Chapter 53

Raeve attempts to remove her cuff in a tavern while Pyrok watches, but Kaan unexpectedly arrives and helps her break free. When confronted about his complicity in his brother's brutal regime, Kaan reveals he is Daga-Mórrk and explains why assassination and open war both carry devastating costs. Raeve returns his málmr pendant, unwilling to deepen their connection.

Raeve sits in a domed establishment on the Loff's eastern shore, struggling repeatedly to remove her metal cuff using a rock and sharpening tool while Pyrok laughs at her failed attempts. She notices patrons watching her, spots a Moltenmaw carter in the sky—her potential escape—and considers drowning her sorrows in Molten Mead to avoid returning to the Imperial Stronghold. Kaan suddenly appears in the booth and swiftly removes her cuff by carefully striking the linchpin, freeing her. When she thanks him, she launches into a fierce accusation about his brother's regime: the conscription of children at age nine, the clipping of nulls, the Undercity's horrors, and the sexual exploitation of discarded youth. She declares she will kill him if he is complicit in these atrocities. Kaan responds by revealing he is Daga-Mórrk and explaining his position: he has spent many phases building The Burn's military to rival his brothers' power, but direct war would be catastrophic and would result in the deaths of countless conscripted younglings who are insufficiently trained. He refuses to pursue honorless assassination, as it violates their cultural code. His words about the human cost of war shake Raeve deeply. He offers her food, but she declines and returns his málmr pendant, insisting it means too much. She leaves the booth without answering his question about what he wants from her.