Chapter 21

Maevyth slips into the shed searching for Raivox and finds the creature devouring a carcass. In the dim light she realizes it is Agatha’s tabby, Baxter. Fearing discovery, she tries to make Raivox finish the remains, but the overfed hatchling refuses, forcing Maevyth to dispose of the severed head herself.

Uncle Riftyn unexpectedly enters, and Maevyth hurriedly hides the head beneath a wagon. Riftyn feigns concern about Aleysia, then crudely propositions Maevyth, suggesting he could “ease” her before Moros’s noon visit. Maevyth refuses, asserting boundaries despite his intimidation, and he leaves with a veiled threat about parish standing.

Shaken, Maevyth buries the cat’s head beneath Riftyn’s workbench, scolds Raivox for killing pets, and resolves to find him butcher scraps instead. She nestles the creature back into his bedding, trying to set her fear and disgust aside.

Lolla arrives in a panic and summons Maevyth to the house. There, Maevyth learns that Aleysia has confessed she is pregnant with Riftyn’s child. The confession brands Aleysia a Sinner in Costelwick’s eyes, condemning her to the forest and transforming Maevyth’s private terrors into an immediate, life-threatening crisis.