We Who Will Die Summary Chapter by Chapter | Stacia Stark
Introduction to “We Who Will Die” (Chapter-by-Chapter Summary)
Have you ever been willing to sacrifice everything—your freedom, your future, your very soul—for the people you love?
That’s the gut-wrenching question at the heart of We Who Will Die by Stacia Stark. Arvelle Dacien knows the answer all too well: when a vampire holds her dying brother’s medicine hostage, she’ll walk into the deadly Sundering trials and straight toward an emperor she’s sworn to kill.
Set in the brutal Senthara empire where the Thorn district crumbles while the capital glitters with cruelty, this romantasy throws readers into an arena where survival means becoming a weapon.
This We Who Will Die Summary Chapter by Chapter walks you through every betrayal, every bloody trial, and every heart-stopping revelation.
Whether you’re new to Arvelle’s world or revisiting before the sequel, I’ve broken down each chapter’s key moments.
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Book Structure Overview
Total Chapters: 39
Parts: None
Prologue: None
Epilogue: None (Chapter 39 functions as the finale)
Point of View: First-person (Arvelle)
Narrative Flow: Linear storyline with interwoven flashbacks revealing Arvelle’s past with Tiernon
We Who Will Die Summary Chapter by Chapter
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This section contains detailed, chapter-by-chapter plot summaries.
Chapter 1: The Vampire’s Offer
Arvelle works as a bodyguard in the Thorn, the poorest district of the Senthara empire, scraping together coin for her younger brother Evren’s lung medicine.
After her shift, the vampire Bran approaches her, revealing he’s been systematically buying up the tonics Evren needs to survive.
He blackmails Arvelle into entering the Sundering—three deadly trials in the Emperor’s arena—with the ultimate goal of assassinating Emperor Vallius Corvus.
Bran gives her until midnight to decide, and Arvelle realizes he knows her secret history as a former arena champion.
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Chapter 2: Desperate Measures
Arvelle tends to Evren during a violent coughing fit, using the last of their medicine while her other brother Gerith watches helplessly.
She visits her old trainer Leon, now a recluse grieving his daughter Kassia’s death, and spars with her friend Fallon. News spreads about ritualistic murders in the Thorn.
A wealthy resident named Carrick offers to marry Arvelle to help her family, but she refuses—she won’t trade one cage for another.
The weight of her brothers’ survival presses down on her as midnight approaches.
Chapter 3: The Deal Is Sealed
Evren collapses in the street during a severe attack, and Bran appears to destroy one of the lung tonics right in front of Arvelle—proving his leverage is absolute.
Desperate to save her brother, Arvelle agrees to Bran’s terms.
Bran uses his vampire blood to heal Evren’s immediate damage and orders her to leave within two hours.
Arvelle secures Leon’s help as her guardant for the trials, knowing she’ll need someone she trusts in her corner.
Chapter 4: Entering the Ludus
Arvelle says a heartbreaking goodbye to her brothers as the vampire Elva takes them north to be “healed.”
She and Leon travel via Ley Line to the capital city Lysoria and the arena complex called the Ludus. Bran provides a fake background and assigns her a barracks room.
Arvelle accidentally bumps into a massive vampire in black armor who effortlessly disarms her—her first warning that the Ludus is far more dangerous than she anticipated.
She realizes she must hide her “broken” sigil to survive.
Chapter 5: Friends and Enemies
Arvelle meets Maeva, a friendly gladian who shows her around the Ludus and explains the hierarchy.
She’s immediately confronted by Baldric and Hester, two gladians who recognize her from her champion days and swear to kill her in the arena.
Arvelle learns that the elite guards are called the Imperius, led by the Primus—the same vampire who disarmed her earlier.
She vows to train harder than ever, knowing her brothers’ lives depend on her survival.
Chapter 6: The Primus Watches
A flashback reveals young Arvelle meeting a noble boy named “Ti” in a tree in the Thorn years ago, the beginning of a friendship that would change everything.
In the present, Leon begins grueling training sessions while worrying about Arvelle’s old ankle injury.
The Primus watches her constantly, eventually warning her she should go home.
Arvelle is forced to sit with the Imperius during lunch and boldly snarks at the Primus, realizing he’s a mystery she must solve to reach the Emperor.
Chapter 7: Burned Hands
Another flashback shows Arvelle’s bond with Ti deepening as she learns he’s a “born vampire.”
