In the ship’s morgue, Bryce, Hunt, Ruhn, Tharion, and Cormac stand over Sofie’s preserved body. Cormac finally breaks his silence, admits he always feared she was dead, and openly mourns her, recalling how they met and blaming himself for not going back for her. Bryce and Ruhn try to comfort him while the reality of Sofie’s loss hardens from uncertainty into fact.

Tharion then reveals that Sofie carved a string of letters and numbers into her upper arm while she was drowning, which suggests she meant to leave behind a clue. The group wonders whether the mer found her because Sofie or Emile used thunderbird light as a signal, and Ruhn says Declan can investigate the code once they return home. Cormac, now certain Sofie is gone, declares that he must intensify his search for Emile, while Bryce and the others shift to the practical danger ahead: the Hind, Ophion, and the Asteri now all have reason to target them. Bryce proposes that they claim they went to Ydra to stop Pippa and Ophion, and Hunt notes that the destroyed rebel base supports that lie. Bryce ends the scene by promising they will make their enemies pay.

Later, in the Ocean Queen’s command center, Tharion studies the hidden military technology of the mer and questions Commander Sendes about the Ocean Queen’s goals. Sendes explains that the Ocean Queen has aided rebels for years and does oppose the Asteri, but not because she wants their throne; according to Sendes, the Ocean Queen remembers a time of elected leaders and wants that restored. Tharion’s cynicism, shaped by service to the River Queen, makes him doubt such motives, and the contrast between the two queens deepens his unease about his own loyalties.

Tharion then asks whether Sofie’s body can be released to him on the River Queen’s behalf. Sendes immediately suspects a darker purpose and suggests that only necromancy would justify such effort, meaning the River Queen might want to reanimate a thunderbird into a soul-less weapon. The idea horrifies Tharion, who realizes Cormac will never surrender Sofie’s body and that he will have to lie to his queen. When Sendes gently tells Tharion that he could be more in a place like this, and that he could come to them for help, her kindness leaves him shaken and even less willing to return home.

That night, Ruhn lies awake in the shared quarters while Cormac remains with Sofie’s body. Day reaches Ruhn through their mental bridge, worried by reports of the attack on Ydra, and Ruhn angrily questions her about Pippa’s role in killing innocents. Day condemns Pippa as a fanatic, mourns Sofie sincerely, and argues that many people still work with Ophion because no one else has built a force capable of resisting the Asteri. Their conversation turns personal: Ruhn admits the Oracle said he would be the last of his bloodline, and Day tells him he has the kindness to be a father anyway. To soothe him, Day tells Ruhn a story while stroking his hair, and Ruhn falls asleep with his head in her lap. When he wakes and approaches her couch, Day recoils at the boundary he nearly crosses, abruptly finishes the story, and withdraws, leaving their growing intimacy mixed with tension and secrecy.