Chapter 63

The narrator and Pyrok are ambushed by Fade soldiers in a misty bog while on a mission with a parchment lark. Raeve arrives on dragonback, rescues them from nets, and engages in brutal combat. When overwhelmed, Raeve uses forbidden magic to command the earth itself, swallowing over a hundred soldiers into the mud.

The narrator and Pyrok navigate a treacherous, mist-shrouded bog, guided by a caged parchment lark. The narrator is haunted by thoughts of Raeve and her luminous appearance cast in runes. Without warning, iron pins strike from hidden attackers—Fade soldiers emerge from the mist in a coordinated ambush. Both the narrator and Pyrok are caught in nets laced with iron fibers and hoisted skyward. Raeve arrives riding Líri the dragon, moving through the mist with lethal precision while using Clode's language to muffle sound and prevent it from alerting the dragon nesting ground. The narrator watches in awe and horror as she cuts through soldiers with brutal efficiency. When Raeve is struck down and nearly killed, the narrator breaks free from the net in a rage, killing the soldier attacking her. The three regroup on firmer ground as over a hundred soldiers surround them. Raeve, though visibly distressed, uses forbidden magic—commanding both Bulder (earth) and Rayne (water)—to soften the bog. The ground liquefies and swallows all the soldiers whole before they can scream, entombing them beneath the surface.