Chapter 47: Romie

Gwenhael ferries the group from the Chasm to a remote rock field, where the dragon warns the Golden Helm will soon arrive. Around the fire, Emory reveals the Night Bringer is the Shadow and that Romie, Aspen, and Tol each carry a piece of the Tides—blood, bone, and heart—making them the keys, while Emory’s Tidecaller blood only turns the locks.

Romie challenges inconsistencies about doors previously opened without her blood, but no clear answer emerges. The talk shifts when Romie accuses Emory of draining magic on the ley line; Emory tearfully admits she cannot control the conduit that siphons only the keys when they stand on a ley line. The confession fractures trust as Virgil defends Emory and Nisha urges restraint, while Romie’s fear of Eclipse magic—shaped by past harms—surges.

The Golden Helm arrive: two winged warriors who distrust Tol and the Fellowship of the Light’s cruelty to dragons. Gwenhael vouches for Tol’s desertion after opposing alchemists who tortured the dragon for flame. Despite lingering suspicion, a matching Veiled Atlas compass on Vera and the older warrior reveals shared Traveler ties.

Recognizing the keys, the Golden Helm shift from threat to aid, pledging service to Romie, Aspen, and Tol. They speak of the Sunforge, a perilous volcanic mountain where the Forger was rumored to go and a door once stood. At Gwenhael’s request, they agree to guide the group there to pursue the Forger and a way to save the realm.