In the days after Sabine’s claim that Danika stole the Horn, Bryce becomes withdrawn, barely eating or speaking. Hunt gives her space and fields Micah’s impatience as the investigation stalls. Ruhn visits, and they discuss the kristallos’s magic-eating effect and its origins. He relays a medwitch’s tip about a new synthetic healing magic that could, in theory, repair the Horn. Bryce then tells Ruhn about Sabine’s confession. They touch on the Starsword’s missing knife and old Fae prophecies, banter with Lehabah, and briefly clash over the Autumn King before Flynn’s call pulls Ruhn back to the barracks.

An otter messenger from Tharion arrives with a packet. Inside are notes and a photo of a dryad corpse recovered from a sobek’s lair. The body shows chest cavity damage and bite-like wounds reminiscent of the kristallos, but Tharion notes the victim was dead before the sobek moved it.

Lab tests detect venom that negated magic, matching the kristallos. Records reveal two similar unidentified bodies around the time Danika died and five more this month. The victims were reported missing with delays, suggesting vulnerable targets, and their bodies likely entered the river via the sewers.

Comparing wounds, Bryce realizes Danika and the Pack of Devils were left in piles without organ-focused injuries or venom; the kristallos targets hearts and organs. She concludes the kristallos likely killed the river victims but not Danika. Suspecting multiple demons were summoned that night, Bryce insists they bring in someone who can weigh in and asks Hunt to promise not to go ballistic.