Meryn and Stark arrive at the tiny inn room in Linsfall, which has only a single bed. Stark offers to take the floor. As Meryn changes into dry clothes, Stark notices the scars on her upper thighs and confronts her aggressively, demanding to know who tortured her and suspecting Killian. Meryn reveals she inflicted the scars herself, which visibly shocks and pains Stark. She deflects with bitter sarcasm about his months of cruelty toward her. When Stark tries to squeeze into a bedroll on the too-small floor, Meryn reluctantly invites him to share the bed for practical reasons—she wants him well-rested in case they face Siphons the next day. They lie in the dark, and despite her exhaustion, Meryn finds herself unsettlingly aware of Stark's physical presence, recalling his earlier touches during training. She eventually falls asleep thinking of Killian and Saela.

Meryn's sleep is troubled by fragmented dreams of the Faceless Goddess morphing into her blood-covered mother, speaking in an ancient voice she cannot understand. She wakes before dawn, gritty-eyed and stiff. Stark is already packed and gives her food from Alisa before they ride out hard toward the front.

They arrive at Grunfall, a war-torn border fiefdom on the River Sonnstrom that has changed hands between the Bonded and the Siphons many times over centuries. The war camp is a grim, functional place of tents and crumbling structures, reeking of smoke and death. Soldiers and Bonded alike salute Stark with fear and respect; Meryn realizes this is his true element. They proceed to Central Command, a large tent at the camp's heart.

Inside, Strategos Beta Egith briefs them at the war table. Three days ago, Kryptos scouts discovered an old religious temple converted into a Siphon outpost in enemy territory near the border. Three children and two guards were sighted being moved in and out, though identifying features were not confirmed. Meryn desperately hopes Saela is among them. Egith provides intelligence including a sketch of the temple layout and portraits of a Siphon general and their king, Lucien Brightbane. Meryn is struck by Brightbane's ageless, angelic beauty and feels an inexplicable sense of recognition she cannot place.

The group plans a simultaneous assault on three entry points at sunset, when the Siphons will be strongest but potentially distracted by feeding. Stark emphasizes the Siphons won't all feed at once and insists on careful scouting. As Meryn finds her attention drawn back to Brightbane's portrait, Stark slaps his hand down on it and orders her to focus. They will move at sunset.