Chapter 18

Diem stumbles into the coastal village at dawn, overloaded with fish, rabbits, and a bulging pack. Luther confronts her for disappearing with the compass, and Taran shows the terse note she left. Diem admits she went for supplies, refusing to say where at first, then implies a stealth return to Arboros.

Luther’s anger crests into something raw and fearful; he slams the table and storms out when Diem asserts her agency as Queen and rejects being sheltered. Alixe’s formality signals a breach of trust as she begins cooking, while Diem prepares a poultice for Taran’s infected wounds.

While tending Taran, Diem accidentally cuts her palm but presses on, packing the herbal paste and rewrapping his shoulder. Pressed by Taran, she reveals the full, perilous raid: slipping away with a distraction, swimming the coast naked to avoid detection, foraging in the forest, then nearly being discovered and fleeing under arrow fire.

The confession softens Taran. After she finishes the dressings, Diem jokes about telling Luther he inspired the plan, and Taran relents, forgiving her. They acknowledge Luther’s protective fury and the strain her choices have caused.

Resolved to reassure Luther and keep moving, Diem and the others focus on departure. Taran pledges himself to her cause with renewed spirit, while Alixe remains cool and Luther absent, underscoring fractured bonds as they ready to push toward Umbros.