Chapter 15

The Other, inhabiting Raeve's body, hunts through the Undercity for the soldier who killed the young redhead she loves. She slaughters a coordinated ambush of armed soldiers using devastating song magic, only to be trapped in a sealed cavern where she faces Rekk Zharos—the murderer she seeks. After an intense battle, Rekk subdues her with fire and a binding whip, then strikes her unconscious.

The Other prowls the Undercity's dark caverns, seeking vengeance for the death of a young redhead killed by a male named Rekk. She hunts by scent, following his leathery, smoky signature on a bloodied blade. Discovering soldiers positioned in a trap on a bridge, she observes their crude conversation revealing they expect a black-haired Ath woman with pale skin to arrive. The Other removes an iron ring and opens herself to the Creators' songs, using Clode's strangling tune to devastate the northern soldiers with precision attacks, slaughtering them with daggers and song magic while darkness serves as her advantage. When reserve troops arrive, she continues her rampage, but an officer orders the bridge to split. She pushes forward into a southern tunnel, which opens into a brightly lit circular cavern—revealing a trap. Soldiers line the walls; she sings the flames and sconces into oblivion, killing multiple opponents with brutal efficiency and even invoking Bulder's song to split the ground. Her triumph is interrupted when she's shot in the shoulder with an iron projectile, silencing the Creators' songs. Rekk Zharos emerges behind the barred gate, revealing he killed the young redhead with satisfaction. When The Other charges the bars, Rekk ignites flames around her, trapping her in fire. He enters the cavern with swagger, pulls a binding whip that coils around her body, immobilizing her arms and legs. When he removes her veil to examine her face, she bites off his finger. Rekk laughs at her ferocity before punching her into unconsciousness.