The Wicked and the Damned by Rebecca Robinson

Here is a summary with spoilers for The Wicked and the Damned by Rebecca Robinson

Vaasa Kozár has been taken from Reid and returned to Asterya and it was all orchastrated by Ozik. She has been imprisoned for weeks in the Iron Fortress on the island of Mekës, where Lord Vlacik has been torturing her and attempting to understand and weaponize her Veragi magic. Vaasa is kept in darkness, restrained with iron that suppresses her magic, and repeatedly subjected to physical pain. Her mind begins creating an escape for her, and she hallucinates Reid coming to rescue her. The illusion is so convincing that she initially believes he has actually arrived before reality returns and she is still chained to the torture table. Ozik Vichardi eventually enters and stops the torture. He explains that Vaasa has been retreating into her own mind to survive what is happening to her. He also reveals one of the most important truths about her family: he loved her mother, Julianna/Vena, but killed her after she broke a bargain with him.

Vaasa is dragged from her cell and forced across the Last Crossing toward an Asteryan ship. She is barely able to stand, but when a sentinel strikes her, Ozik publicly declares that she is going to become the next empress; she will be forced to marry again. Vaasa manages to steal his knife and slash his face, but Ozik immediately reminds her that he has another form of control over her: he has captured Amalie, Vaasa's closest friend. Amalie is being held separately as a hostage, and Ozik makes it clear that any attempt by Vaasa to resist him will put Amalie's life at risk. Ozik then explains his political plan. Vaasa is the last surviving Kozár heir, which makes her useful to him because he can place her on the Asteryan throne and rule through her. Her marriage to Reid is annulled, and Ozik intends to arrange a new marriage for her that will strengthen his own position. He also admits that his relationship with Vaasa's mother lasted for years and that he killed Vaasa's father.

When Vaasa reaches Asterya, the archbishop publicly performs a "cleansing" on her. He cuts her palm to demonstrate to the people that the witchcraft supposedly afflicting her has been removed. The Asteryans are told that Vaasa has been rescued from her supposedly brutal Icrurian husband and that she is returning home as a victim rather than as a witch. Vaasa understands that the entire ceremony is political theater. Ozik wants the people to accept her as their legitimate heiress while believing that her magic is gone. 

Meanwhile, Reid, has been constantly trying to find a way to get to his wife, and he is already moving against Asterya. His army reaches the Innisjour River and fights Asteryan forces. He intends to destroy the dam constructed by Vaasa's father, which had been used to restrict Icruria's water and contribute to famine there. During the fighting, a young Asteryan lord named Rezek surrenders and brings Reid documents announcing that his marriage to Vaasa has been dissolved. Reid recognizes that the documents are part of Ozik's attempt to provoke him and refuses to let the annulment determine how he views his marriage. He destroys the dam and executes Rezek.

Vaasa is brought into the Iron Fortress, the enormous black-iron stronghold built into the mountain. She is forced to return to the part of the fortress where her parents lived, including the rooms associated with her mother's death. Ozik makes her sit before her father's former council and perform the role of the obedient heiress. When she refuses to cooperate during a meal, he uses magic to drive a fork through her hand and then immediately heals the injury, demonstrating that he can hurt or heal her whenever he wants. Ozik orders her to read through the correspondence of her dead brother, Dominik. While searching her father's study, Vaasa discovers a hidden passage and Dominik's secret journal. The journal contains disturbing drawings, records concerning the torture of witches, and a drawing of the Miro'dag associated with Zetyr. Most importantly, she finds a letter from her mother explaining that a protective necklace exists and that Dominik hid it. Vaasa begins to realize that her family left behind information that could potentially help her break Ozik's control.

At the same time, Reid, Koen, and Melisina are attempting to reach Mekës. Their vessel is intercepted by Sachia, a pirate captain and Imros witch. Sachia recognizes that Reid is not simply the merchant he is pretending to be and negotiates with him rather than immediately killing him. She wants a pardon for her imprisoned brother, Micha, and access to Reid's salt as well as Melisina's magical training. Reid agrees to the bargain, giving him and his companions access to Sachia's ship, The Red Corsair. During their journey they encounter an Asteryan vessel carrying black powder from Zataar, which becomes important to their eventual plan to attack the fortress and rescue Vaasa and Amalie.

