The chapter is told from The Villain's (Trystan's) perspective as he leads his Malevolent Guards on a dangerous mission to capture a guvre—a serpentine, color-shifting magical creature—near the western edges of Hickory Forest. The guvre has been lounging by a cliffside for over a week, and Trystan has been tracking it for years. He recalls having seen a female guvre once before, long ago, but forces himself away from that dark memory. The male guvre is strikingly colorful and fast, with venomous purple breath that melts trees and ground on contact.

Trystan takes charge of administering the sleeping draught himself, insisting it must be him. His guards—including Keeley, Andrea, and Dante—serve as distractions, waving their arms to keep the guvre's attention. The plan is for Trystan to get the vial of concentrated sleeping draught into the creature's mouth. He strips down to lighter combat attire and creeps behind the beast while his guards maintain their dangerous diversions. He acknowledges to himself that this is essentially a suicide mission.

Using his gray-mist magic to briefly hold the guvre's attention, Trystan waits for the creature to open its mouth. His magic shatters after a few seconds—he isn't powerful enough to restrain a creature this large—but those seconds are enough. As the guvre unleashes its melting breath, Trystan uncaps the vial with his teeth and hurls it down the creature's throat. The breath scorches his forehead badly, nearly reaching bone, but the draught takes effect quickly and the guvre collapses. Dante suffers a minor burn that also comically burns away part of his pants, amusing the other guards.

Trystan orders his guards to load the unconscious guvre into a specially made carted cage. He reflects on the strategic significance of the capture: King Benedict has been trying to acquire a guvre for years, and Trystan needs the male to eventually lure and catch the female. Furthermore, Trystan intends for news of the capture to reach King Benedict through the office traitor—this is a deliberate part of his larger plan. He also notes that removing the dragon's collar has awakened an unwelcome sense of compassion in him. The chapter ends with Trystan spotting a yellow flower that reminds him of Evie Sage, and he reflects that while King Benedict ruined him, he doesn't feel ruined when he's with Evie—he feels reborn, which he considers a disaster.