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Night-haunts exist to dispose of the bodies of fae, which don't ever decompose. They are first referenced in Rosemary and Rue. They are descendants of Maeve, their Firstborn one of her daughters whom the first night-haunts had devoured upon birth.[1]

About[]

Night-haunts are small, winged creatures the size of Barbie dolls that eat the bodies of dead fae to absorb the energy and memories they contain. When they do so, they take on the appearance of that fae and keep it for the length of that fae's life. After this timespan runs out, the night-haunt will weaken and fade away if it doesn't absorb a new victim in reasonable time.[citation needed]

When a fae dies, the night-haunts rapidly appear to take the body away. When death occurs in the mortal world, they leave an exact (humanized) replica behind.[2] The Faeries made this arrangement with the night-haunts long ago.[3] Without them, the bodies would remain forever, because faeries do not age or decay.[3] Evening stated that the night-haunts can be persuaded into faking a mannequin for a Fae who was brought close enough to death for the night-haunts to be called, and they can recreate a Fae body if given the deceased Fae's blood.

Night-haunts take the face of the body they've eaten most recently. If the blood of a deceased fae contains no memories, or soul, then they will deliberately avoid the body as an abomination.[4]

The fae used to have their own language, but most of them abandoned it in favor of human languages. The night-haunts might be the only native speakers of Faerie left.[5]

There are multiple flocks of night-haunts, scattered all over the world.  They usually live in groups of about thirty to sixty, depending.  They have a higher than usual birth rate for fae, because they also have a higher than usual death rate; a night-haunt who doesn’t manage to taste a death before their last one runs out will literally starve and disappear.[6]

Night-haunts are the only known reported fae to be completely immune to elf-shot.

Fetch[]

In certain circumstances, night-haunts can become Fetches, warning of an impending death. For some time the night-haunts were a scourge among the fae, eating both living and dead and even their own Firstborn. As a result, Oberon bound them to eat only the dead. If a night-haunt eats the blood of the living, they will become a Fetch, tied to the person who's blood they consumed until their death. Fetches live as long as their tied fae does, and they eventually fade afterwards. There is no known, replicable method to prevent this, but Amandine's intervention allows May to exist as her own person without being tied to Toby.[7] A downside is that Fetches don't retain the shared night-haunt immunity to elf-shot.

Characters[]

Egil (Devin's Night-Haunt)[]

Egil is the leader of the night-haunt flock in the Kingdom in the Mists. He currently wears Devin's face and seems to retain some of Devin's mannerisms toward October Daye.[8][9]

Mai (Dare Lorimer's Night-Haunt)[]

After feeding on Dare Lorimer, Mai absorbs Dare's hero-worship of Toby. As a result, she decides to drink Toby's blood and become her Fetch, taking on the persona of May Daye.[9]

Connor O'Dell's Night-Haunt[]

After his death, a night-haunt takes on Connor's memories and face. He retains some of his affection for Toby and, though he rarely speaks, he gives her clues when she calls the night-haunts for help.

Oleander de Merelands's Night-Haunt[]

A night-haunt wearing Oleander's face warns Toby not to make promises she can't keep in regards to the goblin-fruit epidemic, when Toby vows to cut the drug off at its source.[10]

Margie Atwater's Night-Haunt[]

After Margie is killed by Rayseline, Toby talks briefly to her night-haunt and recognizes Margie vaguely.

Antonio Robinson's Night-Haunt[]

Toby summons the night-haunt flock after Antonio is murdered during the Conclave for Elf-Shot. His night-haunt is able to describe his death, giving Toby the clues to bring his killer to justice.[11]

Gordan's Night-Haunt[]

Gordan's night-haunt appears a few times, though is absent during Of Things Unknown due to Gordan's guilt at her having a hand at the deaths of the ALH employees. She reappears in When Sorrows Come to consume the corpses of the two guards of High King Aethlin who perished in Nessa's booby-trapped room.

Related[]

The following characters do not appear among the night-haunt flock despite apparently dying.

Evening Winterrose[]

Toby is shocked to realize she never noticed Evening's absence from the flock after her death. Evening faked her death and reapppears as Eira Rosynhwyr.

ALH Computing Employees[]

Colin, Peter, Yui Hyouden, and January O'Leary have their souls uploaded to a server before their death, which leaves no memories for the night-haunts to feed upon. This also allowed them to be brought back to life at a future date at the promise of them eventually being devoured when they do die a second time.

Mythology[]

Many cultures have death deities: harbringers, reapers, and rulers of the dead, as well as spirits of the Underworld.[12] There are also legends of psychopomps who escort the dead to the afterlife.[13] No particular myth seems to serve the role of the night-haunts for the fae.

Quotes[]

  • “The blood remembers, and the memory is what keeps us alive—not just the flesh, but the life that wore it. We drink the memories and they give us shape, for a time. There are always more dead waiting when the memories fade.”[4]
  • "They look like the people we lose, but they’re not. They’re only ever themselves." - The Luidaeg[14]
  • "When they were born, they were predators. Killers. It was how Faerie made them, but they took too much. Father couldn’t have that, and so he bound them to eat only the dead. To make it stick, he . . . changed them. Every taste of living blood became a lottery, and a death sentence for a member of the flock." - The Luidaeg, about Fetches[14]
  • ”The night-haunts can be bribed, if you know what they desire,” said Evening, [15]

References[]

Types of Fae (Browse All)
Creator
MaeveOberonTitania
Habitat
AirFireLandSea
Physiology
Animal FeaturesCreaturesShapeshiftersSkin-ShiftersWinged
Appeared in Series
AdheneAes SidheAfancAlmereBannickBansheeBaobhan SithBarghestBarrow WightBlodynbrydBogeyBridge TrollCait SidheCandelaCentaurCephaliCeryneian HindCetaceChangelingCoblynauCu SidheDaoine SidheDóchas SidheDopplegangerDryadEllyllonFetchFirstbornFollettiGean-CannahGlastigGremlinGwragenHamadryadHippocampusHobKelpieKitsuneLamiaMerrowManticoreNight-hauntPeriPixiePucaRaven-maidRedcapRoaneRose GoblinSatyrSelkieShyi ShuaiSileneSirenTuatha de DannanTylwyth TegUndine


Gallery[]

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