Chapter Summaries

Tormund and Sea Dragon Raging Tide ambushed Redd’s flagship, but King Ghidorah intercepted them with a Gravity Beam and forced them to flee. The chase continued through the treacherous waters between Grey Gallows Island and Giant’s Tooth Reef, where Raging Tide tried to evade Ghidorah’s devastating attacks.

• Tormund and Sea Dragon Raging Tide attacked Redd’s flagship as the fleet turned, alarming the ships nearby.
• King Ghidorah spotted the attack and fired a Gravity Beam at Raging Tide, whose evasive roll kept it from taking a direct hit.
• Raging Tide fled toward the reefs, and Redd ordered King Ghidorah to pursue it.
• King Ghidorah blasted reefs, islands, and trenches with repeated Gravity Beams as Tormund clung to Raging Tide.
• Raging Tide darted through narrow channels and around stone pillars, relying on its agility and familiarity with the terrain to escape.

Tormund escaped King Ghidorah’s attack by hiding Raging Tide in a narrow sea rift, but Redd ordered a blockade and systematic search to trap them. Daemon returned, realized Corlys had deceived him, and confronted him while Corlys denied knowing about Tormund’s attack.

• Tormund directed Raging Tide into a narrow rift, where it escaped King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam as falling rocks partly blocked the entrance.
• King Ghidorah failed to blast open the rift, and Redd ordered him to watch its exits while the fleet searched nearby waters and underwater passages.
• Redd instructed Mysaria to bring in underwater specialists and seek records about the Stepstones’ geology and possible ancient magic or geothermal anomalies.
• Daemon returned on Caraxes, learned that Tormund had remained nearby and attacked Redd, and realized Corlys had misled him.
• Daemon accused Corlys of helping Tormund, but Corlys denied knowing about the attack and claimed Tormund was wounded, trapped, and desperate.

Daemon ordered the fissure containing Tormund and the Sea Dragon smoked out or collapsed while Redd and Corlys organized the search for exits and blasting points. As the siege began, Redd recognized that the crisis had become entangled with the growing mistrust among Viserys, Daemon, and House Velaryon.

• Daemon rejected a direct assault and proposed using fire, smoke, and wildfire to drive Tormund and the Sea Dragon out or bury them in the fissure.
• Redd agreed to the plan but warned that the Sea Dragon’s scalding steam, hidden vents, and the fissure’s structure could defeat or complicate it.
• Daemon ordered men to gather fuel, survey the fissure for blasting points, watch for escape routes, and block all connected passages.
• The fleet began gathering combustibles and searching the coast while King Ghidorah kept watch above the fissure.
• Redd assessed how Viserys’s suspicions, Daemon’s ambitions, and Corlys’s vulnerable position had turned the Stepstones crisis into a broader political struggle.

Redd planned to use the siege of Grey Gallows Island to let Daemon and Corlys weaken each other while his men surveyed the Rift and watched their movements. Inside the Karst Cave, Tormund and the wounded Sea Dragon Raging Tide remained trapped after Caraxes drove them back and King Ghidorah arrived.

• Redd considered how dragonriders outside House Targaryen threatened its power and shaped his strategy around letting Daemon and Corlys wear each other down.
• Redd ordered Mysaria to survey the Rift, preserve his forces, and monitor Daemon’s and Corlys’s troops and supplies.
• Tormund recalled how Daemon and Caraxes intercepted his attempted escape and forced Raging Tide to retreat into the Karst Cave.
• Raging Tide bore deep wounds from the clash, while Tormund remained trapped in the cave and searched for another way out.
• Tormund believed he had escaped King Ghidorah’s Gravity Beam only by ordering Raging Tide to break free of Caraxes and flee deeper into the cave.

Trapped in the cave with Raging Tide and facing starvation and a fire attack, Tormund smashed the statue the Ocean Guide had given him. Its pulse awakened something ancient in the deep sea, and an unusual change appeared on the water just as Daemon and Redd prepared to set the cave entrance alight.

• Tormund realized he and Raging Tide had no way out as Daemon and Redd’s forces prepared to attack the cave.
• Tormund remembered the Ocean Guide’s warning and smashed the black statue on the reef rock.
• The statue’s fragments glowed blue and sent a pulse through the water toward the deep sea.
• Tormund felt something enormous stirring, while the cave’s water grew turbulent and cold and Raging Tide reacted with fear and recognition.
• Daemon and Redd had sailors pour fish oil and fire oil at the cave entrance, but an unusual change suddenly appeared on the calm sea before they could light it.

