Chapter 82

Arkyn dismisses Sereme from his suite after she suggests he execute Raeve to secure his throne. When she refuses to leave voluntarily, he lures her outside into the snow and coldly rejects her, commanding her to run as his dragon Cliár erupts from the mountain in a terrifying display.

Arkyn enters his cluttered suite pleased after armoring his Fire Lark for the first time in phases. He discovers Sereme waiting in his office, having tidied the space and prepared a meal with dried lacyloom flowers as a gift. When Arkyn dismisses her kindly at first, Sereme shifts to pressing him about Raeve's fate after the upcoming battle. She argues that Raeve has grown too dangerous and unpredictable, and urges Arkyn to have her executed in the fighting pit rather than allow her near the throne. Sereme claims she should be his queen instead, with no room for Raeve. Arkyn's demeanor darkens at this presumption. He orders Sereme to remove her necklace and follow him, leading her through his sleepsuite and into a shadowed tunnel that opens onto a snowy mountainside. There, he tells her plainly that he no longer has use for her—her assumptions annoy him and he has grown bored. He compares her to himself, explaining that just as his father once cast him onto the plains to run, he now does the same to her. As Sereme protests, calling him "my love," Cliár the ancient dragon erupts from her burrow in a massive display of flame and fury, eclipsing the moons overhead. Arkyn watches with a hooked grin and commands Sereme to run.