The White Raven nightclub explodes around Bryce and the others. Bryce instinctively throws herself over Juniper to shield her from the blast, despite not having made the Drop and thus lacking the healing advantages of a fully powered Vanir. In the aftermath, Juniper slaps Bryce and berates her for the reckless act, pointing out that she herself made the Drop two years ago and would have recovered, while Bryce could have died. Hunt takes charge, carrying a shell-shocked Bryce to Ruhn's nearby house while Ruhn stays to assess the situation.

At Ruhn's house, Hunt tends to Bryce's injuries—cleaning blood from her ears, removing shards of metal and stone from her knees, and applying healing solution. While treating her, he notices the thick scar on her thigh from his hasty battlefield stitching at the Raven, realizing her occasional limp comes not from her shoes but from that old wound she never had healed. Bryce deflects with humor, then asks whether the bombing is connected to their investigation. Hunt thinks it's unlikely a targeted attack on them specifically but acknowledges possible links to the Keres rebel faction associated with the imprisoned Philip Briggs.

Ruhn returns with grim news: the bomb was a liquid explosive smuggled in a wine delivery, bearing the human rebels' calling card. More troubling, a branded image on the crate could depict either a warped C for Crescent City or a curved horn, potentially a warning connected to their search for the Horn. Hunt immediately calls Isaiah to begin arranging a visit to Briggs at Adrestia Prison, reasoning that even if Briggs didn't personally orchestrate the attack, he may know who did or may be protecting someone.

Ruhn then reveals that the Autumn King has learned of Bryce's involvement in the Horn search and demands she have a live-in guard. Ruhn volunteers, but Bryce flatly refuses, instead choosing Hunt as her guard—exploiting the Autumn King's imprecise wording. She also strikes a bargain with Ruhn: he can search Jesiba's library beneath the gallery for information about the Horn, in exchange for putting his friend Declan Emmet's hacking skills at her disposal to retrieve Danika's last movements from the Den archives.

After Bryce and Hunt leave, the Autumn King calls Ruhn, warning him not to let the angels get the Horn and threatening punishment for revealing royal secrets. Ruhn reflects on the Oracle's prophecy from his youth—that the royal bloodline would end with him—a secret he has kept from his father by lying about what the Oracle actually said. He also recalls his past fear that the prophecy might endanger Bryce, relieved only because she was never formally recognized as part of the royal line. Ruhn hangs up on his father's threats, unmoved.