Imprisoned for a week as a witch sympathizer and "witch lover," Gideon waits in darkness after guards tell him he will be executed that day. Hooded and led from his cell in manacles, he steels himself for death and wonders whether saving Rune was worth the cost. He decides it was.

On the way to what Gideon assumes is a back-alley firing squad, violent explosions begin shaking the prison and the city. Instead of killing him, Laila removes his hood, reveals that the blasts are cannon fire, and unlocks his chains. She gives him a loaded pistol and says the city is under attack.

Gideon immediately fears the attack means Rune failed to stop the alliance with Soren. He and Laila head toward the harbor to learn the truth. There they find the wharf burning, buildings smashed by cannonballs, and Republic soldiers retreating in panic.

Wounded and terrified soldiers report that they are being slaughtered by an invisible force: enemy troops hidden by witchcraft and protected by magical shields. Gideon and Laila push closer through the smoke and gunfire, using buildings for cover while soldiers fire uselessly at empty air.

From a better vantage point, Gideon sees the attacking fleet offshore bearing Soren Nord's emblem. Rowboats full of soldiers and witches advance on the harbor, and Cressida stands prominently among them, overseeing the assault. Realizing the alliance has held and that Rune either did not or could not stop it, Gideon is devastated but still refuses to believe she betrayed him willingly.

As the harbor is about to fall and the invaders prepare to sweep into the city, Laila forces Gideon to retreat. They flee while smoke and fire consume the waterfront, and Gideon leaves with proof that war has fully arrived in Cascadia.