Chapter 36

After an intimate encounter with Kaan Vaegor, the protagonist flees through a window during a storm, intending to put distance between herself and him. She makes her way to a cliff overlooking the rapids and begins climbing down, but is caught in a sudden flash flood triggered by the storm, losing consciousness after being struck by debris.

The protagonist escapes her room through a window onto a convenient trellis, driven by the need to distance herself from Kaan Vaegor despite her lingering desire. She reflects on the contrast between her current situation—one of comfort and pleasure—and her previous escape from suffering, convincing herself that she doesn't deserve the good life being offered. Reaching the clearing where Rygun landed, she decides to climb down the cliff rather than run across the plateau, believing the river path offers better escape routes than the mountains where a pursuing warrior king might easily hunt her. As she scales the cliff, she notices tawny birds fleeing the jungle during the storm—an unnatural occurrence that triggers her instinct that Kaan is pursuing her. Panicking, she descends recklessly, but a flash flood roars down the waterfall, sweeping her from the cliff face. She is struck by debris and loses consciousness.