Contents
Chapter 38
Overview
Aris confronts Raker over scars from a past arrest he caused, cementing their conflicted bond. Lured into a trap by Lord Rodin, Aris is bound by her guest-oath and cannot fight as the God of Death is summoned. Raker intervenes, slaughtering Rodin and his immortal knights, dramatically escalating the stakes.
Summary
Aris dines in her quarters, then visits Raker to untie her too-tight dress. The charged intimacy breaks when Raker sees the scars carved into Aris’s back. Aris reveals that two years earlier Raker caught her trespassing and delivered her to guards who imprisoned and mutilated her, fueling her hatred.
Aris vows to find those men someday and leaves. Near midnight she meets the blacksmith, but discovers a trap: Lord Rodin and his knights surround her. Rodin has alerted his patron, the God of Death, and Aris’s guest-oath freezes her sword, preventing her from harming Rodin or his men.
As Rodin and the knights close in, Raker appears behind Aris. He hurls his blade, decapitating the immortal knights in a rapid arc, then kills Lord Rodin as he threatens Aris. The massacre leaves Aris shaken and retching; she initially rejects, then takes Raker’s offered hand.
Who Appears
- ArisProtagonist; reveals scars from past torture, confronts Raker, is trapped by Rodin’s oath, and is saved in a brutal rescue.
- Harlan RakerWarrior protector; helps remove Aris’s dress, sees her scars, is enraged, then kills Lord Rodin and all immortal knights.
- Lord RodinHeir of House Rodin; betrays Aris, invokes guest-oath limits, summons the God of Death, and is killed by Raker.
- The BlacksmithLures Aris into Rodin’s trap, likely to protect his son; leaves an exit but ultimately betrays her.
- God of DeathRodin’s patron; summoned to claim Aris, heightening danger, though he does not arrive before the slaughter.
- StellanAris’s brother; appears in flashback as the one who bartered for her release and carried her home.