On a bleak shore after a two-week voyage, Deaglán says farewell to his companions as Lir keeps him apart for a coming test at Fornax. Conor, Fearghus, Seanna, and Miach each embrace him, and Tara quietly tells him that he has nothing to fear from Fornax because he has already been judged worthy. As Deaglán leaves with Lir, he reflects on his growing belief that the nasceann and the druids’ staffs depend on ancient objects that somehow provide Will.

During several difficult days of travel, Lir remains guarded, but Deaglán gradually learns more about the crisis among the druids. Lir admits that Ruarc has drawn part of the Grove into open support for King Fiachra, which violates the druids’ duty to remain separate from kings and wars. When Deaglán presses him, Lir says his loyalty is not to a ruler but to an uncorrupted Grove, making clear how deeply the schism has wounded him.

The journey then brings them near Didean, where Deaglán once lived, and Lir allows a brief detour. Deaglán finds Onchú’s homestead burned to ruins, animals slaughtered, the storage cave broken open, and a fresh cairn that implies someone has been buried there. Lir admits the stop was deliberate as well as convenient: he wanted Deaglán to know what happened and to sharpen his purpose, reminding him that more lives than his friends’ are at stake in the struggle ahead.

That night, after Lir sleeps, Deaglán feels the familiar pulse that seems tied to the nasceann. Believing Lir would only stop him, Deaglán quietly takes a replacement spear, lights a torch, and follows the sensation across the moonlit moors. The pulse grows stronger as he walks, and he eventually traces it to a lone figure seated by a small fire.

The figure wears white like a druid. When Deaglán calls out, the man answers in Common, immediately marking the encounter as strange and impossible. Then the man turns, and Deaglán recognizes his father, who greets him with the words, "Hail, Diago," ending the chapter with a revelation that throws Deaglán’s identity and past into doubt.