Chapter 32

Kaan and the narrator fly toward the Sabersythe spawning grounds in Dhomm, navigating a treacherous mountain gorge before landing at a secluded pool with a waterfall. After an encounter that mixes tension and unexpected tenderness, Kaan removes an infected iron pin from the narrator's shoulder, revealing tragic details about his past.

The chapter opens with the narrator flying on Rygun, Kaan's dragon, toward Dhomm. She remains determined to escape and pursue vengeance against Rekk Zharos for killing Essi, despite her conflicted feelings about Kaan, who saved her from the coliseum but remains her captor. As they approach the Sabersythe spawning grounds, Kaan teaches her to use a sun-veil in the hood to better anticipate the dragon's movements. They pass the River Ahgt and lush jungle terrain before Rygun navigates a narrow, winding gorge with precision. Upon landing at a plunge pool fed by a waterfall, Kaan tosses the narrator into the water to bathe her. While bathing, she discovers his back is covered in intricate tattoos depicting moons and stars—including the wonky moon she loves and recognizes from her home sky, as well as a fallen moon that no longer exists. She also notices extensive scarring across his entire body from wounds and burns. When Kaan begins to remove the infected iron pin from her shoulder using surgical prongs, the narrator initially resists violently, but he convinces her the pin will kill her by fever within two days. He reveals he learned of the pool's healing properties during his adolescence, when his father sent him to train with the Johkull Clan at age nine because Kaan could only hear two dragons—Ignos and Bulder. Kaan killed his own father and fed him to Rygun while mourning someone he loved named Elluin, whom his father had wronged. As he removes the pin, causing intense pain, the narrator learns Elluin is dead. Kaan then leaves abruptly, leaving the narrator alone in the water, troubled and uncertain.