Chapter 30: Romie

Stung by Emory’s accusations, Romie vents to Nisha, who counsels that trauma has changed them both and suggests they can still find their way back. Aspen interrupts, devastated that her scrying still cannot find Tol and doubting he would ever break his oath. Romie and Aspen recognize a deeper kinship in the mysterious song they share, suspecting Tol is part of the same bond.

That evening, Romie, Nisha, and Aspen slip into Heartstone to seek answers. They notice cats and owls unsettling the populace before meeting Caius, a young draconic page compiling a bestiary. Caius explains that cats and owls symbolize the Night Bringer’s emblem beast and shares lore: dragons and draconics bear the Sun Forger’s power, the Night Bringer rules eldritch beasts, and the sun itself has been waning as darkness lengthens and monsters grow bolder.

Caius outlines the Fellowship’s three masteries—knighthood, sagehood, alchemy—and reveals Tol was a squire favored to become an alchemist, rumored to be light-blessed. He confirms Tol faces execution at the Chasm but hesitates to reveal more. Moved by Aspen’s plea for a final goodbye, Caius offers help locating Tol before the fighting—if they let him witness the forbidden magic he saw earlier, which he insists corvus serpentes do not possess.

Romie worries that exposing Emory’s power could brand her as eldritch in this world, yet recognizes Caius’s curiosity and Tol’s rare status might shield them. The trio leaves with a precarious bargain: a lead on Tol tied to a dangerous request, and a strengthened belief that the song binding Romie and Aspen also binds Tol as their warrior counterpart.