The Knave and the Moon, second book in Rachel Gillig’s Stonewater Kingdom duology, picks up right after the events of The Knight and the Moth. Darkness has spread across Traum, certain allies are believed dead, and the kingdom’s faith is unraveling. The story centers on Sybil Delling—the last living Diviner—who’s be…
Meanwhile, Rodrick “Rory” Myndacious wakes up on a tor with no memory—his identity erased and his past unknown. He’s aided by Maude Bauer and Bartholomew, a winged stone gargoyle, who guide him through a series of tournaments organized by the king. These tournaments—and the magical stone relics handed out to knights in each of the five hamlets—are tools used by the king to enforce loyalty and suppress dissent. Sybil sees them as her opportunity to fight back.
Together Rory (as the mysterious Knave), Sybil, Maude, and Bartholomew navigate betrayal, prophecies, and the violent politics of power. Their ultimate goal: uncovering hidden truths about the kingdom, destroying the relics that hold sway over the people, and toppling King Benedict’s cruel façade. Central themes include memory and identity, the distortion of faith for control, what it means to resist storytelling as a form of power—and indeed, whether destroying the old order requires not just war, but faith placed in hidden selves and forgotten histories.
Sources
Provider metadata
Tap to read source excerpt