As Gideon rides Comrade hard toward the capital, he finally understands the truth about Rune: Kestrel Winters’s adopted granddaughter is the missing Roseblood heir. Rune is Queen Winoa’s daughter, Cressida’s half sister, and the rightful heir to the Roseblood throne, and Gideon realizes no one else seems to know it yet.

That discovery collides with Gideon’s immediate danger. Noah’s deadline arrives the next day, and Gideon has promised to deliver both Rune and the missing heir. Because Rune and the heir are the same person, Gideon could fulfill both promises at once by telling Noah the truth and arresting her before she escapes the island.

Gideon then thinks through the consequences of each choice. If he tells Noah, Rune will likely be killed. If he hides her identity but still turns her over, Gideon might save himself, especially if Soren destroys Cressida in exchange for Rune’s return, and Gideon believes Laila would support his explanation. But Gideon knows handing Rune back to Soren would still be a deep betrayal.

If Gideon refuses to betray Rune, the risks reverse. Noah will likely accuse Gideon of sympathizing with witches and execute him, while Cressida may survive, reclaim her throne, and unleash a new reign of terror. Worse, if Cressida ever learns Rune’s identity and uses the summoning spell herself, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Pressed between duty, survival, and his feelings for Rune, Gideon concludes there is only one choice he can make. Before acting, however, he decides there is someone he must speak to first.