Oak drifts in and out of consciousness in his cell, suffering from Valen's torture. The storm hag Bogdana visits to deliver him foul food and threats, accusing him of using his gancanagh charm on the huldu servant Fernwaif. Bogdana reveals that Wren (Suren) interceded to keep Fernwaif safe, but warns Oak that her vengeance against the Greenbriars for Mab's ancient wrong remains unchanged—she intends to use Oak as bait to lure the High King, certain Wren will eventually destroy him.

Hours later, three guards come to fetch Oak. Believing he is being taken to torture, he attacks them, slipping into a dissociative combat state that increasingly frightens him. Hyacinthe arrives and snaps him back, explaining Wren has summoned him to supper. Hyacinthe escorts Oak through the Citadel without restraints, treating him with surprising decency.

Through the ice walls, Oak observes massive troll kings building a defensive wall around the Citadel, realizing Wren has rapidly amassed formidable power. Pressed about Wren's gaunt appearance, Hyacinthe confides that her unmaking magic is consuming her—she is formed of magic, and each use destroys her further. Bogdana is pushing her to keep using it. Hyacinthe urges Oak to convince Wren to release him at dinner, or else escape; he mentions a guard shift at dawn.

Hyacinthe brings Oak to a finely appointed tower room with two non-iron locks, leaves the key on the mantel, and provides clothing and a book, Magic Tricks for Dummies. Inside the book, Oak finds a dried stalk of ragwort—a means of escape. Dressed in fine clothing, Oak is escorted to dinner where Wren waits, regal but visibly harrowed and defensive. She questions him about his injuries, and Oak, unable to expose Valen without endangering Hyacinthe, deflects with a joke that immediately sours the encounter.