At dawn, Odessa woke from a nightmare in which her father ordered Mae to kill her for returning to Roslo without information on Allesaria, with Brielle and Jocelyn dead beside her. She realized she had slept through the night against the Guardian's chest. He had stopped at a high cliff above a roaring river, with a vast green forest and snowcapped mountains beyond. The Guardian shared a rare memory of his mother bringing him to this place as a boy to teach him to appreciate its beauty, revealing a softer, reflective side.

Odessa reflected on how much she knew and did not know about the Guardian—his loyalty, strength, and gentleness contrasted with the mystery of his family, origins, and powers. They shared a charged, intimate silence as he held her, their closeness underscoring a powerful, unspoken bond. Odessa, struggling with her feelings and loyalty to the man who had claimed her, blurted “I hate you,” but the Guardian acknowledged it calmly, telling her not to forget. He then ended the moment by saying they must go.

They rode in silence through a thick, rain-damp forest as night fell. Odessa tensed at a distant howl, while the Guardian remained unfazed. They arrived at Ellder, a fortress city with towering log walls and torchlit courtyards. Soldiers recognized and whispered about the Guardian as a boy took his horse. He helped Odessa down when she stumbled from the saddle, then led her through orderly streets marked by waist-wide holes intended for spiked defenses during the migration. He asked her to remain within the walls; she did not answer.

The Guardian took Odessa to a simple, functional two-story house adorned with a carved wolf on the front door—the Turan emblem—identified as Zavier's house. He brought her upstairs into a private suite with a sitting room and adjoining bedroom. Inside, Odessa found her trunks neatly arranged, including a jar of her hair dye, implying the Guardian had already sent for her belongings.

Odessa asked if she would return to Treow; the Guardian said no. When she asked about Brielle and Jocelyn, he said they would remain at the encampment. As he moved to leave, Odessa stopped him, admitting wordlessly that she did not want to be alone. He apologized for grabbing her roughly the previous day; she said he had not hurt her, though he confessed he could have. He gently touched a curl at her temple and told her she did not have to hide who she is in Turah, calling her “Cross.”

The Guardian seemed on the verge of saying more but left abruptly into the night. Odessa lingered in his scent, expecting he would be gone by morning. She unpacked and settled into the suite, repeating to herself that separation was for the best. Finally, she emptied her jar of hair dye out the bedroom window, choosing not to hide her identity in Turah any longer.