CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN Bluffs

At dawn on the greystone, Denna wakes Kvothe. He is bruised and his hands are badly scraped from the night before. Using his torn travelsack as a rope, they climb down, retrieve their scattered things, and toy with a loden-stone while discussing the draccus’ iron-rich scales. Spotting distant smoke, they worry it may mark Denna’s patron’s camp and set out to investigate.

The terrain grows rough with bluffs and scree. After delays and a brief rest, they reach a secluded, wrecked valley: churned earth, toppled and charred trees, and a smashed cabin with a rotting corpse. They find the remnants of an illegal, expensive war crossbow and debate whether the Chandrian were involved; Denna argues the signs don’t match. A rumble and splintering announce the draccus’ approach, and they flee into a narrow rock cleft.

Trapped but safe from the beast’s bulk and fire, they climb a crude ladder to a lookout stocked with supplies and bolts. From there they watch the draccus moving sluggishly, pushing over and eating trees. Denna notices the trees were planted in rows, and only those are eaten. Curious, they follow the crevasse to a box canyon with fire pits and wide pans. Kvothe realizes it is a denner resin operation, not maple syrup.

Denna bites a black disk from a pan; Kvothe knocks it away and, after fetching water, forces her to chew charcoal to absorb the drug. He monitors her eyes and pulse and reassures her. Back at the lookout, they conclude the draccus is repeatedly drawn by the resin and is addicted, with only a few denner trees left. Fearing it will seek more near Trebon once the supply ends, Kvothe insists they must kill it.

Weighing dire need against conscience, they decide to sell the resin to apothecaries, not criminals. They scrape the pans into a large wad and discover a hidden oilcloth sack with a far greater cache. As Denna’s euphoria rises, Kvothe warns her to report any breathing issues. Counting the value and thinking of debts and instruments, they brace for action—then the draccus roars.