The night before the Voice Trial, Meryn reflects on weeks of grinding training, noting incremental improvement in swordsmanship and adding bow-and-arrow practice to her regimen with help from her allies. Stark has not retaliated for the spitting incident, which keeps Meryn on edge. She falls into a vivid nightmare in which a medic grips her head and warns of coming delusions, then her mother appears lucid but standing in a pool of blood wearing a bloody crown. Her mother's voice transforms into a deep, otherworldly command invoking "Nocturn," compelling Meryn forward until she wakes gasping and unable to sleep again.

The next morning, the arena has been transformed into a deadly obstacle course featuring ascending platforms, a narrow bridge over fire pits, moving targets, a spiral descent, and a final leap of faith. Leader Aldrich warned that roughly an eighth of the Rawbonds won't survive. Nobles and the king watch from the stands, with Killian seated beside the king. Meryn spots Stark near the instructors and suspects the course is partly his revenge. Several pairs fail catastrophically—one rider is crushed to death by his own wolf, and another pair crashes into a fire pit—while Izabel, Henrey, and Tomison succeed, with Tomison posting an especially fast time.

When Meryn's turn arrives, she approaches Anassa and discovers the mental wall between them has thinned. For the first time, Anassa sends brief flashes of intention—showing Meryn her planned jumps and movements before executing them. Their motivations align: Anassa's predatory pride refuses to fail in front of the pack, and Meryn's desire to humiliate those who dismissed her drives her forward. Together they clear the ascending platforms, cross the fire bridge while Meryn hits six moving targets with daggers guided by Anassa's predatory instinct flagging movement, navigate the spiral descent with precise controlled turns, and execute the final leap of faith where Meryn hits three targets mid-fall.

They land successfully and earn the third-fastest time. Meryn senses a flicker of grudging recognition from Anassa—an acknowledgment that Meryn has real strength to offer. Meryn reciprocates with a spark of respect for Anassa's fearlessness. But the moment passes instantly as Anassa slams the mental wall back down harder than ever, leaving Meryn disoriented and pained. Despite surviving and placing third, Meryn feels she's lost something. Looking up at Killian watching her intently from the stands, she wonders whether she is the one shutting him out unnecessarily and whether she could find a way to trust him again.