Chapter 69

The protagonist awakens from an intimate dream of Kaan to discover the sky filled with thousands of aurora ribbons and dragons engaged in The Great Flurrt, a rare mating phenomenon. She finds a mysterious basket left at a tree containing an elaborate silver mask, a stunning gown, crystal slippers, sun-shielding poultice, and a note with Kaan's málmr pendant, realizing he is asking her to join the celebration and let down her walls.

The chapter opens with the protagonist in an erotic dream involving Kaan, which is interrupted by the roar of a dragon. She wakes in her sleep space and, hearing more dragon shrieks, dresses quickly and ventures out to investigate. On the shore of the Loff, she witnesses an unprecedented sight: thousands of aurora ribbons filling the sky instead of the usual few, with dragons spiraling and paired off through them. The city of Dhomm is festooned with silver flags and filled with celebration sounds, music, and the aroma of food. She recalls an old merchant conversation about The Great Flurrt, a rare mating event for dragons and presumably other creatures. As she contemplates the scene, she notices a black woven basket hanging from the tree where she previously found a carving. Recognizing that someone knows of her presence despite her discretion, she investigates the basket and discovers an elaborate silver wire mask with pearly disks, a stunning draped gown with diamond brooches, crystal-encrusted slippers, sun-shielding poultice, and a folded parchment. When she unfolds the note, Kaan's málmr pendant falls into her lap. Though she doesn't read the note's full contents, she understands it as an invitation to the celebration—a request for her to lower her defenses and join him. She views this moment as both a spectacular final goodbye to their past connection and an acknowledgment of what they once were.