Chapter 60

The protagonist fights through a chamber of Fade and Bothaimian soldiers, using magic and violence to clear the way. She discovers the soldiers were waiting for Kaan Vaegor, not her, and learns that the Tri-Council has ordered his capture. She threatens the lone survivor with annihilation of the Citadel if they harm Kaan, then learns of a protégé named Ahvi before moving deeper into the compound.

The protagonist charges into a chamber and immediately uses Bulder magic to turn arrows against their attackers, leaving bodies in her wake. She employs Clode to shield herself from debris when she shatters a mezzanine, then methodically kills remaining soldiers with blades and language magic, moving through the chaos with the detached mentality of her imprisonment. After incinerating a flame-wielding enemy, she finds a sole survivor—a young Bothaimian guard—and interrogates him. He reveals the soldiers were stationed on Tri-Council business and that Fade soldiers received orders from Bothaim to capture and imprison Kaan Vaegor, the Burn King, whom they believed would arrive. The protagonist realizes the danger Kaan faces and threatens the guard with destruction of the Citadel if the Tri-Council harms him. Before releasing him, she learns he was concerned about protecting someone named Ahvi, a protégé. The protagonist identifies herself only as "Prisoner Seventy-Three" and tells the guard to inform the Tri-Council that "the dragon shat me out real angry" before moving toward the blood-stained doors ahead.