Gabriel, Aaron, and Greyhand enter Skyefall, a fog-drenched, silver-rich town whose opulence contrasts with signs of decay, sin, and unease. Greyhand warns that townsfolk may be vampire thralls and reminds Gabriel and Aaron of how their cursed nature draws mortal attention. The trio proceeds to the noble quarter to meet Alderman Alane de Blanchet under imperial authority.

In the de Blanchet mansion, they are received with ceremony; Greyhand quietly tests the alderman by touching him with his silvered tattoo. Skyefall’s young priest, Père Lafitte, is also present. De Blanchet, gaunt with grief, confirms that a wasting sickness has taken his ten-year-old son Claude and now afflicts his wife, Claudette; at least a dozen others have died, and rumors speak of disappearances and witchery.

The group ascends to Claudette’s chamber. Greyhand conducts methodical checks for fae or witchcraft, burning silverbell and scattering metal filings, which reveal no non-iron-traceable presence. He asks permission to examine Claudette closely. Tension rises as propriety and grief clash, with Aaron using his Ilon-blood charm to calm de Blanchet and keep the situation controlled.

Gabriel notices a spot of blood on the floor; Greyhand tears open Claudette’s nightshift to inspect. Amid protests from de Blanchet and Lafitte, Greyhand forces focus and reveals small, twinned scabs on Claudette’s nipple, noting more hidden between her legs. He identifies them as bite marks, indicating ongoing vampiric feeding rather than a simple plague.

Greyhand questions de Blanchet about recent visitors. De Blanchet names Marianne Luncóit, a prospector from Elidaen surveying claims along the Godsend, whose son Adrien often spent time with Claude during her work. Lafitte disapproves of Marianne’s failure to attend mass despite socializing, but admits he never met her. The pattern suggests a mobile outsider with access to the child.

Concluding that a vampire predator is at work and that the first death connects to the visitors, Greyhand asks where Claude was buried, implying the investigation will turn to the gravesite to confirm signs of vampirism and track the attacker.