Raeve is trapped in a vivid nightmare of captivity. Shackled to a stone bench, she is burned again and again by the Scavenger King, who insists that pain makes her stronger and more profitable in the fighting pits. When he threatens Fallon, the girl who has been teaching Raeve, Raeve finally speaks back, and his delight makes clear that he has been trying to force her voice from her.

Kaan wakes Raeve from the terror and immediately fixates on the name the dream exposed: Fire Lark. Wanting to escape both the memory and his questions, Raeve runs to the Loff and throws herself into the water, trying to scrub the feeling of smoke and pain from her body. Kaan follows and presses her for answers, but the confrontation is cut short when horns sound and riders appear from the south beneath white flags.

Two Shade emissaries arrive on Moltenmaws, accompanied by a pearly Moonplume with shredded wings and blistered welts. When Raeve sees that the Moonplume carries the blond rider Rekk Zharos, her shock turns into murderous resolve. Kaan shields her from the sight for a moment, but the damage is done, and Raeve rushes back to arm herself with every blade she has hidden in the room, fully intent on hunting Rekk down and killing him slowly.

Kaan stops Raeve by breaking part of the room and blocking her exit. Raeve argues that anyone who brutalizes an animal deserves to be flayed, but Kaan warns that Rekk is arriving under truce and accompanied by emissaries, so killing him on Burn soil would give Kaan's enemies an excuse to start a war. Raeve reluctantly accepts that political reality, makes Kaan promise that he will not kill Rekk himself, and puts her weapons back. She promises not to attack Rekk there, and Kaan, still unconvinced but with no better option, leaves to meet the riders.