Darkstalker

Darkstalker (2016) is a middle grade fantasy novel by American author Tui T. Sutherland. It is the first book in the Wings of Fire: Legends series, a prequel set thousands of years before the main Wings of Fire saga; the second book in the Legends installment is Dragonslayer (2020). These are technically standalone novels that explore the ancient history of the dragon tribes of Pyrrhia and can be read at any point in the series. However, many readers recommend following the publication timeline. Darkstalker was released between Escaping Peril and Talons of Power, which are the eighth and ninth books in the Jade Mountain Prophecy arc; reading the book between those two adds context to the events in Talons of Power. However, others recommend reading Darkstalker after the arc of The Dragonet Prophecy (the first five books) to deepen readers’ understanding of Pyrrhian lore and history from earlier in the series. Darkstalker was a New York Times bestseller and will be adapted into a graphic novel with artwork by Jake Parker.

This guide refers to the 2016 Scholastic Press e-book edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of graphic violence, death, death by suicide, mental illness, bullying, ableism, physical abuse, and emotional abuse.

Plot Summary

The Wings of Fire series is set in Pyrrhia, a continent divided into kingdoms based on different dragon tribes: the NightWings, IceWings, SeaWings, SandWings, MudWings, RainWings, and SkyWings. Different tribes have different abilities, but dragons are rarely born with animus magic, which allows them to enchant objects.

The novel begins with Arctic, an IceWing prince and animus dragon, meeting Foeslayer, a free-spirited NightWing. Arctic, who struggles with his kingdom’s rigid rules, falls in love with Foeslayer, even though inter-tribe relationships are forbidden. They run away together, sparking a war between their tribes.

Years later, Foeslayer places two eggs under the light of Pyrrhia’s three full moons. One of them hatches into Darkstalker, who receives immense powers from the moons—animus magic, mind reading, and prophecy. Darkstalker immediately senses his father Arctic’s resentment but adores Foeslayer. He selfishly refuses to help his sister, Whiteout, hatch under the moons, wanting to keep their power and Foeslayer’s love for himself.

Meanwhile, in the SeaWing kingdom, Queen Lagoon and her animus brother, Albatross, test young dragonets for animus powers. Fathom, a SeaWing prince, discovers his animus abilities. Albatross warns him about the magic’s corrupting effects, recounting how he once used his own powers to maim his sister Sapphire in a fit of rage. Despite the warning, Fathom uses his powers to enchant a carved octopus for his best friend, Indigo.

In the NightWing kingdom, Clearsight, a powerful seer, obsessively studies possible futures, determined to prevent disasters. Though her father warns her that she cannot control everything, Clearsight believes that careful choices can shape destiny. She fears meeting Darkstalker; through her visions, she knows they are soulmates, but she dreads his potential darkness.

Over at Darkstalker’s household, he and Whiteout overhear their parents having one of their loud arguments. However, this time, when Foeslayer angrily tells Arctic to return to the IceWings, he doesn’t back down like he usually does. Instead, he shows Foeslayer a letter from Queen Diamond of the IceWings that offers him amnesty if he betrays Foeslayer and kills their children. Overhearing all this, Darkstalker vows to protect Whiteout at all costs.

In the SeaWing kingdom, Queen Lagoon provokes Albatross at a royal party, and he becomes enraged and kills her. He then proceeds to massacre much of the SeaWing royal family. With Indigo’s help, Fathom escapes and uses his animus magic to kill Albatross. Fathom and his sister, Pearl, are the only royal survivors, and Pearl becomes queen. Afterward, Fathom faces isolation. Keen to prevent another tragedy, Queen Pearl forces Fathom to promise never to use magic again, never to have dragonets, and to separate from Indigo, believing that Fathom might be tempted to use his animus magic to protect Indigo. Queen Pearl also assigns Indigo to the royal guard.

Meanwhile, in the NightWing kingdom, Clearsight begins attending school and quickly realizes that her seer teacher, Allknowing, can offer her no useful instruction. Clearsight befriends Listener, a mind reader, and meets Darkstalker at the school. Darkstalker and Clearsight bond quickly, though Clearsight remains haunted by dark visions of his future. During a storm, Darkstalker and Clearsight shelter in a cave where they discover a severely injured SeaWing named Current. They take him to Queen Vigilance.

