Rune moves through an overcrowded train car, relieved that she managed to board before departure. The packed passengers and the desperate people still trying to get on underscore how chaotic and dangerous conditions have become, but Rune focuses only on the fact that she has finally made it onto the train.

As the train prepares to leave, Rune overhears a frightened woman ask her husband what will happen next. When the husband answers that being together is what matters most, the exchange stirs Rune emotionally and reminds her of what she has lost. Looking into the window, Rune also sees her true face rather than the illusion she wears, because magic does not work on glass.

Studying her reflection revives Rune’s question about who she really is. She sees no resemblance to Nan, Cressida, Elowyn, or Analise, but she suddenly recognizes that parts of her appearance match three other people she has seen recently, suggesting a new possibility about her identity. Even so, Rune forces herself away from that realization, recommits to leaving, and as the train pulls away from the station, she tells herself that she is finally escaping Cressida and the Blood Guard for good.