Chapter 16

Under nightfall at Hagsmist, Zevander rides toward the forbidden forest and is confronted by three of the king’s cavalry. His sablefyre incinerates two and cripples the third, whom he spares in exchange for silence, leaving black-scorpion flame to guard him. Zevander collects their bloodstones to conceal demutomancy and avoid an investigation.

He reaches the Umbravale arch and invokes Dolion’s scroll for passage. Inside the warded threshold he notes Spiritynes, ancient bones, and a second arch of twisted wood and bone. There he finds scorched residue that coalesces into a red stone veined with silver cracks—the sign of his quarry—whose potency tempts him before he pockets it.

Crossing into the mortal lands, Zevander is struck by unexpected signs of life. Using his magic, he follows a glowing trail of blood to a cottage aligned with the arch’s sightline. Upstairs, sachets of herbs hang from the rafters; a heady orange-sweet scent unsettles him as the silver‑veined stone heats in his pocket, guiding him to a bed.

He discovers a black, scaled egg hidden under the frame and confirms, with sablefyre’s glow, that something living stirs inside. Determined to assassinate his sleeping target, he wraps her in killing flame—but intense arousal, vertigo, and stabbing internal pain disrupt his control. Each renewed attempt is repelled; a sablefyre scorpion even stings him, as if his own curse defends her.

Frustrated, Zevander considers using a blade. As he hesitates over the beautiful, fevered woman, marked by a silver‑feathered scar, his power refuses obedience. The moment breaks when she opens her pale gray eyes streaked with silver, and he snaps from his trance, the kill unfinished.