Crown of Horns is the ninth and final book in the Bone series. It collects issues 50-55 of Jeff Smith's self-published Bone comic book series. The book was published by Cartoon Books in 2004. The color version was published by Scholastic Press and released on January 21, 2009.
Synopsis
The Dungeon and the Parapet
The chapter starts with Thorn's dream of Briar, Queen Lunaria, and Lunaria's husband the king at Dragon's Stair, where Thorn is given to her grandmother, Rose Harvestar/Gran'ma Ben, who delivers her to the Great Red Dragon; almost at the same moment, Thorn's parents are killed. Thorn rides the dragon underground into the cavern containing a bright light. The Great Red Dragon asks Thorn to look into the light, whereupon she mentions a frozen waterfall. After trying to see past this, she sees her mother, who asks her to seek the Crown of Horns. Thorn then wakes, and readers learn that Tarsil's soldiers had beaten and imprisoned Thorn and Fone Bone; each losing a tooth in the process. Meanwhile, Gran'ma Ben, on the city walls, throws an interfering Vedu off the wall and two Veni-Yan monks immediately recognize her and re-enter her service. Briar's army arrives at the main gate and Tarsil defies them. In their conversation, Tarsil reveals his facial injures, received from fighting dragons, to Briar, who responds by making her face an image of his former appearance and cuts him into two halves (possibly a reference to the manner of her own death), and declares the attack. Gran'ma Ben immediately takes charge of the city's army and orders the defense. In the dungeon, Fone Bone hears the fight and shouts for the guard; but learns that Smiley and Phoney are in the next cell, while all the guards have all gone to fight. At the wall, Gran'ma Ben oppose the invading hordes of Pawa soldiers and Rat Creatures when the Venu warn her of an attack on the weaker left flank, whereupon she orders them there as reinforcements. She is then pinned down by Pawan soldiers. Thorn tries to break the iron bars imprisoning herself and her friends, but fails. Fone mentions that in using the Crown of Horns, Thorn might destroy both the Locust and herself; whereupon she promises not to use the Crown of Horns. Taneal, a prophetess-like child featured in the previous collection, brings them a hammer by which to break their shackles while she tries to break the bars of their cell. Her brother then frees Phoney and Smiley. Tarsil's soldiers gather, causing Taneal to hide. When they have gone, Taneal, her brother, Phoney, and Smiley find Thorn comatose as a result of overwhelming visions. As Smiley tries to break the bars, Taneal tells the others that Tarsil was killed and Gran'ma Ben is getting overwhelmed by the Pawa soldiers. Hearing this, Thorn awakes and manages to break out of the cell with her bare hands. On the wall, the dream masters use illusions to scare off the Rat Creatures and the Pawas from climbing over the wall. Thorn, Fone Bone, Phoney, and Smiley rejoin Gran'ma Ben. They watch as the attacking army retreats, and Thorn reveals that ghost circles are surrounding the city.
Mim
This chapter is a short story of 5 pages, taking place in Thorn's dream, wherein the Red Dragon then tells the story of the Queen of Dragons, Mim, wherein she was subject to demonic possession by the Lord of the Locust. This caused a battle that generated the valley that forms the story's setting.
Gaps
Gran'ma Ben, Thorn, and the Bones climb a tower, where Thorn may locate the "ghost circles" surrounding the city. Thorn perceives Roque Ja in the hills, and then has sudden visions of the valley exploding, and of the Lord of the Locusts. While the others tend to Thorn, Phoney and Smiley open the well where the city's treasure is hidden, thinking to take the treasure and escape. Thorn's visions tell her that the Lord of the Locusts has re-inhabited Mim, Queen of the Dragons, in whose form he is approaching the city. Phoney and Smiley return to the city's gate with their hay cart (having Smiley's Rat Creature Bartleby and the treasure hidden in the hay), when the farmer who had formerly lost the cart, knocks it over. Bartleby, Phoney, and Smiley climb the ladder (which accidentally knocks out the farmer) Fone and Thorn are descending, where Phoney expresses his disappointment at having lost the treasure. Hearing the words from the arguing Fone and Phoney, Thorn asks Phoney the location of the Crown of Horns, who deduces it is in the sacred burial grounds of the dragons. Thorn leaves the group to search for the Crown of Horns and Fone, refusing to leave with Phoney and determined to protect Thorn, follows her with Bartleby's help.