Three days after fleeing San Guillaume, Gabriel and Dior moved slowly along the frozen Volta, starving and freezing. Gabriel had killed two wretched (a mother and son) but could not use their blood, wasting it in the snow, and his thirst burned ever fiercer. Dior kept up a stream of questions to distract them both, asking about Ashdrinker’s origins and powers; Gabriel explained the sword was true magik, forged from a fallen star, once able to “cut the night in two,” but now damaged and sometimes confused. He admitted Ashdrinker can foretell deaths, then teased Dior with a fake prophecy before doubling over from thirst pain.

As Wintersdeep tightened, they spotted a barge on the Volta. The crew, wary of strangers, demanded a test, but when Gabriel revealed his sevenstar, captain Carlisle á Cuinn sent a skiff to bring them aboard. The barge carried trade goods and dozens of refugees, likely fleeing Dyvok bloodlords. Gabriel’s condition worsened; Dior asked Carlisle to hasten for Redwatch, which he did, estimating two days’ travel. Gabriel warned Dior never to offer her blood, insisting he would not become an animal, and she promised.

During the voyage, Dior told Gabriel about a dying refugee named Boyd from Dún Cuinn, traveling with his wife Brenna and their daughters, his leg black with infection. Gabriel recognized the sepsis and warned Dior not to reveal her healing gift among suspicious peasantfolk who might call her a witch. They argued, but Gabriel stressed the dangers from Danton, the masked bloodmage, and the Inquisition, blaming Rafa’s order for alerting Augustin. Dior hinted she understood persecution firsthand, alluding to the Inquisitors who chased her from Dhahaeth.

Gabriel’s thirst surged again, fangs lengthening, and he struggled to stay in control. Dior produced a stolen flask of liquor—lifted from Carlisle—to help him sleep through the pain. Gabriel downed it, and Dior promised to keep watch, while he muttered that blame belonged to the blacksmith, not the blade, and sank into a restless, near-prayerful darkness.