In the present, Hester uses magic to make a training rope slick as eel skin, causing Arvelle to fall and burn her hands severely. Leon protects her from Hester while guards warn that magic is only for sparring.
Nyrant announces the Sundering begins in three weeks, and Arvelle learns she’ll meet potential sponsors that night at a gathering of the Sigilmarked Syndicate.
Chapter 8: The Wyvern in the Garden
Arvelle meets a man named Jorah in the hidden tunnels beneath the training hall. He shows her an aerial view of the Ludus and mentions hidden prisoner rooms.
Distracted, Arvelle wanders into a secret garden where she encounters a wyvern. Rorrik—the Emperor’s eldest son—appears and controls the beast, terrifying Arvelle with his casual power.
She barely escapes through a door and bolts straight to the healers, shaken by the encounter.
Chapter 9: The Sponsor Meeting
A flashback reveals Arvelle and Ti meeting at night, her feelings for him growing despite knowing their worlds shouldn’t mix.
In the present, Axia the healer treats Arvelle’s burned hands while warning her about arena dangers. At the sponsor meeting, Arvelle feels the crushing weight of Syndicate power but finds kindness from Sigilkeeper Tiberius Cotta, another Thorn native.
The event descends into chaos when a bloated corpse with a missing heart is discovered in the hall.
Chapter 10: Tiernon Revealed
Arvelle continues secret morning training sessions with the Primus, who pushes her harder than anyone.
During a spar, he removes his helmet—revealing himself as Tiernon, the “Ti” from her past. Arvelle is devastated and tells him their mutual friend Kassia is dead.
Tiernon admits he left years ago to protect her and vows to discover why she’s really in the Ludus. He insists she continue training with the Imperius, knowing it’s her only chance to stay alive.
Chapter 11: First Blood
The first Sundering trial begins as Arvelle watches Titus brutally kill a young gladian named Leira.
Leon vows to kill Bran and free Arvelle from the vampire bond, despite the risks. Arvelle enters the arena to fight Maximus, who immediately targets her bad ankle.
She’s nearly distracted by memories of Kassia’s death but recovers when Leon shouts encouragement. Arvelle wins by stabbing Maximus in the thigh and spares his life, earning her first victory.
Chapter 12: Executions in the Arena
Rorrik corners Arvelle at the healers, threatening to destroy everything she cares about. She and Tiernon argue about her past with Carrick.
The Emperor orders all gladians to watch criminals executed in the arena.
Arvelle is horrified by a scarred woman’s skilled combat—she’s allowed to live, but the next group faces centaurs who slaughter them brutally.
The spectacle drives home just how disposable lives are in this empire.
Chapter 13: Caged Maginari
Arvelle watches a centaur get killed and forces Maeva to hide her grief to avoid arrest. Rumors swirl that the second trial will involve magic.
Bran warns Arvelle her power won’t be restrained in the next fight and asks if she’s seen Tiernon and Rorrik meeting—she denies it.
Maeva confides she knows where the maginari are being caged and wants to free them, planting the first seed of rebellion in Arvelle’s mind.
Chapter 14: Killing Antigrus
The second trial forces Arvelle and Baldric to work together killing a bound griffon named Antigrus.
The griffon mindpaths to Arvelle, begging for a quick, merciful death rather than torture. Arvelle kills him, winning the challenge but feeling like a monster.
Tiernon carries her to the healers—her ankle bone is protruding—and forces her to drink his blood, healing her instantly and deepening their connection.
Chapter 15: The Sixth Body
A sixth victim—a guardant named Kassandra—is found dead in the Ludus.
Arvelle realizes Bran is working with rebels and she’s caught in a dangerous scheme. During training, the vampire Orna attacks with lethal intent, and Arvelle stabs her with silver to survive.
Rorrik invades her mind, revealing he can mindpath to her—a terrifying development that means nowhere is safe from his observation.
Chapter 16: The Bond’s Agony
Arvelle finally tells Tiernon the full story of Kassia’s death and her uncle stealing her winnings. Tiernon realizes she’s under a vampire bond and vows to free her that night.
They share a passionate kiss before he leads her to a hidden exit. The moment Arvelle steps outside the city walls, the bond causes excruciating agony, and she collapses.
Tiernon realizes she’s magically anchored to the city and has no choice but to bring her back.
Chapter 17: Final Challenge Prep
The day before the final challenge, Arvelle receives a note from Bran saying plans have changed.
