The Road to Duncan’s Cabin

The search for safety takes Ava from a compromised refuge through uneasy alliances to a fortified hideout and a final campaign.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Refuge Compromised

A Refuge Compromised The summer cottage Lock finds a vacant summer home where the exhausted group can rest. Ava’s friends tend her firebug hangover and contact Cade and Duncan. An enemy finds them A recovery team attacks before they can settle. The fugitives escape again, realizing Venus can track their movements and that the cottage cannot protect them.

The Route to Duncan

The Route to Duncan Evading pursuit The trio abandons phones, car, and familiar belongings, using trains and a coastal bus to avoid leaving an obvious trail. A difficult choice Ava wants to return home, but Lock argues that doing so would lead Venus straight to her. They continue toward Duncan’s territory instead.

A Hare Guard

A Hare Guard An armed welcome Les’s were-hare drove surrounds Ava, Lock, and Ezra as they cross Duncan’s land. They must prove their identity and explain why they have come. Conditional sanctuary Duncan confirms Ava’s identity and admits them to his cabin. The drove’s presence offers protection, but also raises questions about the supposed army Venus accused Duncan of building.

The Council’s Refusal

The Council’s Refusal A request for help Ava and her companions travel to a yacht off New Castle to ask the Portsmouth Council to act against Venus. Institutional delay The Council demands proof and declines immediate intervention. The meeting fails as a rescue plan but succeeds as a way to reveal Ava’s intended location to Venus’s informants.

A Larger Coalition

A Larger Coalition An interested ally Alistair arrives at Duncan’s cabin with Parkin and Bianca, offering power and stealth in exchange for becoming Venus’s successor. A calculated alliance Ava accepts the practical value of the offer without trusting its motives. The group gathers the drove and travels to Venus’s island, where the coalition can challenge her on chosen ground.

After the Inferno escape

The next morning

On arrival near Duncan’s land

The following day

Before the island battle