A colossal wave surged toward Grey Gallows Island, and Redd sensed an ancient, powerful creature within it. King Ghidorah rescued Redd and Mysaria just before the wave struck, leaving the island devastated.

• A hundred-meter wave approached Grey Gallows Island, throwing the allied fleet and soldiers into panic.
• Corlys Velaryon fled inland, while Daemon Targaryen escaped on Caraxes.
• Redd sensed an immense life-form within the wave and suspected Tormund had summoned it as a helper.
• Redd told Mysaria to hold on and had King Ghidorah swoop down to lift them into the sky.
• The wave smashed ships, tore up reefs, flooded the coast, and began spreading into the island.

An ancient sea beast rose from the depths near Grey Gallows Island as Tormund and Daemon continued their aerial battle amid the chaos. The beast wounded Caraxes, giving Tormund and Raging Tide a chance to flee southeast while Daemon remained in danger.

• A colossal serpentine sea beast emerged from a whirlpool and fixed its attention on Grey Gallows Island and King Ghidorah.
• Tormund rode his wounded Raging Tide around the waterspout while Daemon pursued on Caraxes, trying to kill him before the sea beast became more dangerous.
• The sea beast lunged at both dragons, and Caraxes's tail was badly injured by its teeth.
• Tormund seized the chance to escape, and Raging Tide flew southeast away from the sea beast and Bloodstone Island.
• Daemon clung to the falling Caraxes as the sea beast opened its mouth for another attack.

Redd sent King Ghidorah to save Daemon and Caraxes from the deep-sea beast, then ordered Ghidorah to fight it. After reaching safety, Daemon faced Redd’s direct question about the connection between his Dragon and the dead Caraxes.

• The deep-sea beast nearly swallowed Daemon and Caraxes, but King Ghidorah struck its mouth and neck with three Gravity Beams, forcing it to release them.
• Caraxes carried Daemon to safety while King Ghidorah faced the wounded beast across the waters.
• Redd ordered King Ghidorah to attack the serpentine beast and reflected that Daemon might know why his Dragon resembled the dead Caraxes.
• Daemon reached Bloodstone Island and saw Caraxes badly injured as the battle devastated Grey Gallows Island’s coast.
• Redd asked Daemon what relationship his Dragon had to the Caraxes who died, and Daemon stiffened at the question.

Redd learned that Daemon had preserved Caraxes’s dragon soul and given it a new body through secret means, while King Ghidorah fought a deep-sea behemoth near the Stepstones. As Caraxes threatened Redd, Redd warned Daemon to control his dragon and revealed his confidence in his own growing strength.

• Daemon admitted that Caraxes had died, but he preserved the dragon’s soul and gave it a new form with someone’s help.
• Redd connected Daemon’s secret methods to his interest in Tormund’s sea dragon and considered the dangers of Daemon’s knowledge.
• King Ghidorah and the deep-sea behemoth continued their fierce battle, shaking Grey Gallows Island and Bloodstone Island.
• Daemon asked Redd what the behemoth was, and Redd suggested it might be an ancient inhabitant of the world.
• Caraxes roared aggressively at Redd, and Daemon restrained himself from ordering an attack.
• Redd warned Daemon to control Caraxes and reflected on how his bond with King Ghidorah had made his body exceptionally powerful.

Mysaria identified the sea beast fighting King Ghidorah as a possible descendant of the legendary Naga, and Redd considered what its existence meant for Westeros’s ancient myths. King Ghidorah unleashed a devastating gravitational field, killed the beast, and left Daemon more wary of—and interested in—its power.

• Mysaria judged that the sea beast might be descended from Naga, the legendary creature slain by the Grey King.
• Redd reflected on Naga’s legend and suspected that Tormund might help communicate with ancient sea races.
• King Ghidorah gathered golden lightning and unleashed a destructive gravitational field against the beast.
• The wounded beast tried to flee into the sea, but King Ghidorah’s attack tore through its armor and exposed its wounds.
• King Ghidorah struck the beast’s vital points with Gravity Beams until it died and sank into the sea.
• Daemon watched the victory, reassessed King Ghidorah’s power, and privately considered his options.