Back in Asterya, Ozik begins presenting Vaasa to the country's nobles as an eligible heiress. Several lords compete for the opportunity to marry her. Lord Karev is particularly interested in her, while Lord Vlacik openly threatens her, knowing that she is still a witch and warning that he can expose her secret. Vaasa responds by pretending to be frightened and submissive, deliberately creating the image that everyone expects from her. During this period she sees someone she believes cannot possibly be alive: Roman Katayev, her first love. Roman was supposed to have been executed, but he is alive and has been appointed as Vaasa's lead sentinel. He tells her that he had been imprisoned in Wrultho and eventually escaped after learning that Dominik had died. Ozik supposedly spared him and placed him in Vaasa's service. Roman claims he wants to help her and promises to help her see Amalie. While Vassa is happy to see him, she is hesitant because Roman technically works for Ozik, and she is not for sure where his loyalities lie now. 

Ozik eventually brings Vaasa to Amalie. Amalie is alive, but she is kept in magic-suppressing iron shackles. Ozik uses her as the primary leverage over Vaasa. He restores part of Vaasa's magic and begins teaching her how Veragi magic actually works. He explains that sentimental magic is connected to emotions and that witches can draw power from the emotions of others. Vaasa discovers that she can manifest the wolf associated with her power, and she learns that she can strengthen it by feeding on fear. Ozik also explains that gods require witches as vessels or anchors to maintain a foothold in the mortal world. Vaasa hates the methods he uses but realizes that the knowledge could eventually help her escape him.

Vaasa's magical connection with Ozik becomes increasingly disturbing. At one point she experiences a vision involving an underground chamber, an ivory tunnel, and a red pool. She also begins seeing evidence that Ozik is connected to something much older and more dangerous than ordinary witchcraft. During another confrontation, Ozik becomes visibly possessed. His eyes turn red, black veins appear, and the Miro'dag manifests behind him. He attacks Vaasa and tells her that she will die just as her mother did. Vaasa takes Roman's dagger and drives it through Ozik's throat. Instead of dying, Ozik's wound heals. Vaasa realizes that killing the man standing in front of her will not be enough because something else is living inside him.

Ozik later resumes teaching Vaasa as though the attack never happened. During one lesson he becomes possessed again, and Vaasa discovers that she can use her wolf to feed on his fear and injure him. She causes wounds that would kill an ordinary person, but Ozik survives because of the power within him. He tells her that she has to be willing to save herself and embrace the parts of her power she fears. Vaasa increasingly understands that her magic is not simply something Ozik can turn on and off. She can learn to manipulate it herself, but doing so requires her to draw upon emotions that can also threaten to consume her.

Reid and his companions enter Mekës disguised as merchants. Reid has his hair cut and beard shaved so he can move through the city without being recognized. He encounters Karev while selecting a dress for Vaasa and secretly arranges for one of his father's leather ties to be sewn into the dress. When Vaasa receives it, she recognizes it as Reid's signal that he is in the city. She is later taken by Karev to an underground fighting ring where prisoners are forced to fight for the entertainment of nobles. Karev reveals that much of the city's guard has effectively been infiltrated or controlled by Captain Sutherland's pirates. Vaasa also discovers that Sachia's brother Micha is being held there. Sachia wants to free him, while Vaasa realizes the fighting ring and the corrupt prison system can potentially be exploited for her own escape.

Vaasa eventually makes her way to The Lady Fortune, a brothel where several of the political players are meeting. Disguised by a mask and costume, she discovers that Reid and Koen are there. A masked man pulls her into a private room and she realizes it is Reid. Their reunion is immediate and emotional after their separation. Reid tells her that he came into Asterya specifically to rescue her. Vaasa explains that Ozik is holding Amalie and that escaping without her is not an option. The two begin coordinating their plans. Vaasa agrees to allow Karev to continue courting her because his political position gives her access to information and can provide cover for Reid's activities.

