Chapter 7

After spending the night in the brig for breaching no-contact rules with Kai, Brynn endures public scrutiny and Wren’s added punishment for Kai. At breakfast, Messer teases them while revealing he funded Brynn’s healing ointment, and Kai reports that a fishing boat with Drago and his son has gone missing, signaling an alarming rise in disappearances.

Seeking routine, Brynn retreats to her roof to sketch but is interrupted by the northern watchtower horn. She sprints across the grove, cutting through levels to reach the docks faster, and learns from Kai that a Kenta ship approaches without prior notice. He orders her to stay hidden in the paddocks as the guards assemble.

Night falls before a single Kenta dinghy nears. A peace flare explodes overhead, and a lone man rows in. As the boat comes into the lights, Brynn recognizes the dark-eyed Kenta soldier from the Market—the man who accused her of theft and has haunted her thoughts.

The soldier surrenders and is ordered to his knees. When his gaze locks on Brynn, Kai intercepts and punches him, forcing his attention away. Guards shackle the man and bring him to Captain Wren, whose anger hardens during a brief exchange before ordering the prisoner to the brig.

As the procession passes beneath Brynn’s hiding place, the soldier finds her again with a knowing, almost amused look, deepening her unease. Brynn returns home unsettled, drifting in and out of dreams of the soldier, the Market wall, and wind-swept fields.