Chapter 67 — Oro

Oro keeps solitary watch from his balcony, exhausted and anxious as he guards Lightlark’s fragile boundary. Isla suddenly materializes, her cleaned appearance undercut by tears and a bloodstained sleeve, signaling danger despite better surface conditions. She quickly admits she still cannot get Lark to divulge the location of Isla’s portaling device.

Oro suppresses his despair. Recent attacks have injured his friends, and he has sent Cinder and Maren to Star Isle to recover, leaving him largely alone to hold the line against encroaching threats. With Cronan’s invasion only days away, every hour matters.

Reasoning that Lark reached Nightshade from Lightlark, Oro considers flying to Nightshade to search for the device himself, despite the days it would cost. Isla warns that Lark said he will never find it without her, implying it is hidden beyond his reach.

Seeing Isla spiral into self-recrimination, Oro refuses to let her give in to despair. He challenges Isla to find another way to make Lark talk, aiming to reignite Isla’s determination, which has carried her through impossible odds before.

Galvanized, Isla straightens and promises to do it. Oro affirms he will be waiting, choosing resolve over a futile search as the imminent threat of Cronan looms.