After the battle in the Stepstones, Redd ordered the recovery of the sea monster’s remains and assessed the devastating losses, including Corlys Velaryon’s likely death. He decided to take the survivors to Dragonstone first, leaving the consequences for House Velaryon and the next moves in Westeros unresolved.

• Redd ordered Mysaria to document the battle and collect samples from the sea monster for their Braavosi contacts.
• Redd surveyed the wreckage and considered how Corlys Velaryon’s death would leave House Velaryon and its fleet vulnerable to upheaval.
• Daemon tended to Caraxes and contemplated Corlys’s death, which might give him an opportunity to influence House Velaryon.
• Mysaria reported that about twenty damaged ships remained seaworthy, just over three hundred people had survived, and neither Corlys nor his flagship had been found.
• Redd ordered the survivors to repair ships and gather supplies, then chose to sail to Dragonstone before returning to King’s Landing.

Redd considered his next move after the battle on Bloodstone Island, while Tormund fled to the Summer Isles with his wounded Sea Dragon. Tormund reunited with his hidden fleet and ordered his followers to lie low while seeking supplies and ways to treat dragons.

• Redd reflected on Tormund's escape, Corlys's death, and the dangers revealed by the Naga beast as he weighed whether to remain in the shadows or act independently.
• Tormund flew toward the Summer Isles, where he had sent more than six hundred ships and his core followers ahead to hide.
• Tormund landed Raging Tide in a secluded bay and found the fleet safe, though the Sea Dragon was badly wounded and exhausted.
• Shatterbone asked Tormund what had happened, and Tormund kept the Stepstones' dangers secret while asking Ironhook about the fleet's condition and supplies.
• Tormund ordered his followers to stop raiding, keep a low profile, repair their ships, train their sailors, and seek medicine, iron, and knowledge about treating dragons.

Tormund survived in the Summer Isles, unaware that his brother Corlys had died during the battle, while Daemon and Redd agreed on a cover story for Corlys’s death. The battered fleet regrouped at Dragonstone, and the agreed account portrayed Corlys as a hero killed by a catastrophic sea disaster.

• Tormund sat by the bay, worried about Corlys and planning how to contact him, not knowing that Corlys had already died.
• Redd returned to Dragonstone with only a few dozen battered ships and learned that Corlys had perished along with much of the Driftmark fleet.
• Daemon sought out Redd to agree on an account of the battle before they returned to King's Landing.
• Daemon proposed saying that Corlys died heroically while a Sea Dragon and a deep-sea behemoth unleashed devastating waves.
• Redd accepted Daemon’s cover story, which blamed the losses on the sea monsters and a natural disaster.

Daemon gathered the surviving Driftmark ships and sailors under his temporary command and sailed for Driftmark, while secretly planning to use a pirate prisoner to pressure Rhaenys and House Velaryon. He arrived at High Tide with the prisoner in chains, as Redd ordered Mysaria to watch his movements.

• Daemon persuaded Redd to let him manage the surviving Driftmark fleet, and Redd agreed without interest in the ships or sailors.
• Daemon sailed from Dragonstone toward Driftmark with dozens of battered ships and several hundred sailors, while Redd told Mysaria to monitor him and look for hidden passengers or cargo.
• Daemon kept a captured pirate leader aboard, intending to use a coached confession about Corlys's dealings with Tormund as leverage over Rhaenys.
• Daemon reached Driftmark, ordered the ships to berth and the sailors kept under guard, then escorted the prisoner toward High Tide.

Daemon told Rhaenys that Corlys had died during the disastrous pirate campaign, then used a prisoner’s claim of secret contact between Corlys and Tormund to pressure House Velaryon. He offered to help stabilize Driftmark and the royal navy, leaving Rhaenys to weigh his account and his motives.

• Rhaenys waited anxiously for news of Corlys as Daemon entered her council chamber with a prisoner.
• Daemon told Rhaenys that Corlys had supposedly died while covering the fleet’s retreat from Tormund’s forces and a monstrous sea beast.
• Daemon presented the prisoner, who allegedly claimed that Corlys and Tormund had been in contact for years.
• Rhaenys rejected the accusation but feared the claim could damage House Velaryon and give Daemon leverage.
• Daemon offered to help restore order on Driftmark and support the leaderless royal navy.

