Isaiah alerts Hunt to another murder. Seeing Bryce unravel, Hunt calmly grounds her through breathing until she chooses to go but asks to avoid Ruhn seeing her shaken. Hunt flies her to an alley in Asphodel Meadows near the Mortal Gate.

At the scene, Isaiah confirms the victim was a Luna’s Temple guard on duty the night the Horn was stolen; cameras caught nothing. Hunt notes such evasion implies insider knowledge of every camera. Bryce plots the murders on her phone and shows Hunt, Ruhn, Flynn, and Declan that each occurred near major avenues riding the city’s ley lines, suggesting the summoner draws power from them. Hunt has Isaiah task Viktoria to scan cameras and firstlight grid data along Main, Central, and Ward for anomalies.

Declan warns Bryce that Hunt serves Micah’s dirty work; Hunt admits his lack of choice. As they leave, Hunt confides his history and abiding love for Shahar, saying hookups cannot dislodge it. Bryce shares past crushes and a disastrous vampyr fling, easing the tension from the crime scene.

Sabine intercepts them, demands her sword, and spits insults at Bryce. Hunt nearly retaliates, but Bryce restrains him. Hunt lifts Bryce skyward, carries her home, and promises they will find who is responsible.

Later, Declan calls: he separated audio threads from the blackout and detects Rose Gate sounds in the “temple” clip, proving the footage was swapped. Tracing clearance, he finds the official leading that video review was Sabine Fendyr, implicating her team in a cover-up.