Reid then kills Lord Vlacik after finding out what he did to Vassa. Vlacik's body is thrown from a fifth-story window and lands in the street. Roman helps Vaasa avoid being connected to the murder, but Karev realizes that Vaasa was involved in activities she has not disclosed. He blackmails her with the information and forces her into a formal engagement with him. In exchange, Karev promises military support and protection while demanding that one of his allies be given control of the prison. Vaasa agrees because she sees the engagement as another opportunity to manipulate the political situation. She and Reid then arrange for her engagement celebration to coincide with their planned prison break.

Amalie reveals another important part of the mystery. She can hear the goddess Veragi speaking to her. Veragi tells her to be patient and indicates that help is coming. Vaasa tells Amalie about the letter from her mother and the missing necklace. Meanwhile, Melisina helps Vaasa search her mother's former room for the necklace, but it is not there. Vaasa eventually returns to the prison with Roman, who takes her there secretly. When Vaasa touches the bars of Amalie's cell, Amalie's eyes turn white and Veragi takes control of her. Through Veragi, Vaasa sees the past. She witnesses Ozik giving her mother the black-stone necklace and then killing her with the Miro'dag. The vision also reveals that Dominik hid the necklace inside their mother's sarcophagus.

Roman's own secrets are then exposed. He admits that he has been working with Vlacik and Sutherland for years. He returned to Asterya not simply because he loved Vaasa but because he wanted access to the throne. He had hoped to use Vlacik to help overthrow Dominik. Roman still claims to love Vaasa, but his actions have been driven by ambition, resentment, and his inability to accept that she chose Reid. Vaasa does not immediately expose him. Instead, she manipulates his feelings and tells him that if he helps her eliminate Ozik and Karev, she will rule Asterya with him. She uses his desire for her and for the throne to get access to the mausoleum.

Vaasa tells Reid, Koen, and Melisina what Veragi showed her. Melisina explains that certain witches can serve as vessels for deities, particularly gods connected to sentimental magic. Vaasa realizes that Ozik is not simply controlling her magic; he is using his connection to her to manage the power of the deity inside him. She and Reid spend another night together before the situation becomes more dangerous. Vaasa also finally tells Reid that Roman is alive. Reid is angry and understandably suspicious, but he tells her that his feelings for her have not changed.

The situation collapses when Asteryan guards raid the city looking for Reid. Koen is captured because the soldiers mistake him for Reid. Reid escapes with Melisina, while Roman discovers Sachia's involvement and threatens her. Sachia manages to convince him that she is simply conducting business with Karev. Meanwhile, Vaasa goes to the mausoleum. She opens her mother's sarcophagus and finds the necklace. When she touches it, her magic is temporarily extinguished. Removing it causes her mother's preserved body to turn into black stone. Vaasa also realizes that the strange statues she has seen around the Iron Fortress are actually former witches who were turned to stone.

The necklace gives Vaasa another vision, this time showing Ozik's past. Ozik was originally from Wrultho and was the son of Laus Vichardi, a powerful Zetyr witch. Laus had conquered Wrultho after making a bargain involving the birth of a son. Ozik loved Julianna, who was a Veragi witch, and they had a daughter named Ellena. Ozik's father forced him into another marriage and used Julianna and Ellena as leverage. The necklace was given to Ozik as a means of protecting Julianna. Ozik's relationship with Julianna eventually became entangled in the same system of bargains and magic that had controlled his family for generations. Vaasa realizes that Ozik's history with her mother is much more complicated than simple manipulation and that he has been trapped by Zetyr for a very long time.

Karev then confronts Vaasa and tells her that the man captured as Reid is scheduled to be executed. Because Koen was mistaken for Reid, Karev believes he has captured Vaasa's husband. Ozik communicates with Vaasa and orders her not to use her magic. Vaasa realizes that Ozik has deliberately allowed the situation to unfold in order to force her into a choice. She returns to the others and helps formulate a rescue plan. The engagement celebration will be moved forward and held at the same time as the execution. Sachia will use her crew and the black powder to create chaos, Reid will disguise himself as the executioner, and Vaasa will use the distraction to eliminate Karev and escape.

