Contents
Chapter 33
Overview
Aris wakes from a serpent bite to find Raker saved her by drawing out the venom, leaving himself gravely poisoned. As they trade pasts and vulnerabilities, Aris sees Raker’s unmasked face. An immortal bounty hunter attacks; Raker kills him but collapses. Surrounded by cavalry, Aris summons Vander Evren, who spares them for Stellan’s sake and transports them to his stronghold.
Summary
Aris wakes in Raker’s arms after the serpent attack and realizes he foraged for her before collapsing with a raging fever and crimson-traced veins. Piecing it together, she learns Raker sucked the poison from her neck to save her, taking the venom into himself. To keep him conscious, Aris coaxes his history: poverty drove him to the king’s guard, where he became lethal to feed his family, only to lose them. She admits her own grief and vengeful goal.
Noticing Raker’s mask is off, Aris lifts his hood and sees his striking face. In the quiet, he calls her “not insignificant,” and Aris briefly draws a smile from him. As his strength fades, she whispers her secret—she intends to kill the gods—before he slips into unconsciousness.
When Aris ventures for fever herbs, an immortal bounty hunter tracks her to the cave, seeking her alive and Raker dead for the God of Death. Outmatched, Aris loses Stellaris, fails to call it, and braces for death. Raker, barely standing, summons his own blade and kills the hunter with a single thrust, then staggers.
Hearing cavalry close in, Aris refuses to abandon Raker as he collapses under the venom’s toll. Desperate, she blood-summons Vander Evren by name. He arrives, formidable and ready to duel for her sword, but Aris invokes Stellan, revealing his death. Vander relents, orders his warriors to take Raker under guard despite protests, and unsheathes his violet godsword to transport them all to his stronghold.
Who Appears
- ArisNarrator; recovers from serpent venom, learns Raker saved her, reveals her plan to kill the gods, summons Vander to save them.
- Harlan RakerGravely poisoned after drawing venom from Aris; shares past and shows unmasked face; kills an immortal hunter, then collapses.
- Vander EvrenFormidable immortal heir with a violet godsword; spares Aris upon hearing of Stellan and transports them to his stronghold.
- Immortal bounty hunterTracks Aris for a bounty from the God of Death; nearly kills her before Raker slays him.
- Vander’s warriors/cavalryEncircle the cave; later lift the unconscious Raker and accompany Vander to the stronghold.