Chapter 24

Camilla, exhausted from heavy spellwork, seals the last rune into a ring meant for Dianna and hides her fatigue, wary of Dianna’s increasingly volatile moods. Roccurem appears, and together they dissect Dianna’s erratic behavior: grief over Gabriella and the complicated pull toward Samkiel are pushing Dianna toward dangerous extremes.

Roccurem explains that remaining in wyvern form helps Dianna avoid dreams of her sister and Samkiel, whose presence eases pain she believes she deserves. He reveals the deeper dynamic—Gabriella as Dianna’s heart, Samkiel as her soul, and Kaden tasked to destroy both—suggesting Kaden’s recent provocations, including the Imogen betrothal, struck a critical nerve.

Roccurem outlines the forbidden origins and devastation of Ig’Morruthens—once dragonlike weapons forged to fight gods—emphasizing Dianna’s world-ending potential if her grief and darkness keep feeding her beast. He notes Camilla’s surprising power, hints she carries Kryella’s blood, and warns a threat worse than Kaden approaches.

Venturing into the temple’s lower level, Camilla finds a bone-littered expanse and faces Dianna’s immense dragon form. The encounter is tense; Dianna’s heat and proximity are deliberate intimidation, but she does not strike. Camilla delivers the finished ring and requests a week to recover her magic, strained by cloaking the hideout and crafting artifacts.

Dianna withdraws into darkness without a word, her silence more frightening than rage. Camilla takes the nonresponse as tacit acceptance, aware that their plan depends on her recovery while Dianna teeters between grief-fueled destruction and the faint restraint others still hope to reach.