The squad departs on their mission, stopping at Athebyne the first night and then pushing through twenty-four grueling hours in the saddle to reach Cordyn at dawn. Violet privately admits the punishing pace is motivated by her fear of letting Xaden touch unwarded ground more than necessary. They fly over venin-scorched territory, evading threats using Drake's intelligence, and Tairn notes the gryphons are struggling to keep pace, especially while carrying Halden and his guard Captain Winshire in dangling baskets.

Upon landing at Tecarus's fighting pit in Cordyn, the group is greeted by the Viscount in his bed robes. Violet is barely holding herself together—exhausted, dehydrated, and dizzy from the heat and the long ride. Tecarus offers limited rooms, and Halden receives private quarters befitting his rank. Xaden deliberately goads Halden into confirming that Xaden holds ducal authority rather than merely acting as a professor, provoking the prince's volatile temper. Using the confrontation as cover, Xaden scoops up the faltering Violet and carries her to his room, declaring they are doubling up as ordered. Inside, Xaden admits he's done sleeping apart from her, and Violet notices that he may have heard one of her unspoken thoughts—raising the possibility that his signet is expanding.

Tecarus arrives at their door with practical concerns: the prince cannot arrive at Deverelli in a basket if he hopes to be taken seriously. He proposes sailing ahead with Halden on a two-day ship voyage while the riders rest and then fly the remaining sixteen hours to his estate on Deverelli's northern coast. He warns them that King Courtlyn hoards rarities, cautioning them not to advertise Violet's uniqueness and never to make a deal they cannot keep. He also reminds them they will lose their magical abilities when crossing the ocean.

Nearly twenty-four hours later, as they fly over the coast at dawn, Violet feels her magic drain to almost nothing. The loss leaves her feeling small and vulnerable. The dragons are equally affected—Tairn's wingbeats falter and Andarna begins plummeting toward the sea, unable to sustain flight without the magical strength they depend on. Tairn dives to catch Andarna, locking her into his harness. Then he reveals a more dire problem: all dragon-to-dragon communication has been severed, and Violet discovers she can no longer reach Xaden through their bond. They are completely cut off.