Chapter 50

Galva wakes alone, her body restored and a love-bite on her neck confirming Mireya’s night-magic was real. Outside, pebbles, flowers, and twigs spell ARVISE, a clear sign to continue toward the besieged city. She and her corvid Dalgatha recross the Haros Horn bridge amid ravens and human scavengers, Galva choosing not to search for close friends among the dead.

She finds Bernuz, the company cook, and gently rearranges the stiffened body before moving on, reminding herself of the Bride’s teaching that the dead are of all time. Passing fallen corvids, Galva praises Dalgatha’s kind for their ruthless work against the biters.

Tracking the armies’ wake, Galva turns east at a crossroads toward Roncenay in search of food and a route to Arvise. Dalgatha’s agitation draws them off-road, where Galva spots roughly two hundred biters with carts, foraging bodies—evidence that nearby villages are in danger. She hastens to Roncenay, a walled mountain hamlet that seems intact.

Hearing laughter, fiddle, and song within, Galva is intercepted by two starving Ispanthian dams sent to gather flowers for Lammas. They reveal that fifteen brigands and two women seized the village, enslaving refugees and abusing them, planning a harvest “queen” for forced breeding. On oath to Mithrenor, they beg for rescue and describe a low stretch of wall for entry.

Galva promises to hide the dams in the rocks, warns of the approaching biters, and resolves to extract the captives if alive. Acknowledging Nerêne is not for war, she turns instead to Dal-Gaata, accepting the cost: “Short life, bloody hand.” As a raven caws, Galva commits to confronting the brigands of Roncenay.