A gladian named Gradon is found dead with his heart missing and a strange neck mark. Arvelle identifies the body for Neris, realizing the killer targets specific people.
She prepares for the water-based trial by wearing lighter armor. The gladians learn they’ll all enter the arena together for a massive bloodbath.
Chapter 18: The Naval Battle
The final trial is a mock naval battle between two galleys fighting criminals.
The arena floods with water and releases kelpies wearing silver halters. Arvelle dives deep, retrieves shields, kills a kelpie, and saves the scarred criminal woman Calena.
She frees a kelpie from its halter, and the grateful creature helps her reach the surface. Several gladians die, but Arvelle has survived the Sundering.
Chapter 19: The Sundering Ball
At the celebratory ball, Bran forces Arvelle to confirm Evren is healed using a Truthstone. Rorrik corners her, revealing he knows her assassination plan.
He proposes they work together—he’ll provide the opportunity if she takes the shot. Rorrik makes a blood vow not to punish her for the killing and leads her through secret palace corridors to the Emperor’s bedroom.
Chapter 20: The Assassination Attempt
Arvelle hides beneath the Emperor’s floorboards for hours. When he falls asleep, she emerges and slits his throat with a silver dagger.
Her gown is covered in blood; she grabs a cloak and follows Rorrik’s signal to flee under heavy guard fire. Leon rescues her on a horse and they race back to the Ludus, adrenaline pumping through every vein.
Chapter 21: The Wrong Man
Leon reveals the awful truth: the Emperor is still alive. Arvelle killed an illusion—or a double.
She actually murdered Tiberius Cotta, the only Syndicate member who showed her kindness. Devastated by her mistake, Arvelle knows she must still kill the real Emperor to save her brothers.
Her sigil has grown, and she discovers she can now “awaken” her power—stealing abilities from maginari.
Chapter 22: Joining the Imperius
Arvelle mourns Kassia on the anniversary of her death. Jorah finds her crying and takes her to Leon.
Bran threatens her again, revealing vampires guard her brothers. Leon proposes a new plan: Arvelle must join the Imperius to get close to the Emperor.
She discovers Tiernon is actually the Emperor’s younger son—explaining his noble birth and why he had to leave her.
Chapter 23: The Chariot Races
The Imperius and novices attend chariot races at the Circus. Arvelle officially joins the Imperius as a novice. She learns surviving gladians are divided between the royal brothers.
During the races, two men are killed for attempting to steal jewels from a statue. The crowd’s mood turns ugly as they begin protesting the Emperor’s crushing taxes.
Chapter 24: Burning Citizens
City wardens under Sigilkeeper Nistor begin burning citizens alive for protesting.
Arvelle, Maeva, and Leon work together to save two children from the flames.
Tiernon warns that a rebel attack is imminent. A vampire rebel drops an aether grenade; Tiernon uses a “griffon ward” to protect Arvelle.
Rorrik brutally kills Lucius in front of everyone to “teach a lesson” about discretion, proving his savagery knows no bounds.
Chapter 25: Tiernon’s Truth
Tiernon explains he left Arvelle because the Emperor would have had her turned or killed.
He admits he’s been obsessed with her for years. He gives her a whispering mirror so she can finally talk to her brothers.
Arvelle discovers Rorrik is a hybrid—both sigilmarked and vampire. Tiernon promises to help her escape permanently, offering hope she desperately needs.
Chapter 26: The Library
Bran corners Arvelle again, demanding she kill the Emperor publicly at a dinner with the Vampire Council. He threatens her brothers with Elva’s “friends.”
Maeva reveals the Emperor recently burned emissaries alive for spying. Arvelle hears a mysterious voice pleading for “help” and asks Jorah to see the secret library beneath the Ludus.
Chapter 27: Reading the Gods’ Language
Arvelle enters the secret library and finds a book about “Noxdraught” poison. She leaves a bloody fingerprint, realizing someone else has been researching there.
Rorrik arrives frantically searching for ways to decode the language of the gods. Arvelle realizes she can read the text because of power she stole from Antigrus—a revelation that changes everything.
She and Tiernon spend one night together before the planned assassination.
Chapter 28: Mortuus Claims His Own
Arvelle follows the mysterious voice to the Ludus morgue. She finds the murder victims with glowing green eyes and hears Mortuus—the god of ruin—claiming them as “mine.”
