Sorin and her guardian, a small red dragon named Jaculus, arrive at a clearing in battle where a large, blue-god dragon has fallen to a swarm of wraiths.
The wraiths are numerous and unending. Despite Sorin’s and Jaculus’s best efforts to destroy the wraiths and save the fallen god, they fail.
Desperate, Sorin wonders where her ally, Magnes, is and realizes she lacks the magic she would need for a decisive blow against their enemies.
Sorin fights these wraiths until she is attacked by a Starveling, a creature known for its fierceness and desperation.
In the midst of their duel, Sorin recognizes the Starveling as an individual from her past who had tried to sell them a powerful claw.
Sorin is beaten badly by the Starveling, ending up with a broken nose and a deep bite on her forearm.
The Starveling doesn’t retreat until Sorin hears Magnes’s voice in her head commanding it to stop. Magnes arrives at the cave entrance just in time to save Sorin.
Magnes retrieves the powerful claw from Sorin, giving her reassurance before turning his attention toward the Starveling. Before leaving, he does what he can to ease her pain.
Even though she is wounded and in pain, Sorin decides to rejoin the battle with renewed bravery.