ToP Chapter 57

Chapter Fifty-Seven: Drowning in the Rung

The Silone caravan, on day eighty-two of their southward migration, enjoys a month of peace through Reshu, Tarmar, and Vardo territories, bolstered by ample food but plagued by occasional diseases and pyres for the dead. Approaching the Loetozu River, Ivin, Solineus, and Polus, riding as Fire Riders, find it swollen from eastern storms, complicating their ferry-bridge crossing. Meliu, frustrated with the Codex of Sol’s ciphers, discovers a clue linking a dragon illustration to a cipher via Warlord Sedutine Choerkin’s name, hinting at a decoding method. As the bridge nears completion, Kinesee, with Solineus, faces a catastrophic flood when a massive tree dislodges stakes, snapping ropes and wrecking ferries. Solineus, wielding the Twins, cuts through branches to save Kinesee, throwing her to safety before anchoring himself with the swords against the current, narrowly surviving. The crossing claims lives, with pyres burning brightly on both banks, underscoring the caravan’s relentless losses.

• ToP Chapter 56 — Peace for War
• ToP Chapter 58 — Parlay Under Fire
• Trail of Pyres - Main Chapter Listing