The plan begins with Vaasa being paraded through Mekës beside Karev while the population celebrates the supposed execution of Reid. Inside the Sanctum, Ozik appears calm and in control. Vaasa is brought to the Emperor's Suite overlooking the execution square. Below, Koen is dragged toward the execution platform while Reid, disguised as an executioner, moves through the guards. At noon, Sachia's people ignite the black powder. Explosions rip through the Sanctum and Reid fights his way to Koen. He kills the guards surrounding him while Sachia uses magic to break Koen's chains. Koen survives, although his arm is badly broken. Sachia's crew gets him toward the ship.

Vaasa uses the chaos to finally turn against Karev. She unleashes her magic inside the Emperor's Suite, throwing him across the room. Her wolf attacks him and tears out his throat. Vaasa then ties his body to the balcony and hangs him where the city can see him. Roman arrives and finds her covered in blood. Vaasa immediately switches back into survival mode, pretending to be terrified and convincing him that she needs his help. She leads him toward the servants' tunnels, traps him inside by kissing him, takes his keys, and escapes.

Vaasa reaches the city square and her magic begins to overwhelm her. She releases an enormous wave of Veragi power that kills numerous nobles and guards. Rather than merely attacking individual enemies, she feeds upon the fear and emotions of the dying crowd, causing her magic to grow even stronger. The power begins consuming her judgment. Reid reaches her through the magical chaos and manages to anchor her, bringing her attention back to him and preventing her from completely losing herself. They escape toward the harbor with Sachia protecting them from pursuing soldiers. They jump into the freezing water and are eventually picked up by a tender.

Instead of immediately leaving Mekës, Vaasa insists on going back for Amalie. She disguises herself in a sentinel uniform and hides the anchor necklace. When they reach the prison island, Sachia goes looking for Micha. She finds her brother's cell, but Micha is already dead. Karev had murdered him earlier that day. Sachia reacts with uncontrollable rage and kills several guards. Vaasa reaches Amalie's cell and uses Roman's stolen keys to free her. Amalie is now fully possessed by Veragi and uses the goddess's power to kill the guards standing in their way. The group flees toward the Last Crossing.

On the bridge, Ozik finally confronts them as the vessel of Zetyr. Zetyr uses Ozik's body and power to attack Veragi, while Roman is caught in the confrontation and attempts to use the chaos to save himself. Veragi creates barriers to block Zetyr's attacks, and Vaasa uses the anchor necklace to suppress Zetyr's power. Veragi severs Ozik's hand so that she can take the ring connected to his power. Roman begs Vaasa to save him, but she realizes that he has repeatedly betrayed her and that she cannot continue sacrificing herself to preserve him. The Miro'dag then attacks Reid. Vaasa has to choose between using the anchor for herself and using it to save Reid. She gives the anchor to Reid and summons her massive wolf, which defeats the Miro'dag. The group then jumps from the bridge into the sea.

Vaasa and Reid survive the fall and are rescued by Sachia's crew aboard The Red Corsair. Melisina and Koen are already aboard. However, the Asteryan navy has blocked their route out of the bay. Sachia decides that their only chance is to sail through the dangerous Loursevain Gap. Reid realizes that the Iron Tower can be used to stop the navy from following them. Vaasa, Melisina, and Sachia combine their magic and bring the tower down into the gap. The collapse creates a massive wave and blocks the entrance, allowing the ship to escape through the Gap.

As they sail away, Vaasa tells Reid that she deliberately betrayed Roman and left him behind, but leaves out the kiss, as she is not ready to talk about it yet. Reid comforts her rather than condemning her for the decision. For the first time since Vaasa's abduction, the two are able to rest together. Vaasa believes the immediate danger is over, but her connection to Ozik has not disappeared. While she is with Reid, she feels a pull through the magical bond and hears Ozik's voice in her mind. He tells her that the bargain between them still exists. The anchor is incomplete, and another piece remains in Wrultho. Ozik tells Vaasa that she must go there, reunite the pieces of the anchor, and use it to kill him and seal Zetyr. He then disappears, leaving Vaasa with the reminder that their bargain has not been broken.