Chapter Twenty-Six
Contains spoilersOverview
In the aftermath of the White Raven bombing, Bryce shields Juniper while Hunt evacuates her to Ruhn’s house and tends her injuries. Ruhn reports evidence pointing to human rebels and a crate marked with a possible image of Luna’s Horn, prompting a plan to question imprisoned rebel Philip Briggs. Political stakes intensify when the Autumn King demands Bryce be guarded; she subverts him by choosing Hunt and bargaining for Declan’s help in exchange for gallery access.
Summary
The White Raven detonates mid-conversation. Bryce Quinlan throws herself over Juniper to shield her from the blast, then lies dazed amid rubble as Hunt Athalar and Ruhn Danaan pull them to safety. Juniper, furious, slaps Bryce for risking herself since Bryce hasn’t made the Drop. Hunt carries Bryce to Ruhn’s nearby house.
There, Hunt tends Bryce’s injuries, cleaning her ears and removing shrapnel from her knees, noting the lingering thigh scar from the night he stapled her wound. They debate the bombing’s source; Hunt suspects human rebels rather than a targeted hit to stop their investigation.
Ruhn arrives with intel: the bomb was an explosive liquid smuggled in a wine delivery, marked with the human rebels’ logo and possibly a curved horn. The timing and mark suggest a connection to Luna’s Horn and their inquiry. Hunt proposes questioning imprisoned rebel leader Philip Briggs and calls Isaiah to initiate the request.
Ruhn relays the Autumn King’s order that Bryce accept a live-in guard. Bryce refuses Ruhn and exploits the wording to choose Hunt instead. When Ruhn presses for access to Jesiba’s hidden library, Bryce bargains: he can come if Declan Emmet is put at her disposal to dig into Danika’s last movements via the Den archives. After Bryce leaves with Hunt, the Autumn King calls Ruhn, forbidding angels from getting the Horn and threatening punishment; Ruhn recalls the Oracle’s grim prophecy that the royal bloodline ends with him and hangs up.
Who Appears
- Bryce Quinlan
Protagonist; shields Juniper in the blast, is treated by Hunt, chooses Hunt as guard, pushes to question Briggs, bargains for Declan’s help.
- Hunt Athalar
Angel partner; rescues and treats Bryce, suspects human rebels, calls Isaiah about Briggs, agrees to live with Bryce as her guard.
- Ruhn Danaan
Fae prince; aids evacuation, reports wine-bomb and Horn mark, conveys guard order, trades Declan’s help for gallery access, confronts his father.
- Juniper Andromeda
Faun dancer; survives the blast, berates Bryce for risking herself, her career stakes explain Bryce’s protective act.
- Autumn King
Ruhn and Bryce’s father; demands a guard for Bryce, forbids angels getting the Horn, threatens Ruhn.
- Philip Briggs
Imprisoned human rebel leader; suspected link to the bombing and earlier crimes; target for interrogation.
- Declan Emmet
Tech ally; to provide intel on Danika’s last movements by hacking the Den archives.
- Isaiah Tiberian
Hunt’s superior; contacted to arrange a meeting with Briggs at Adrestia Prison.
- Flynn Cormac
Ruhn’s friend; texts from the scene, tracking the bombing’s aftermath at the club.
- Amelie Ravenscroft
Aux wolf; coordinates debris removal and aid at the Raven per Sabine’s orders.