Chapter 62

Ahvi urges Raeve to run, then reveals a Moltenmaw flame from his weald to force the egg to hatch. He bites down on something that unfurls a silver, netlike shield over him. Raeve retreats as the nest erupts, but the blaze and smoke are contained by an unseen barrier and then vanish, exposing rune-lit walls.

In the quiet aftermath, Ahvi sits within the charred nest, shield intact, holding the now-blackened, cracked egg. He gently frees shell fragments as the hatchling struggles out, triggering Raeve’s painful memory echoes. Time pressures Raeve; nearby slumber quarters imply more soldiers may be present, so she prepares to move quickly.

Ahvi lifts the weak, feather-sparse hatchling. Raeve cuts his cloak into slings, swaddles the dragon to calm it, and confirms Ahvi can’t sustain fast running due to bad lungs. She straps the hatchling to her chest and has Ahvi climb onto her back so she can carry both.

Raeve sprints through ruined corridors, shielding Ahvi’s face and pushing past bodies. She resolves to protect the child from the numbing brutality he has normalized. Mid-flight, Ahvi reveals that most soldiers are not in the fortress at all but hidden in the forest to ambush Kaan.

Realizing the earlier force she fought was only a backup, Raeve channels cold anger and accelerates, intent on escaping with Ahvi and the hatchling and racing to counter the planned ambush on Kaan.