Using her will, she frees their souls and extinguishes the green light. She prepares for the dinner, donning Imperius armor and her old sword, vowing to kill the Emperor and find a way out.
Chapter 29: The Failed Strike
At the public dinner, Arvelle attempts to strike the Emperor from behind. Rorrik uses his immense hybrid power to stop her, forcing her to stab her own thigh instead.
Tiernon carries her away; Rorrik later drives her back to the Ludus. Rorrik reveals his full hybrid nature and offers to break Bran’s bond. Arvelle refuses, terrified for her brothers’ safety.
Chapter 30: Leon Survives
Leon is found nearly dead in his room, attacked—his heart targeted. He’s the only “morgue killer” victim to survive.
Bran visits Arvelle at the healers and uses the bond to torture her for failing. Neris reveals she has a healing “spark” and helps stabilize Leon.
Arvelle vows to find the killer and destroy Bran, her rage crystallizing into purpose.
Chapter 31: Saving Maeva
Hester and Baldric drug Maeva before her arena fight.
Arvelle illegally enters the arena to save her friend, fighting Baldric while Maeva recovers. Maeva delivers the killing blow, and Arvelle beheads Baldric.
The Emperor is furious at the rules violation but can’t kill her—the crowd supports her as “Kelindra’s daughter,” giving her unexpected protection.
Chapter 32: Rorrik’s Bite
Rorrik enters the arena to “punish” Arvelle for her transgression. He bites her wrist in front of the cheering crowd, humiliating her.
Tiernon stabs Rorrik with a silver knife to protect her.
The Emperor forces them all to watch Hester’s execution by lions. Arvelle realizes she must heal and stop pushing people away—she can’t survive alone.
Chapter 33: Maeva’s Truth
Maeva reveals her parents are Syndicate members ashamed of her. She tells Arvelle the Emperor eradicated her pixie friends when she was a child.
Arvelle finally confesses everything about her brothers and Bran. They form a pact to help each other. Arvelle decides to search Leon’s room for clues about the killer’s identity.
Chapter 34: The Lavender Feather
In Leon’s room, Arvelle finds a tiny lavender feather stuck to a chair—matching a harpy’s wings. She uses the tunnels to visit the maginari cages again.
She speaks with a centaur named Linaros and a griffon named Pholus. They reveal the killer has been using “gorgon poison” provided by them, giving her the first real lead.
Chapter 35: Albion Revealed
A gorgon shows Arvelle a memory of Albion being attacked by a harpy. Arvelle realizes Albion is the murderer, sacrificing people to free Mortuus.
She sprints to the healers to protect Leon. Albion has already arrived and is cornered in the library, having drawn a sacrificial sigil on the floor.
Chapter 36: The Sacrifice
Albion rants about seeing his dead son again through Mortuus. Jorah arrives and helps Arvelle fight. Albion stabs her with a poisoned blade.
Arvelle manages to slit his throat but realizes with horror that she’s accidentally sacrificed him on the sigil. Mortuus’s voice echoes in her head, calling the sacrifice “delicious”—the god is closer to freedom.
Chapter 37: The Novice Presentation
Arvelle recovers from the poison and explains everything to her brothers via the mirror. She tells Tiernon she must still kill the Emperor.
Evren reveals a sect has been trying to free Mortuus for decades. Maeva arrives for the “novice presentation” ceremony.
They head to the arena together, knowing chaos is coming.
Chapter 38: The Rebel Attack
The ceremony explodes into chaos as rebels attack with aether bombs. Arvelle and Maeva use the distraction to free all the maginari from their cages.
Pholus the griffon thanks Arvelle for her mercy at the trials. Arvelle grabs an aether-bomb crossbow and climbs the stands—this is her final chance to kill the Emperor.
Chapter 39: Bran’s True Identity
Arvelle has a clear shot at the Emperor but hesitates when she sees Neris protecting him. Bran appears and reveals he’s the Emperor’s illegitimate son, plotting to frame Tiernon and Rorrik for the assassination and seize the throne.
Rorrik arrives on his wyvern and kills Bran, tearing out his heart and instantly severing Arvelle’s bond.
Rorrik forces Arvelle to read the ancient red book—the only one who can translate the language of the gods.
The book ends with a tense, fragile alliance between Arvelle, Tiernon, and Rorrik to stop Mortuus from enslaving the world.
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