Shortly after midnight, Rune and Aurelia arrive at an ancient circle of standing stones after stealing two horses from the city stables. To keep Gideon from tracking them, Rune cloaks them with her Ghost Walker spell, but Gideon’s expression when she left still haunts her during the ride.

At the site, Rune feels the place’s old, potent magic and reflects on its history. She thinks about the Cult of the Ancients, who believe the circle once summoned the Seven Sisters, but Rune dismisses that faith as legend and attributes the power she senses to centuries of witches casting spells there. Nearby, the ruined remains of the cult’s temple remind her that the revolution destroyed both the building and its followers.

Rune and Aurelia begin the ritual immediately while Meadow sleeps on a bed of moss. Rune uses knowledge she learned from Seraphine, places a lock of Cressida’s hair in the center of the circle, and Aurelia cuts her own shoulder to provide the blood needed for the spell. Rune then draws the symbols required to complete the summoning.

When Aurelia asks what comes next, Rune explains that they must wait, because the summoned may take as long as twelve hours to appear. With nothing else to do and the ritual complete, Rune and Aurelia go to sleep beneath the stones.