Chapter 12

Haedeon discovers Lyrei stowed away in his sleigh and initially threatens to take her home, but ultimately forgives her and allows her to continue toward Netheryn. He plans to leave her in a hatching hut for three days while he hunts with the mahmi Moonplumes, against her wishes to obtain her own egg.

Haedeon finds Lyrei hiding in his sleigh just before the aurora sets and angrily declares he will take her straight home to Arithia. However, when the aurora rises, his anger appears to soften—he boils tea, packs their belongings, and continues in the original direction. That evening, he gives Lyrei a butterberry chew as a peace offering, though he himself refuses food and instead spends time shaping a dragonscale blade. Haedeon informs Lyrei they will reach Netheryn in three aurora cycles. Upon arrival, they will spend one slumber in a hatching hut on the outskirts of Netheryn. When the aurora rises, Haedeon will leave at the exact moment the mahmi Moonplumes depart to hunt. He instructs Lyrei not to leave the hut until either he returns or three slumbers pass without him. Lyrei finds this arrangement frustrating, as she stowed away specifically to claim her own Moonplume egg, not to wait in confinement.