Chapter 33

Acker wakes bound in the tavern with Jovie’s dagger at his throat. He senses her fury through their Bond and tests her resolve, telling her to kill him quickly if that is her aim. When her focus slips, Acker cuts himself free with a hidden blade, seizes her wrist, and bleeds from her dagger’s bite. He declares that if she will not kill him, he will never let her go, insisting there is no escape from the Bond.

Acker releases Jovie’s mangi shackles with magic, and her hands glow with light. Jovie suggests negotiating her release, but Acker warns her deal with Chryse was flawed; she admits she planned to kill Chryse afterward. Their argument escalates into mutual blame for the war—Jovie accusing Acker of refusing the throne and treaty, Acker recalling when she held his father at knifepoint. Fredrich arrives, checks that they are safe, and leaves them to continue.

Acker explains Greta’s vision: his father will win the war, and Greta would not warn others because she believes fate is fixed. This saps Jovie’s fight; she claims fate cannot be stopped. Acker rejects fatalism, vowing to fight fate and right his wrongs, then kisses Jovie, letting the Bond flood her with his love, obsession, and suffering.

Overwhelmed, Jovie breaks the kiss. Acker pleads for her help to end everything—war and his torment—but she whispers she cannot. Gripping her dagger, she holds her line. Acker steps back and leaves the tavern to avoid provoking her or letting her kill him.