In the days following Sabine's revelation about Danika stealing the Horn, Bryce withdraws into a near-catatonic state of depression. She barely eats, stops running, and barely speaks to Hunt, going through the motions of work and sleep. Hunt gives her space, making her meals she ignores and watching helplessly. Micah calls once to ask about the Sabine lead, and Hunt tells him it was a dead end, sensing the Governor's growing anger over the unsolved case.

After five days, Ruhn visits the library. He shares news from the medwitch who treated Hunt: there's a relatively new synthetic healing magic on the market that heals at nearly double the rate of firstlight. They speculate this could be the substance capable of repairing the Horn, fitting the riddle about "light that's not light, magic that's not magic." Bryce then reluctantly fills Ruhn in about Sabine's revelation that Danika stole the Horn. She insists Danika must have stolen it to keep it from the killer, not for personal use. Ruhn also explains that the Starsword was forged as part of a pair with a long-bladed knife made from the same meteorite, but the knife was lost during the First Wars. A Fae prophecy states that when knife and sword are reunited, "so shall our people be."

The conversation turns briefly personal when Lehabah accidentally brings up the failed rebellion Hunt led, noting her great-grandmother fought alongside him. Hunt expresses guilt over the consequences his rebellion brought upon allied peoples, including the fire sprites. Bryce offers him a quiet, understanding gesture—touching her foot to his boot under the table—acknowledging his pain without judgment. Hunt is increasingly aware of his deepening feelings for Bryce, and Ruhn notices, warning him to "be careful" as he leaves.

Shortly after Ruhn departs, a message arrives from Tharion via an otter messenger. Tharion's research reveals a body recovered from a sobek's lair in the Istros—a dryad female with wounds consistent with kristallos venom, dead about five days, matching the night Hunt and Bryce were attacked. Further investigation found two similar bodies from around the time Danika and the Pack of Devils were killed, and five more this month, all reported missing persons without close connections. However, Bryce realizes that the kristallos's wounds—targeting hearts and organs—don't match the way Danika and the pack were killed, which left victims in demolished piles. She proposes that the kristallos was summoned to hunt for the Horn, but a different, unknown demon was responsible for the actual murders of Danika, the pack, and the other victims. Hunt and Bryce agree they need expert help to understand what really killed Danika, and Bryce asks Hunt to promise not to "go ballistic" about whoever she has in mind to consult.