Wendell writes in Emily Wilde’s journal after putting Emily back to bed, teasing her obsessive note-taking and admitting he read her earlier entry. In the cottage during a natural storm, he keeps watch with Shadow nearby and Orga asleep on his lap, noting that Orga has glamoured herself to look like an ordinary cat except for her coin-bright eyes. Wendell wonders why Lord Taran (his stepmother’s brother) both warned his stepmother about Emily and still left Emily a hidden escape route through an old door Wendell once enchanted.

Wendell recounts what he learned after waking: Emily and Ariadne were gone only a day in the mortal world, during which Rose watched for them at the Grünesauge with Astrid Haas. Eichorn and de Grey persuaded the villagers to let the group remain in the cottage a few more days, and Eberhard is recovering. When Emily and Ariadne finally burst from the nexus, Orga ran ahead to the cottage; Wendell was still weak and believes one more spell might have killed him.

As soon as Emily and Ariadne arrived, Orga “pounced” on the faerie poison inside Wendell. The poison manifested as blackbird-like creatures that fled into the room, and Orga killed them methodically until they were gone, freeing Wendell from the poison’s hold though leaving him deeply exhausted. Emily, shaken, told Wendell she had poisoned his stepmother and that they had been followed, while Wendell tried to assess what threat might be approaching.

Outside, Wendell and Ariadne saw the danger: Razkarden, the ancient leader of the throne-loyal guardians, leading a sizable flock. With no time to retreat, Wendell pulled Emily and Ariadne close and summoned the Veil—an ancient, terrifying darkness between realms that all faerie monarchs can draw upon. Trapped within it, Razkarden panicked and begged; Wendell offered his arm, and Razkarden clung to him for safety until Wendell banished the Veil, after which the guardians withdrew.

Rose and Wendell got the exhausted Emily and Ariadne to bed. Wanting only a glimpse of his realm rather than an immediate attempt to reclaim the throne, Wendell returned to the Grünesauge and discovered the brownie had sealed the nexus door, leaving no sign of it in the mountainside; angry, Wendell damaged the rock. Back at the cottage, Wendell found Emily asleep over her journal, cleaned her ink-stained cheek, and finishes by admitting how much he missed her and how unsurprised he is by what she is capable of doing.