Chapter 8

Raeve stands over the mutilated corpse of Rekk Zharos, killed by her violent alter ego ('Other'), and prepares to dispose of the body with her carter Utris. While cleaning up after the brutal execution, she receives a bloodstained lark from Kaan warning of an impending catastrophic moonfall event and instructing her to seek shelter underground.

Raeve surveys the mangled remains of Rekk Zharos, who has been flayed and desecrated beyond recognition by her Other—a violent alternate self that took control during the killing. She practices her blade work on the corpse before Utris, her carter, arrives with the password. After hastily cleaning herself and redressing, Raeve notices an odd silvery shimmer around her wrist. Utris enters and helps her dismantle Rekk's tethers, revealing his approval of the vengeance inflicted upon the male who abused a Moonplume dragon. Utris has procured an invisibility shroud to conceal the body for transport. While wrapping the corpse, a lark arrives bearing a message from Kaan, written in his hand. The letter warns of a catastrophic moonfall—a celestial event foreseen by a miskunn to occur within seventeen to twenty cycles—that will cause mass casualties. Kaan has opened the Imperial Fortress to shelter his folk and instructs Raeve to seek refuge in an underground bunker beneath his mountain retreat (Mah's property), cautioning her to tell no one and to be careful, as panic will spread once others begin foreseeing the disaster. Raeve suppresses her shock and fear, folding the message to hide it. She lies to Utris about the letter's contents, claiming it concerns rental costs. As they depart the suite, Utris ignites the room with dragonfire to destroy evidence, though Raeve knows an ordinary flame will not consume everything—particularly the soul. Instead, she plans to feed Rekk's corpse to an anthe, a creature dwelling in the underground tunnels beneath Bothaim that devours both flesh and souls, ensuring complete obliteration. Once that task is complete, she intends to confront the alarming message about the impending moonfall.