The Drowned Gods, #2
Stranger Skies
by Pascale Lacelle
Contents
Chapter 15: Kai
Overview
Chaos erupts in Cadence as reanimated bodies wander the streets. Vera reports the Reanimator escaped during a transfer overseen by Artem Orlov and Virgil. Kai reveals the corpses stem from Freyia’s nightmare and dispels one, then recognizes Lizaveta Orlov among them, prompting suspicion that Artem is central and urgency to find Brysden.
Summary
On the way to the train station, Kai and Jae are caught in citywide panic as pale, vacant-eyed corpses roam Cadence. Jae is horrified, while Kai immediately recognizes the creatures are not ghosts but remnants of nightmare.
Vera arrives on a motorcycle with urgent news: the Reanimator has escaped the Institute during a transfer handled by Artem Orlov, with Virgil present. She points to the corpses as apparent proof of the escapee’s work, but Kai corrects her, admitting responsibility—these bodies came through from Freyia’s nightmare, and some slipped his control.
Kai demonstrates limited control by touching one corpse and willing it to sleep, causing it to dissolve. He then recognizes the other as Lizaveta Orlov, a grim reveal that suggests the nightmare contained real memory. Concluding that Artem may be at the center of the crisis, Kai insists they must find Brysden immediately.
Who Appears
- KaiAdmits the roaming corpses came from Freyia’s nightmare, dispels one, recognizes Lizaveta Orlov, and pushes to find Brysden.
- JaeWitnesses the reanimated in Cadence and challenges Kai about his role in unleashing them.
- VeraArrives with news that the Reanimator escaped during Artem Orlov’s transfer, spurring urgent action.
- Artem OrlovOversaw the Reanimator’s transfer with Virgil; implicated by Lizaveta’s corpse in the nightmare-memory link.
- VirgilSeen with Artem during the Reanimator’s transfer; presence deepens suspicion around the escape.
- ReanimatorEscapes the Institute; initially blamed for the corpses roaming Cadence.
- Lizaveta OrlovRecognized by Kai among the reanimated; her presence signals memory bleeding into nightmare.
- BrysdenNamed as the immediate target to locate after Kai links events back to Artem.