Chapter 105

Sawyer successfully mounts Sliseag for the first time since losing his leg, using a custom prosthetic device he designed. The squad arrives at Aretia with their dragons, and Violet discovers that Xaden, though afflicted by a mysterious condition Brennan cannot mend, sent a letter from Lewellen yesterday and is still actively seeking solutions.

At dawn on the flight field, Sawyer attempts to climb Sliseag with a prosthetic hook device he created. After an initial stumble caught by Violet, he tries again, running toward the dragon's claw and using momentum to engage the lever at the critical moment of his climb. His right foot repeatedly slips on the muddy scales, but Sliseag eventually lowers his leg to help him reach the seat, respecting Sawyer's need to accomplish this himself rather than accepting Andarna's offered assistance. Violet affirms his success to Rhi, explaining that the timeline was always Sawyer's and Sliseag's alone. The squad arrives, with Ridoc enthusiastically greeting everyone. The group launches toward Aretia and camps at the Tyrrish border, then completes the final leg into the Aretian wards. Upon landing in the valley above Aretia that evening, Violet feels the acute absence of Xaden and Sgaeyl. The squad descends to Riorson House, where Rhiannon organizes a group visit to her family home. Violet enters what she and Xaden share as their room—his room technically—finding it preserved exactly as they left it in December. Brennan arrives and pulls her into the room with a sound shield, revealing his troubling news: he cannot mend Xaden despite trying daily during his recent visit to Aretia. However, Brennan mentions a letter Xaden sent from Lewellen yesterday and plans to attempt mending at Basgiath, offering Violet unexpected hope that Xaden refuses to surrender to his condition.