Later, Darkstalker invites Clearsight to his home and shows her his animus scroll, where he has transferred his animus powers. He claims that by using the scroll, he can enchant objects without damaging his soul. Clearsight views positive futures from this decision, and they enchant harmless items together until Arctic interrupts them, furious to discover that Darkstalker possesses animus powers. He informs Queen Vigilance about Darkstalker’s powers, and their family enjoys new status at court since Queen Vigilance hopes to use Darkstalker’s powers to protect herself and the kingdom.

A year after Albatross massacred the SeaWing royals, Current returns from the NightWing kingdom to the SeaWing kingdom. He carries a request from Queen Vigilance that Queen Pearl send Fathom to the Night Kingdom to help Darkstalker manage his powers. Indigo convinces Pearl to let her accompany Fathom.

At a party to welcome the SeaWing delegation, Darkstalker senses Fathom and Indigo’s lingering trauma and discomfort. Trying to reassure them, he moves them to a quieter area, but they are wary of a trap. When Darkstalker tries to convince Fathom that animus magic is not evil, Indigo threatens him with a knife. Darkstalker hides his anger but secretly plans to get rid of her when the time is right.

Meanwhile, Listener and Clearsight free captured scavengers (humans) from their school and release them on the beach. To their shock, they witness an IceWing scout emerge from the ocean and kill one of the scavengers. Clearsight realizes that the IceWings are planning an invasion on the Night Kingdom.

Darkstalker worries about how Indigo could have killed him earlier and uses animus magic to enchant his scales to be invulnerable. Later, he joins Clearsight in warning Queen Vigilance about the IceWing threat, and Vigilance hires Clearsight as an official seer.

Over time, Fathom, Clearsight, and Darkstalker grow closer. For Clearsight’s hatching day, Fathom carves a figurine for her. However, their celebration ends abruptly when Clearsight sees a vision of Foeslayer in danger. Darkstalker returns home and learns that Arctic and Foeslayer had another argument. In anger, Foeslayer removed the protective earring that Arctic gave her, and this allowed Queen Diamond’s magic to capture her.

Furious at the loss of Foeslayer, Darkstalker proposes several brutal plans to deal with invading IceWings. Clearsight convinces him to settle on a border spell that kills any IceWing who enters. However, neither she nor Darkstalker can find a future where Foeslayer returns.

Fathom grows worried as Darkstalker’s behavior darkens. Darkstalker gifts Fathom a goblet, but Indigo smashes it, suspecting an enchantment. Later, Indigo leaves a letter saying that she has returned to the Sea Kingdom and disappears, and Fathom is deeply hurt.

At a royal party, an assassin attacks Darkstalker. Fathom’s bodyguard kills the assassin, but everyone notices Darkstalker’s invulnerability. Suspicious, Clearsight questions him and realizes that he has been secretly using animus powers to protect himself. Darkstalker suspects that Arctic is behind the assassination attempt but later learns that Queen Vigilance hired the assassin based on Allknowing’s prophecy that Darkstalker will descend into darkness.

Vigilance and Allknowing confront Clearsight, accusing her of willfully ignoring Darkstalker’s evil. Later, Clearsight removes the earrings that Darkstalker gifted her and realizes that he had enchanted them to mask her visions. Without her earrings, she can finally see the full horror of Darkstalker’s future. She warns Fathom that Darkstalker is heading to kill Vigilance. The three of them have a confrontation that is halted when Clearsight senses that Whiteout is in danger.

Darkstalker, Clearsight, and Fathom track Arctic and Whiteout to the Kingdom of Sand. Arctic tries to justify taking Whiteout to the Ice Kingdom, but Darkstalker realizes that he has enchanted Whiteout to obey him. Angry, Darkstalker enchants Arctic into obedience and forces him to release his spell on Whiteout. Back in the Night Kingdom, Darkstalker humiliates Arctic publicly and then commands him to die by suicide.

Clearsight is shocked by the extent of Darkstalker’s vengeance and violence. She steals his animus scroll and flees. Darkstalker is furious and vows to find her. Clearsight and Fathom devise a plan to stop Darkstalker. Using his animus magic, Fathom enchants a bracelet that will make Darkstalker sleep. As he studies the animus scroll, Fathom discovers that Darkstalker enchanted the goblet to make Fathom abandon Indigo and that Darkstalker also trapped Indigo inside a carving. Fathom frees her, and they escape together.

At Agate Mountain, Clearsight confronts Darkstalker. She manages to place the enchanted bracelet on him, knocking him out. Then, she buries him under the mountain and leaves Pyrrhia.

However, 2,000 years later, a comet triggers an earthquake that snaps Darkstalker’s bracelet, and he awakens.