Chapter 66

Arkyn arrives at Kyzari’s cell, noting her fragile hope and the ruin of her captivity. He has guards open the cells and brings in a shattered Veya, runes carved through and chained outside, to pressure both prisoners. Kyzari is shackled to the bars, thwarted when she tries to reach her aunt.

Arkyn orders a search for a diary, threatening punishment. Guards tear apart the cells and find the hidden diary beneath Kyzari’s waste bucket. While Kyzari fights to keep her composure, Arkyn lectures that hope only leads to pain, signaling his intent to destroy their last tether to resistance.

Addressing Veya, Arkyn reveals that her information freed him from needing Kyzari alive as the diadem’s host; he plans to set the diadem on his Fire Lark, Raeve, as an added shackle. Veya warns Raeve and Kaan will obliterate him, but Arkyn, already laying a trap for Kaan, dismisses the threat.

Provoked by Kyzari’s defiance and spit, Arkyn’s bloodlust erupts. He savagely beats Kyzari, striking her until she is barely alive, projecting his hatred for Kaan and his father into each blow. The guards, uneasy at the palpable disturbance, eventually drag Kyzari back into her cell, leaving a trail of blood.

Arkyn tells Veya that Raeve needs her diadem back and coerces Veya to keep Kyzari alive until the transfer, framing it as a choice between compliance and doom. He departs into the dark, satisfied with his revenge and confident in his unfolding plan against Kaan.