Everlayne dresses Saeris in an elaborate red gown and scolds Saeris for punching Kingfisher after his quicksilver “test.” Saeris refuses to explain what provoked it, fearing it would worsen the already fraught sibling relationship. In their conversation, Everlayne reveals the hidden history: Kingfisher is her half-brother, son of Finran, whom Belikon publicly blamed for the quicksilver stilling and branded a traitor after he vanished on a mission to Zilvaren; Belikon then compelled Everlayne’s mother to marry him for political cover and her wealth, and Belikon has hated and scapegoated Kingfisher ever since their mother died after giving birth to Everlayne.

After Everlayne leaves, Saeris fixates on the phrase she heard from the quicksilver—Annorath mor—repeating it obsessively because Kingfisher reacted with shock when she said it, yet never explained its meaning. Kingfisher arrives uninvited with a cold breakfast board, closes the curtains due to a hangover, and needles Saeris about her punch while wearing extra armor “for protection.” When Saeris reacts to the sight of his blood and sharp canines, Kingfisher taunts her about what Fae can scent and escalates the flirtation until Saeris chokes on cheese and he tells her to “swallow.”

Everlayne barges in mid-crisis, misreads the room, and accuses Kingfisher of bringing the smell of sex into Saeris’s chambers after a night of drinking and “whoring.” Instead of embarrassing Saeris by correcting her, Kingfisher apologizes, claims the blame, and leaves for the bathhouse, telling Everlayne to have Ren inform him where he is and instructing Saeris (calling her “Osha”) to be ready to practice what they did “yesterday.” Saeris is startled that Kingfisher covered for her, but dread returns as the quicksilver chant echoes in Saeris’s mind and the coming afternoon’s training looms.

Later, in the freezing library, Saeris pushes to study quicksilver and pathways instead of court politics, arguing that Belikon’s one-week deadline is already closing. Rusarius and Everlayne agree the stakes are severe: if Saeris cannot activate quicksilver, Belikon may punish Kingfisher—and possibly Saeris as well. Saeris asks how Alchemists controlled destinations through pools, and Rusarius explains they traveled by intention: focusing on a place or even a desired resource, though the method sometimes sent explorers somewhere fatal or unknown.

Rusarius confirms Belikon’s enormous quicksilver pool lies deep beneath the Winter Palace, reachable through many tunnels. While taking notes on other courts’ pools, Saeris privately forms a plan: if intent guides travel, she may be able to think of Zilvaren and the Silver City, wake the quicksilver, and go home—though she recognizes there is one thing she must do first.