Moonfall, #2
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
by Sarah A. Parker
Contents
Chapter 79
Overview
Raeve regains consciousness in Arkyn’s prison and discovers Kyzari—wearing the Aether Stone diadem—collapsed in her cell, with a traumatized Veya nearby. Determined to protect Kyzari, Raeve gives her Kaan’s málmr. Arkyn’s soldiers arrive, restrain Raeve with fire, and attempt to remove her; Raeve savages several guards before being knocked unconscious.
Summary
Dragged by handlers, Raeve is thrown into a cell, demanding the bloodstone she earned—desperate to help sun-starved Fallon. When Arkyn refuses and leaves, Raeve discovers Fallon seemingly dead and cradles her, only to jolt awake and realize it was a slumber-terror dredging up the prison’s past.
Back in the present cell, Raeve finds a frail, fevered woman in her arms and recognizes the diadem fused to her brow: Princess Kyzari wearing the Aether Stone. A surge of painful familiarity and a flicker of memory unsettle Raeve as she gently assesses Kyzari’s injuries.
A whisper draws Raeve’s attention to a neighboring cell where Veya, filthy and broken, reveals Arkyn “knows everything” and implies he beat Kyzari. Fearing Arkyn’s predation, Raeve hides her feelings, tucks Kyzari into the corner, and slips Kaan’s málmr around the princess’s neck, asking her to keep it safe.
Bronze-masked guards flood the corridor. A weald wielder binds Raeve in a coiling ribbon of fire while they unlock the cell and shackle her for removal. Raeve steadies her panic, waiting for a chance.
When the fire sputters, Raeve explodes into violence—shattering masks, breaking necks, crushing bones, and maiming the red-bead wielder. She nearly reaches the key-bearer before a heavy blow smashes her temple, darkness closing in as she collapses.
Who Appears
- RaeveProtagonist; wakes imprisoned, discovers Kyzari, protects her with Kaan’s málmr, then savages multiple guards before being knocked out.
- KyzariShade’s Princess; unconscious and fevered, diadem fused with the Aether Stone; receives Kaan’s málmr from Raeve.
- VeyaImprisoned and traumatized; warns Raeve that Arkyn knows everything and confirms Kyzari was beaten.
- ArkynWarden and tormentor; denies Raeve bloodstone in remembered scene; blamed for Kyzari’s beating; his guards seize Raeve.
- Bronze-masked guardsArkyn’s soldiers; use a fire-weald to restrain Raeve; many are killed or maimed before subduing her.
- FallonRaeve’s lost friend; appears in a slumber-terror memory of dying in the prison.