Moonfall, #2
The Ballad of Falling Dragons
by Sarah A. Parker
Contents
Chapter 94
Overview
Raeve reaches the emptied dungeon cells and discovers both her own and Veya’s are vacant, with a dead guard and clues suggesting Veya freed Kyzari. Finding Kyzari’s paper bird, Nee, torn in two, Raeve realizes she ignored an earlier call for help. As the tunnels collapse, the wind-spirit Clode urgently summons Raeve to someone who needs her, propelling Raeve toward a rescue.
Summary
Fleeing the collapsing arena, Raeve reaches the sparser dungeons and assumes Arkyn consolidated prisoners for spectacle and leverage. Expecting to find Veya and Kyzari where Arkyn meant to keep them to break her, she instead discovers both cells empty, keys dropped, and a dead guard hidden by fallen stone.
Clutching hope, Raeve searches for signs of escape. She finds Uno’s pink button among Kyzari’s straw, then uncovers Kyzari’s paper bird, Nee, torn in half. The sight collapses Raeve with grief and guilt as she realizes Nee had been a message from Kyzari she dismissed in Dhomm, a choice that might have delayed their rescue.
As tremors intensify, a rush of wind slaps Raeve and the passage behind her caves in. Clode’s panicked song cuts through the roar, pleading for Raeve to come quickly because “she needs you.” Raeve answers, fixing her objective on Kyzari despite the chaos.
Pocketing the broken Nee, Raeve sprints after Clode’s call, choosing action over regret. With one route sealed and another clear, Raeve follows the wind toward the one who needs saving, determined to reach Kyzari.
Who Appears
- RaeveProtagonist; searches the emptied cells, finds clues, grieves over Nee, then follows Clode’s urgent summons.
- ClodeWind-spirit whose urgent call guides Raeve, pleading that someone—likely Kyzari—needs her immediately.
- VeyaAbsent from her cell; evidence suggests she helped free Kyzari and killed a guard.
- KyzariRaeve’s daughter; missing from the cell; her torn paper bird, Nee, reveals a missed plea for help.
- NeeKyzari’s paper bird messenger; found torn in two, triggering Raeve’s realization and guilt.
- UnoKyzari’s toy with a pink button; its lost button signals Kyzari and Veya’s escape trail.
- ArkynAntagonist referenced; likely moved prisoners for control and spectacle amid the arena’s fall.