Rune slips invisibly through the unusually quiet halls of Larkmont and overhears guards saying Soren has gone to the capital and his fleet is ready to sail for the New Republic. From the palace’s emptiness, Rune guesses Cressida and the other witches may already have left, and she fears she is too late to find the spell books she needs.

In Cressida’s guest suite, Rune finds signs that the witch queen has recently been packing rather than fully departed: a suitcase waits on a sofa beside a leather book bag. Following the scent of old magic into the parlor, Rune searches the books for a spell that would help her sail a large ship alone. Instead, after remembering the pain Gideon feels when he touches her, she searches a book of love spells and curses for the magic Cressida used on him.

Rune discovers the entry for True Love’s Curse and realizes she and Gideon misunderstood it. The curse does not specifically keep Gideon from Rune; it inflicts pain whenever Gideon touches his true love, which proves to Rune that Gideon truly loves her. She also learns the curse can be broken only by the blood of the victim’s true love spilled in a sacrificial act, and she sees the three spellmarks for the counterspell.

Before Rune can fully process what that sacrifice might require, Cressida returns. Although Ghost Walker conceals Rune, she hides behind the curtains because she fears Cressida may still sense her presence. When she hears Cressida approaching, Rune considers escaping through the open window, but she stays because she now believes she knows how to break Gideon’s curse and decides he is worth the risk.

Cressida pulls back the curtain and finds Rune holding the stolen spell book. When Cressida mocks her, Rune answers that the curse gave her undeniable proof of Gideon’s love. Enraged, Cressida smashes Rune’s head against the window. Even in pain, Rune threatens Cressida not to touch Gideon again, and when Cressida coldly asks whether Rune knows what happens to people who threaten her, Rune silently braces herself for whatever punishment comes next.