Meryn receives Egith's urgent message about possible sightings of children near the Grunfall outpost at the front and immediately begins packing to leave. She is driven by the desperate hope that her sister Saela may be among them. Stark appears at her doorway and confronts her, insisting she cannot go alone to the front as an Alpha still in training. Meryn refuses to back down, coldly telling him he'll have to physically stop her. Stark declares he's coming with her, and Anassa sides with him, agreeing that Stark and his wolf Cratos should accompany them for safety. Meryn reluctantly accepts, furious at both Stark and her own wolf for overriding her.

They depart within the hour, mounted on their direwolves. Meryn leaves a note for Killian explaining her departure and promising to return in a week. The wolves travel at extraordinary speed along a military road forbidden to commoners, covering ground far faster than horseback—a two-week journey compressed to an estimated two days. A brutal blizzard overtakes them, forcing Meryn to burrow into Anassa's fur for warmth. Despite the storm, Stark navigates confidently, and they reach the city of Linsfall by evening, the halfway point to the front.

Before going to the inn, Meryn is drawn to the famous statue of the Faceless Goddess in Linsfall's main square. The enormous white stone figure, worn smooth by centuries of pilgrims, evokes an unexpected reverence in Meryn. Despite her professed lack of faith, she prays for the first time in her life—asking for help finding the children, understanding what's happening to her, and guidance on how to make things better. Stark watches her with inscrutable intensity but does not mock her.

At the inn, they are forced to share the last available room. Stark is treated with fearful deference by everyone—patrons clear their table, the innkeeper apologizes for inadequate accommodations, and the barmaid Alisa fawns over him. A musician performs a rousing ballad that the whole inn sings along to. After Stark finishes eating and goes upstairs, Meryn notices he stopped to reprimand the musician. Alisa, the inn's owner, reveals to Meryn that the song was about Stark himself—he saved half of Linsfall from a Siphon incursion five or six years ago, reportedly killing a hundred Siphons single-handedly. Meryn is stunned to learn that the fearsome, surly Alpha is actually a beloved hero to these people.