Hunt receives word from Isaiah about a new murder in Asphodel Meadows. Recognizing Bryce's rising panic at the prospect of another crime scene, Hunt sends Ruhn and his friends ahead and stays behind with Bryce. He holds her trembling, sweat-slicked hands and coaches her through breathing exercises until she steadies. He brushes back a strand of her hair before flying her to the scene.

The murder took place in a seedy alley near the North Gate. Isaiah reports the victim was a guard from Luna's Temple who had been on duty the night the Horn was stolen, putting the time of death at thirty minutes prior. The kill suggests the murderer is either anticipating their investigation or independently interrogating witnesses. No cameras caught the demon, and no civilian sightings were reported, which Hunt notes would require knowledge of the city's hidden camera placements—implying someone with high-level clearance is involved.

Bryce studies a city map and realizes all the murders—Tertian's, the acolyte's, Danika's pack, and now this one—occurred within steps of major avenues that run along ley lines, natural channels through which firstlight flows to the Gates. She theorizes the summoner draws on ley-line power to bring the demon into the world. Hunt instructs Isaiah to have Viktoria search camera footage along Main, Central, and Ward for power surges or temperature drops that might coincide with a summoning, and to check the firstlight grid.

As Bryce and Hunt leave the scene, Declan warns Bryce that Hunt does the Governor's dirty work and that his goals may not align with hers. Hunt acknowledges the system is unjust. Walking home, Hunt and Bryce trade personal stories: Hunt reveals his enduring love for Shahar, the Daystar who led the failed angelic rebellion and was killed by the Asteri, saying she "ruined" him for anyone else. Bryce shares her teenage crush on Flynn and a disastrous vampyr hookup. Hunt begins to say something about his feelings for Bryce but is interrupted when they encounter Sabine Fendyr on the street, who verbally attacks Bryce, demanding the return of a sword and calling her a slut. Bryce restrains Hunt from retaliating and they fly home.

On the rooftop, Hunt promises Bryce they will find the killer. Later that night, Declan calls with a breakthrough: analyzing the audio from the temple's security footage during the blackout, he discovered the audio was secretly swapped—it actually captured sounds from the Rose Gate across the city, not the temple. He traced the swap to the official who headed the video investigation that night: Sabine Fendyr.