe arrives and places a ward on Judith to keep her unconscious. Ianthe pulls Crown away so that they can talk alone, and the two presumably spend the next several hours exchanging stories from their time apart.
By the time Camilla and Nona (disguised as Harrow) arrive, Ianthe has arranged the barracks into a dramatic set piece, with Crown and Pyrrha to either side of her and an army of animated corpses behind them. Unimpressed by Nona’s minimal response to her taunts, Ianthe turns her attention to Camilla and threatens the Sixth House. Crown advises caution to her sister, then makes an impassioned plea for Ianthe to abandon the Nine Houses. Ianthe dismisses the idea and begins to question Nona again. Following Cam’s advice to act like someone suffering from blue madness, Nona screams.
Affected by this channeling of the Resurrection Beast, Pyrrha and Ianthe fall to the floor. Many of Ianthe’s corpses fall as well, though she manages to direct four to restrain Camilla and two to guard Crown. Recovering, Ianthe declares her intentions to torture and kill Camilla. As a countermove, Camilla challenges Ianthe to a duel. Ianthe is reluctant to accept until Crown snatches Pyrrha’s fallen gun from the floor and holds it to her own throat. Unwillingly, Ianthe agrees to the duel, and Crown drops the gun. The duel is fast—ending when Camilla maneuvers herself close enough to touch Ianthe Naberius’s bare skin, at the cost of being impaled by Ianthe’s rapier. At this touch, Ianthe passes out, her zombie soldiers falling with her.
Crown rushes to help Cam, aided by Palamedes, who has taken control of Naberius’s body. Once Palamedes has removed the rapier from Camilla’s body, Crown brings bandages to Palamedes and thanks him for only removing Ianthe from the body and not killing her outright. Palamedes sends Pyrrha and Nona to retrieve Gideon Nav’s body and sends Crown to retrieve Judith.
After bringing Judith to Palamedes and learning that Ianthe’s shuttle is warded to prevent use, Crown waits for Nona and Pyrrha in the corridor. Since Pyrrha is occupied with carrying Gideon’s corpse, Crown offers a piggyback to Nona, whose body is failing. Despite the others’ doubts, Crown insists the body really is Gideon, not a copy. Palamedes necromantically examines the body, finding evidence of the Emperor’s aptitude. Camilla and Palamedes are preparing to take a blood sample when the corpse moves to grab Palamedes’s wrist and begins talking.
Gideon confirms that the Emperor brought her back as a revenant and renamed her Kiriona Gaia. Despite her somewhat hostile attitude and her apparent allegiance to the Emperor, Kiriona announces her intention to travel with them to the Ninth House. Crown insists that they need Kiriona to open the Tomb, and the group warily agrees. Kiriona plays dead once again while Pyrrha carries her outside to where BoE is waiting with a caravan of trucks.
With help from Nona and her friends’ knowledge of the Convoy, We Suffer manages to locate the Sixth House Oversight Body. En route to the underground tunnels where Merv Wing hid their Sixth House abductees, the caravan is disrupted by the sudden attack of Heralds sent down to the planet by the Resurrection Beast, Varun. In the midst of the truck’s erratic attempt to get underground, Judith begins thrashing. Crown rushes to help her but is interrupted by Nona demanding the use of Crown’s sword. Confused, Crown hesitates, and with uncharacteristic strength Nona rips the sword out of its scabbard and sheathes it in her own body. Nona climbs onto the top of the truck, where she is soon followed by Judith, who is being possessed by Varun. Nona negotiates a ceasefire with the Resurrection Beast, and BoE’s caravan escapes the remaining Heralds by disappearing into the underground tunnels.
The appearance of the Heralds abates Merv Wing’s animosity, and Ctesiphon successfully recovers the abducted Sixth House negotiators. Crown and Pash join other BoE soldiers in assisting the necromancers who blinded themselves to mitigate the Resurrection Beast’s effects. Barricaded in the tunnels, Camilla and Palamedes devise a plan to become a Lyctor and traverse the River to the Ninth House. Despite Palamedes’s assurances that this version of Lyctorhood is different, Crown watches anxiously along with other family and friends as the necromancer and cavalier follow the ritualistic steps. This culminates in Camilla’s body bursting into flames. Though they have Camilla’s body, the Lyctor who emerges from the fire is neither Camilla nor Palamedes, but some combination of the two, renamed Paul.
Crown assists Paul in loading the Oversight Body into a megatruck, then assists Judith to the cockpit where Kiriona, Pyrrha, Nona, and Paul are waiting. Commander We Suffer gives them their final orders, and Crown heartily salutes her as she leaves.
After arming the megatruck with a protective bubble, Paul drops them into the River. Judith begins convulsing again and Crown gently tries to call her back to her body. Acting uncharacteristically cold, Nona commands Paul to remove the protective bubble, exposing the truck to the River. Nona drives the truck across the top of the water, and despite Crown’s protests, Judith is drawn toward Nona. Varun’s voice comes out of Judith’s body, incapacitating Paul and Pyrrha. Crown struggles with Judith, unable to reach Nona, who drives the megatruck directly into the River. Nona navigates the truck into a tumultuous landing on the Ninth House shuttle field.
Crown elects to remain on the truck with a still-ailing Judith and the rest of the passengers while Kiriona, Paul, Pyrrha, and Nona venture farther into the Ninth House to open the Locked Tomb. It is unknown whether the invasive devils on the Ninth pose a threat to the megatruck and its occupants.
Appearance and Personality[]
Gideon first describes Coronabeth as thus:
"The other two were young women, both blond, though the similarity ended there: one girl was tall and statuesque, with a star-white grin and masses of bright golden curls. [...] They were actually the same height, Gideon realized; her brain had just deemed that proposition too stupid to credit on first pass. It was as though the second girl were the starved shadow of the first, or the first an illuminated reflection." [14]
Appearance[]
Coronabeth appears somewhat larger than life, a quality that helps her with being perceived as special. While she is tall (taller than Palamedes) she isn't taller than her sister. Her skin is golden and tanned, her hair is long, big, and bouncy.
Personality[]
Coronabeth in reputation is a talented necromancer, a charismatic leader, and an energetic and vivacious person. While it is true that she excels in dealings with people, much of her personality is a front of sorts. She is once called out on this by Nona, who observes that “you look at Commander We Suffer like you want her to think you’re into her, but you aren’t at all, it’s just something you’re doing with your eyelashes.” Perceived as the ring leader of the Third House trio, she actually relies heavily on her sister for support and direction.
Relationships[]
Ianthe Tridentarius[]
"Don't feel bad, sweetheart--what can you do?"
"I can do nothing."
"Then let's do this together. I need you."
"I need you." [15]
Naberius Tern[]
Trivia[]
- In the original, Ianthe and Coronabeth were "Cainabeth and Abella" after the famous biblical brothers. [16]
References[]
- ↑ tazmuir, Tumblr.com.
- ↑ Nona the Ninth Day Five, Ch. 23
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 18
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 21
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 As Yet Unsent Entry: Coronabeth Tridentarius
- ↑ As Yet Unsent Untitled Entry (3)
- ↑ As Yet Unsent Untitled Entry (9)
- ↑ As Yet Unsent Untitled Entry (11)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Nona the Ninth Day Three, Ch. 12
- ↑ Nona the Ninth Day One, Ch. 6
- ↑ Nona the Ninth Day Four, Ch. 17
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Nona the Ninth Day Three, Ch. 13
- ↑ Nona the Ninth Day Four, Ch. 18
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act I, Ch. 7
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," Act III, Ch. 24
- ↑ "Gideon the Ninth," A Little Explanation of Naming Systems