Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Hidden Child[edit | edit source]

Ivin, trapped in a cage aboard the Archer’s Eye with the Ilu-Silvstro Nostrolum, witnesses Loduma Ar-Bdein’s ruthless purge of crew members suspected of carrying the Rot, including a woman thrown overboard and others forced to follow. Ivin, practicing with a dagger, bonds further with Nostrolum, who demonstrates agility and shares words, hinting at mutual respect despite their language barrier. Meanwhile, Meliu, bound and drugged with Cloud Water to suppress her prayers, overhears Loduma’s concerns about the disease and his belief that she knows its secrets. Desperate to escape, Meliu feigns a breakout by opening a cabin window and hides beneath a wardrobe, enduring painful memories of her childhood hiding from her father’s rage. As Loduma and his crew, including the loyal Gimin, search frantically, believing she fled, Meliu’s prayers finally break through, burning away her bindings with divine power. Loduma, convinced Meliu needs Ivin and will return, plans to trap her in Gomjon, unaware she remains hidden, now free and poised to wield Light and Dark when the moment is right. The chapter intertwines themes of survival, deception, and suppressed trauma, setting the stage for Meliu’s impending counterstrike against her captors on a river fraught with danger and disease.

ToP Chapter 37 — Spilling Shadows
ToP Chapter 39 — Racing to Sails
Trail of Pyres - Main Chapter Listing