The chapter is narrated by Imogen, who flies on her dragon Glane through the chaotic battle over Draithus. Despite orders to stay grounded due to dangerous winds, Imogen launches to rescue Bodhi, who is under attack by three wyvern. She reflects on the political stakes: if both Bodhi and Riorson fall, Tyrrendor will be handed to a Navarrian appointee. Glane performs acrobatic maneuvers to kill wyvern, and Imogen personally drives her sword through one wyvern's eye while standing on Glane's neck. The pair rack up kills while Cath (Aetos's dragon) also joins the fight despite orders, and they manage to free Cuir, though Bodhi's dragon sustains serious wounds.

As the battle intensifies, venin dark wielders emerge to assault the city directly. Two dark wielders converge on the turret where Quinn—Imogen's best friend and the person she loves most on the battlefield—is working in an armory. Imogen dismounts Glane onto the northern wall to intercept them. Aetos joins her, and when a dark wielder in crimson blasts fire at them, Imogen uses Glane's power to turn a shield to stone, blocking the flames. Aetos kills the venin with a thrown alloy-hilted dagger, then splits off to handle a third dark wielder while Imogen enters the tower.

Inside the turret stairwell, Imogen finds Quinn using her projection signet to create multiple illusory copies of herself, confusing a venin in purple robes. Imogen throws her dagger at the same moment Quinn lunges with her own, and together they kill the dark wielder. But Quinn has been stabbed by the venin's green-tipped dagger between her ribs near her heart. Quinn collapses into Imogen's arms. With no menders or healing runes available, Quinn asks Imogen to tell her fiancée Jax that she loves her, to tell her parents it was worth it, and urges Imogen to confess her own feelings to someone unnamed and find happiness. Imogen comforts Quinn, telling her that her dead mother and sister Katrina will welcome her. Quinn dies in Imogen's arms.

Garrick finds Imogen cradling Quinn's body. He insists they must leave because venin are draining the city walls. Garrick carries both Imogen and Quinn's body, teleporting them to a building where Professor Trissa and Felix are working to set up wards and a new weapons cache. Garrick is near burnout and cannot teleport to Aretia for reinforcements. Imogen forces herself to keep moving, takes Quinn's last alloy-hilted dagger, and orders every rider within the walls to disarm and contribute their weapons. She looks to the sky, knowing everything depends on Sorrengail defeating the venin leader.