Contents
Chapter Fifty-Two
Overview
Mikail, Sora, and Euyn are exposed by alarms at the Khitan ice caves and find their horses gone. Euyn is wounded, and the trio nearly makes a last stand before Gambria and Lyria rescue them by sleigh. After Euyn drops a pursuing archer, the Marnans fall back. The mission fails, and Sora’s mercy toward a guard sparks fresh mistrust with Mikail.
Summary
Alarms blare as Mikail, Sora, and Euyn flee the Khitan mausoleum. Mikail spots the bearded guard Sora was meant to kill alive beneath the bell. When they reach the ridge, their horses are gone, and Marnan soldiers close in. Arrows fly; Euyn is hit in the thigh. Mikail yanks the arrow free, and, believing escape impossible, he and Euyn prepare to buy Sora time to run.
Three sharp whistles cut through the night: Gambria and her wife Lyria arrive in a black sleigh. They haul everyone aboard under a hail of spears. Lyria shouts “Death to the traitors!” in Marnan, sowing confusion long enough for Gambria to drive the team into a gallop. Mikail binds Euyn’s leg while they race across the snow.
Mounted Marnans—likely on the stolen horses—pursue. An archer targets the sleigh’s team, but Euyn, wavering from blood loss, rises and shoots the archer through the neck. The remaining riders retreat, unwilling to stray from their caves. The trio has failed to recover Staraheli’s head but survives.
Speaking in old Gayan, Mikail thanks Gambria and challenges her bad intel; she admits the body was moved years ago and she couldn’t warn him in time. Mikail then presses Sora about the living guard. Sora obliquely admits she brewed an antidote and that “it worked much faster than expected.” Their exchange exposes her mercy and his secrets, deepening tension as they escape into the night.
Who Appears
- MikailPOV; leads the retreat, treats Euyn’s wound, confronts Gambria and Sora, and wrestles with his own secrets.
- SoraRuns with the group, secretly antidotes the guard she poisoned, and clashes with Mikail over honesty.
- EuynShot in the thigh; fights on, kills a pursuing archer, and survives after Mikail’s urgent first aid.
- GambriaArrives in a sleigh to rescue them; admits her information was outdated and couldn’t warn in time.
- LyriaGambria’s wife; shouts in Marnan to confuse pursuers, aiding the escape.
- Twisted-bearded Marnan guardTarget of Sora’s poison; survives under the alarm bell, revealing Sora used an antidote.