Contents
9. Henry
Overview
A rebel bombing shatters the engagement dinner. Henry shields and heals Harlow, then secretly follows her through hidden passages to a gravely wounded Kellan, whom Henry saves as Kellan compels attackers to submit. After Henry heals his injured mother, his father accelerates their departure, souring Harlow’s trust, though she agrees to meet Henry privately.
Summary
After an explosion rips through the dining room, Henry instinctively shields Harlow from flying glass, drawing Gaven’s suspicion. Amid smoke and chaos, Henry heals a deep cut in Harlow’s arm, and the trio moves to evacuate as rebel shouts close in.
Guided by Arthur, they race toward Kellan but encounter an invisible malice-based trap that fells Arthur. Harlow reveals a secret passage and a Stellaria-made mirror barrier, leading Henry and Gaven to a corridor where Kellan lies bleeding beside a dead rebel. At Harlow’s urgent plea, Henry chooses to heal Kellan for strategic leverage and Harlow’s goodwill.
As more rebels arrive, Harlow and Gaven hold the line while Henry finishes the arduous healing. Restored enough to act, Kellan reveals potent compulsion magic, forcing the attackers to lay face down until sunrise. Harlow’s relief exposes her deep bond with Kellan, a key emotional lever Henry notes.
They hurry to the library, where Henry’s mother bleeds on the floor and his father struggles to help her. Kellan dampens her pain; Henry, fatigued from repeated healing, mends the wound. The group proceeds toward a safe room via another hidden passage, trading guarded information and tentative cooperation against Rochelli’s rebels.
Henry and Harlow briefly align: she argues their families both suffered and must respond decisively, and Henry concedes her point. Then Henry’s father announces an accelerated departure to Mountain Haven, which Harlow reads as manipulative timing, cooling any newfound trust. Henry proposes a private drink; Harlow agrees, framing it as a cautious interrogation.
Who Appears
- HenryNarrator; shields Harlow from the blast, heals her, then saves Kellan and his injured mother; proposes a guarded meeting.
- Harlow Carrenwell (Widow Harlow)Calm under attack; detects traps, reveals secret passages, fights deftly, prioritizes Kellan, seeks pragmatic alliance with Henry.
- Kellan CarrenwellCaptain of the city guard; gravely wounded, healed by Henry; uses powerful compulsion to neutralize rebels; protective of family.
- GavenHarlow’s bodyguard; suspicious of Henry, combats rebels, assists navigating traps and passages.
- Henry’s motherWounded in the library; pain eased by Kellan, wound healed by Henry; downplays her injury.
- Henry’s fatherAt his wife’s side during the attack; later advances the departure to Mountain Haven, straining Harlow’s trust.
- ArthurFormer bodyguard to Aidia; leads them toward Kellan; incapacitated by a malice trap but survives.