Hiding on a rooftop with a badly bleeding thigh, Paedyn watches Kai beside the Imperial soldier she killed while escaping. Angry and armed with a throwing knife, Paedyn nearly attacks Kai from above, telling herself he deserves it for serving the crown and killing Ordinaries like her father. But when Kai gently closes the dead man’s eyes and says he will bury him for her because she is too busy running, Paedyn sees the boy beneath the Enforcer’s mask and cannot go through with killing him.

After Kai leaves carrying the body away, Paedyn remains on the roof for hours until full darkness falls and the Imperials’ search quiets. She climbs down slowly because of her wound and begins slipping through alleys, avoiding patrols and trying not to leave a trail of blood. When an Imperial grabs her shoulder, Paedyn reacts instantly, trips him, strikes him unconscious with her dagger, and drags him deeper into the shadows before continuing.

Eventually, Paedyn reaches the edge of the Scorches Desert and leaves Ilya behind. She knows the crossing toward Dor will be long and dangerous, especially with her injuries and limited memory of the route, but she has no better option. As she walks into the sand, Paedyn reflects bitterly on Ilya’s isolation and on the likelihood that the journey could kill her if exhaustion does not.

During the cold desert night, grief and anger keep Paedyn moving. She thinks of Adena, remembers the vest Adena made her and the promise to wear it, and relives Adena’s murder by Blair’s telekinetic violence. That memory hardens into a vow that Paedyn will kill Blair someday.

By dawn, Paedyn is still pushing through the desert, taking only brief breaks for rations, water, and tending her wounds. She recognizes the fresh gash in her thigh as Kai’s precise work, proof that he is still hunting her and will keep coming. Instead of frightening her into surrender, that realization sharpens her resolve, and Paedyn ends the chapter determined that she will not hesitate again.