Vis, still hiding in Netiqret’s house in Duat under the name Siamun, watches a grand funeral procession from an upstairs window while measuring the uneasy stalemate between them. Netiqret keeps probing for the secret of how Vis controlled the Overseer, while Vis wants her help moving safely through the city without giving her leverage over him. After some tense conversation and a brief appearance by Kiya, Netiqret unexpectedly offers to take Vis to watch the funeral at the Temple of Ka, but insists that Ahmose stay behind.

Netiqret disguises Vis with kohl, fine clothes, a wig, and jewelry so that he will look like someone who belongs beside her. Once outside, Vis is struck by how much Duat resembles Caten beneath its obvious differences, and Netiqret uses the walk to teach him how to move through the city unnoticed. She explains that survival depends less on hiding than on avoiding unpredictable people and situations, because Overseers react mechanically and can be anticipated if nothing unusual draws their attention.

As they near the temple, Vis studies the immense obsidian walls and the heavily controlled entrance, trying to judge how hard it would be to reach Ka’s pyramid. When he fears the Overseers are checking faces, Netiqret explains Duat’s hierarchy: Ka rules through a central Nomarch, a collective controlling mind for the city, and the Overseers function more like its limbs than independent agents. Because the Nomarch only makes them verify identities when there is a specific reason, Vis is able to enter the temple courtyard with Netiqret unchallenged.

Inside the vast courtyard, Vis watches the funeral rites at the bridge to the west and realizes why Netiqret brought him. He deduces that she wants him to reach Duat’s Nomarch, because if Vis can control central iunctii as he did the Overseer, he could potentially seize control of the entire city. Netiqret does not deny it and presses again to learn how his ability works, but Vis refuses to explain, even though he recognizes that reaching the Nomarch might also help him understand Ka’s defenses and prepare for the greater confrontation ahead.

After they leave the temple, Netiqret takes Vis along the quieter river and shifts the conversation to Ahmose. She first asks whether Vis revived him and then bluntly offers to buy Ahmose, revealing how differently she values a iunctus life. When Vis rejects the idea and insists that Ahmose is his friend, Netiqret finally reveals the real reason for her questions: the Nomarch is searching for Ahmose, whom it now considers a dangerous liability. The chapter ends with Vis forced to confront a direct new threat to the companion he has been trying to protect.