Chapter Seventy-Eight
Contains spoilersOverview
Micah tries to activate the Horn by burning Bryce’s tattoo, unleashing power but opening no portal. Bryce and Lehabah use enchanted books to lock Micah in a bathroom, buying moments.
As Sandriel refuses to intervene, Bryce hyperventilates and dives into the nøkk tank to save Syrinx, embracing a life-or-death Ordeal.
Summary
Syrinx flails in the nøkk tank as Micah’s power pins Bryce face-first on the stairs. Micah blasts white flame into the Horn tattoo on Bryce’s back; the ink drinks the fire, power ripples outward, but no portal appears. Bryce realizes Micah will keep trying—even carve the Horn from her—confirming her earlier deduction that Danika hid the Horn in the tattoo.
Clawing for any chance, Bryce snatches a book from the shelf and unleashes a green blast that hurls Micah into the bathroom. Lehabah slams and seals the door with another book’s magic, trapping the Archangel for precious minutes. At the Summit, Hunt demands Sandriel intervene; she tightens her hold and refuses, calling it Micah’s jurisdiction.
With synth mending her leg, Bryce orders Lehabah to run the tank’s feeding dock, then ties Micah’s knife to her thigh. Declan shifts the feed to the tank room as Lehabah sobs that Syrinx has gone limp. Bryce begins rapid, deep breaths; Hypaxia asks what she’s doing, and Tharion explains she’s hyperventilating to load her lungs with air.
Bryce inhales once more and plunges into the tank, gripping the descending chain into the nøkk’s lair. She has no magic, no immortality, and synth threatens to tear her apart, yet she dives anyway to reach Syrinx. Watching, Flynn names it her Ordeal as Bryce disappears into the depths and Micah pounds at the sealed door.
Who Appears
- Bryce Quinlan
Injected with synth, traps Micah with enchanted books, then dives into the nøkk tank to save Syrinx.
- Micah Domitus
Burns Bryce’s Horn tattoo to trigger a portal, fails, and is sealed in the bathroom.
- Lehabah
Uses a book to seal Micah in the bathroom and operates the tank’s feeding dock.
- Syrinx
Thrown into the nøkk tank, struggles, then goes limp as Bryce attempts a rescue.
- Hunt Athalar
Restrained by Sandriel at the Summit; demands intervention to help Bryce.
- Sandriel
Maintains control over Hunt and refuses to interfere with Micah’s actions.
- Ruhn Danaan
Watches the feed in horror, recognizing Bryce’s rescue attempt as her Ordeal.
- Declan Emmet
Switches the video feed to the tank chamber for the observers.
- Queen Hypaxia Enador
Observes and questions Bryce’s hyperventilating before the dive.
- Tharion Ketos
Explains Bryce’s hyperventilation as preparation to hold more air underwater.
- Flynn
Identifies Bryce’s desperate dive as her Ordeal.
- The Autumn King
Silent observer at the Summit as events unfold on the feed.
- The nøkk
Predatory water creature in the tank, threatening Syrinx during Bryce’s rescue.