After helping Gideon escape, Rune rushes back to Soren’s room and barely has time to hide the evidence. She smudges away her Ghost Walker spellmarks, slips into bed, and pretends to be asleep just before Soren and his guards enter. Soren confirms Rune is safe and orders the palace sealed so Gideon can be found, but after Soren steps away, Cressida approaches the bed and quietly warns Rune that she knows Rune helped Gideon. Cressida is ready to threaten or punish Rune, but Seraphine arrives and offers to guard the room, forcing Cressida to leave so she can continue hunting Gideon.

Once they are alone, Rune sits up and Seraphine immediately sees the blood and ruined dress. Rune explains that Ava tried to kill her, so Rune shot Ava, then burns the stained gown to destroy evidence and changes clothes. In the bathroom, Seraphine presses Rune about Gideon, since Soren believes Gideon came to murder Rune. Rune admits Gideon did come to kill her, but says she still saved him because no one deserves the violation and cruelty Cressida was about to inflict on him.

While cleaning Ava’s blood from her hands, Rune thinks through Gideon’s warning that Cressida wants to resurrect Analise and Elowyn. The idea terrifies Rune, because resurrection is forbidden and should require a close blood relative, yet Gideon believes Cressida has reason to think another Roseblood exists. Rune also confronts the cost of her alliance with Cressida. Although Cressida’s brutality disgusts her, Rune still believes that without Cressida seizing power, the Blood Guard will keep hunting witches until none remain, and Gideon himself has already sworn he would kill Rune if given another chance.

Seraphine urges Rune to flee immediately before Cressida punishes her for helping Gideon. Rune notices Seraphine’s kestrel-shaped casting scar, which resembles her grandmother’s seal, and weighs what abandoning the alliance would mean for the witches still in danger. Thinking of the captive sibyl the Blood Guard is using to expose other witches, and of the possible missing Roseblood heir, Rune decides she cannot simply run. She resolves to carry out one last dangerous mission: rescue the sibyl and find the hidden Roseblood before Cressida does. Rune lies to Seraphine and promises to flee, while privately planning to stay long enough to act.