The meeting between Micah, Jesiba, Bryce, Hunt, and Isaiah continues. Jesiba challenges Micah's competence and asserts that Bryce is her employee, not the 33rd's. Micah acknowledges that Philip Briggs was wrongly convicted of the murders but clarifies that Briggs will remain imprisoned for his earlier crimes related to the Keres sect and the human rebellion. This means a dangerous killer capable of summoning a lethal demon is still at large in Crescent City.

Micah reveals that the upcoming Summit—a gathering of Valbaran powers held every ten years—is just over a month away, and he needs the murders solved before attendees can use them to undermine his authority. He announces that the Asteri are sending Archangel Sandriel to deliver a Senate report, and she will be his guest at the Comitium for the entire month leading up to the Summit. This news shakes Hunt and Isaiah deeply. Sandriel is Hunt's former enslaver, and her triarii commander Pollux Antonius—the Hammer—will accompany her. Hunt knows Sandriel would never honor Micah's bargain to free him, making the political stakes deeply personal.

Micah then reveals the previously undisclosed connection: Maximus Tertian and Danika Fendyr were friends, and Bryce is the common link between both victims, having been at the White Raven nightclub on both nights murders occurred. Micah implies Bryce could even be a suspect. When Bryce suggests bringing in the Hind—Lidia Cervos, the Asteri's notorious spy-hunter—Micah refuses, wanting to keep the investigation contained within his city and away from Sandriel's intelligence network. He argues that since crime statistics suggest Danika knew her killer, Bryce is uniquely positioned to retrace Danika's final steps.

Jesiba negotiates compensation for Bryce's services, citing government bylaws about outside contractors. Micah assigns Isaiah to oversee the investigation's progress and Hunt to serve as Bryce's bodyguard during the search, which gives Hunt an excuse to avoid the Comitium while Sandriel is present but frustrates him as it won't count toward earning off his debts. Bryce agrees to help, coldly demanding that Micah destroy whoever is responsible. Jesiba signs off with a sardonic warning to Bryce not to die.

After the meeting, as Micah and Isaiah depart, Hunt tells Bryce to compile a list of suspects and a timeline of Danika's activities in her final days. Bryce dismisses him by activating the gallery's enchantments, forcing Hunt back with a burning jolt, and tells him through the intercom that she'll call him when she's ready.