Chapter 88

The Other, inhabiting Raeve's body, tortures the captive Rekk Zharos in retribution for his cruelty to the Moonplume Líri. She systematically inflicts pain using a heated poker and fire magic, revealing her possession of four elemental songs while tormenting him with knowledge of his victim's suffering.

The Other straddles the bound and gagged Rekk Zharos, methodically ensuring all his restraints are secure to the pallet. She reflects on Raeve's imprisonment in ice and her own nature—one that processes pain and death differently than her young host. The Other slaps Rekk awake, and he thrashes in panic, recognizing his captor's supernatural nature. She retrieves a stoker from the fire and begins torturing him deliberately, initially approaching his eyes before choosing a different method. She burns a jagged line across his chest and abdomen with the heated poker, revealing she understood Líri's screams when Rekk did not. She threatens further torment using his own metal spurs and whipping tool. The Other then demonstrates command of Vaghth—fire magic—by summoning a flame to her palm, shocking Rekk with this display of a third elemental song (beyond the Clode and Bulder he witnessed). She mentally notes she possesses a fourth song, Ignos, which she has absorbed to avoid triggering Raeve. The Other concludes by painting Rekk's face in flames, comparing the sensation to how a Moonplume scalds in harsh sunlight.