Chapter 82

Raeve awakens from a traumatic nightmare about torture by the Scavenger King and struggles with the memory, only to witness the arrival of Rekk Zharos—the man responsible for her past suffering—riding an injured Moonplume dragon alongside Shade emissaries. Consumed by rage and a desire for vengeance, Raeve arms herself with blades, but Kaan intervenes, reminding her that killing Rekk would trigger a war he cannot afford to fight.

Raeve jolts awake from a nightmare in which the Scavenger King burns her repeatedly while she is shackled, taunting her about becoming a "Fire Lark" in the fighting pits. The dream reveals her inner resolve to escape with Fallon and her murderous fantasies about killing the Scavenger King. When she threatens to kill him if he harms Fallon, he deliberately provokes her by burning her further, realizing he can manipulate her through coercion. Raeve wakes screaming in Kaan's chamber. She pushes him away and flees to the Loff river to cleanse herself, releasing a desperate scream underwater. Kaan retrieves her and demands answers about the "Fire Lark," but they are interrupted by the arrival of flying dragons: two Moltenmaws with Shade emissaries bearing white flags, and a severely injured white Moonplume bearing Rekk Zharos. The dragon bears blistered welts matching those from Raeve's nightmare. Raeve's composure shatters—she recognizes the cruelty inflicted on the beast as identical to what Rekk once did to her. Consumed by vengeance, she arms herself with numerous blades and prepares to hunt Rekk. Kaan blocks her exit by collapsing part of the wall and warns that killing an emissary's companion would provoke war from his brothers. Raeve reluctantly agrees to remain behind while Kaan negotiates with the riders, though she privately resolves to hunt Rekk once he leaves. Kaan extracts a promise that she will not kill Rekk on his soil before departing to meet the emissaries.