Contents
Chapter Twenty-Six: Sylvia
Overview
Sylvia, shaken and magically drawn to Essam Woods, is confronted by Arin. He verifies she wasn’t assaulted, then they clash over doubt, leadership, and Rawain’s schemes. Sylvia implicates Hanim and Soraya and hints Rawain orchestrated Jasad’s fall. The scene turns intimate, cementing volatile trust and attraction as Arin vows to claim her once she leaves the mountains.
Summary
Sylvia, rattled by a panic surge and mysteriously deposited in Essam Woods with only a blanket, turns to find Arin holding her at swordpoint. He quickly disarms, clinically noting her symptoms and demanding to know what happened. When he suspects assault, Sylvia clarifies she chose to be naked, and his relief shows.
Their exchange hardens into a debate: Sylvia accuses Arin of lying to Rawain and of letting doubt paralyze him. Arin counters that doubt guides leaders to reassess facts and act, insisting he changes course as truths change. Sylvia retorts that indecision is rot in his crown.
Pivoting tactics, Arin asks about Hanim. Sylvia reveals Hanim once led the Mufsid and conspired with Rawain, claims records were buried, and suggests Rawain expected the fortress to fall. She adds that Soraya worked for Hanim, poisoned Sylvia’s mother in Bakir Tower, and that Rawain orchestrated the Blood Summit and Jasad’s destruction.
When a shout calls for Arin, he stays. Sylvia tries seduction to unbalance him, but trips over his buried sword. Arin catches her, holding her close; their banter heats into palpable attraction. He calls her Suraira and urges her to stop hiding, while she hides the telltale veins on her legs and warns him to worry about secrets under his nose.
The moment closes with Arin asserting a new tactic: he won’t chase her maps—he’ll wait. "The moment you leave the mountains, you’re mine," he vows, leaving their conflict and desire sharpened and unresolved.
Who Appears
- Sylvia (Essiya of Jasad)Protagonist; arrives naked and panicked, spars verbally with Arin, reveals Hanim and Soraya’s roles, conceals her golden veins, and teases him with seduction.
- Arin of NizahlConfronts Sylvia, checks her safety, defends doubt as leadership, hears of Hanim/Soraya, engages in charged intimacy, and vows to claim her when she leaves the mountains.