Redd returned to Dragonstone and reunited with his pregnant wife, Rhaenyra, before telling her about the dangers and discoveries in the Stepstones. The chapter leaves Rhaenyra confronting the possibility that Daemon can restore dragons and that ancient forces dwell beneath the sea.

• Rhaenys gave Daemon time to consider his offer to support House Velaryon in exchange for control of its fleet, then stayed behind to deal with the pirate prisoner.
• Redd hurried back to Dragonstone and reunited with Rhaenyra, sharing a tender moment as he listened to their unborn child.
• Redd told Rhaenyra about Tormund and his Sea Dragon, Raging Tide, and the battle in which Corlys appeared to die.
• Redd revealed that Daemon's Caraxes was likely the dragon believed dead years earlier and that Daemon had used a forbidden method to preserve or restore its soul.
• Redd recounted Tormund's summoning of a beast possibly descended from Naga and his references to an Ocean Guide and a mermaid.

Redd told Rhaenyra that Corlys was likely dead and warned that Daemon might exploit the crisis to influence House Velaryon, while she resolved to investigate Daemon's plans. In the Red Keep, Otto used the Stepstones disaster and Tormund's Sea Dragon to stoke Viserys's suspicions of House Velaryon.

• Redd told Rhaenyra that Corlys was probably dead and that Daemon had gone to Driftmark to consolidate power and influence House Velaryon.
• Rhaenyra agreed to watch events on Dragonstone and help uncover Daemon's evidence and intentions, while Redd said Mysaria had already begun making arrangements.
• Otto reported the Stepstones disaster to Viserys and suggested that House Velaryon had concealed Tormund's Sea Dragon and might support Daemon.
• Viserys grew furious and suspicious, questioning whether House Velaryon intended to claim the Iron Throne.

Viserys appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and ordered him to stabilize the navy and pursue Tormund, while Otto privately celebrated his growing influence. At Dragonstone, Redd oversaw a bustling hatchery filled with newly hatched dragons.

• Otto warned Viserys that Daemon, House Velaryon, Tormund, and dangers in the Stepstones threatened the realm.
• Viserys ordered Rhaenys to oversee Driftmark, summoned Laenor home, and commanded Daemon to return to King's Landing with the remaining troops.
• Viserys appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and charged him with reorganizing the navy and hunting Tormund.
• Otto left the council chamber pleased that Corlys was dead and that control of the navy had fallen into his hands.
• At Dragonstone, Redd watched Mysaria and loyal attendants care for hatchlings of varied sizes, colors, and forms in his volcanic hatchery.

Redd learned that 307 dragon hatchlings had survived and ordered their growth and magical environment studied while tracking the political struggle among Viserys, Otto, Daemon, and House Velaryon. He then began registering each hatchling as his own, leaving them with a mark that recognized him as their Dragon King.

• Mysaria reported that 307 eggs had hatched, though the hatchlings were smaller and weaker than recorded Targaryen dragons, and Redd ordered detailed records and growth experiments.
• Mysaria told Redd that Viserys had appointed Otto acting Master of Ships and that Daemon had returned to Driftmark, where Rhaenys placed the island under martial law.
• Redd ordered Mysaria to monitor Daemon, Rhaenys, the Driftmark Fleet, and Otto’s plans to reorganize the navy and hunt Tormund.
• Redd told Mysaria to inform Rhaenyra he would visit her, then left the hatchery to share the news and discuss events in King's Landing and Driftmark.
• Redd spent several days performing a registration ritual on the 307 hatchlings, marking their consciousnesses so they would recognize him as their Dragon King.

Redd managed the hatchery for more than three hundred dragon hatchlings while Cannibal repeatedly watched them with an intense desire to eat them. He warned Cannibal away, ordered stronger security and more food, and left the hatchlings under protection as he prepared to turn his attention back to Westeros.

• Redd and Mysaria oversaw the hatchlings’ care, while shipments of meat arrived to feed them.
• Cannibal repeatedly appeared near the hatchery and stared hungrily at the hatchlings, alarming the other dragons and the guards.
• Redd confronted Cannibal and warned that touching the hatchlings would mean death, invoking King Ghidorah’s power through their mental link.
• Cannibal withdrew, but Redd recognized its appetite for other dragons as a dangerous abnormality and considered sending it on risky missions.
• Redd ordered Mysaria to strengthen hatchery defenses, increase Cannibal’s food supply, and try to guide its appetite.