Gabriel de León and Aaron de Coste sense Marianne Luncóit’s arrival at the feast as she appears among the noblewomen like a phantom. Gabriel, Greyhand, and Talon recognize her as an Ancien, the most dangerous kind of vampire, and watch as she entrances the ballroom and accepts a dance with a foppish gent.

Concerned for the crowd, Aaron argues that confronting Marianne inside would endanger everyone, and Talon orders the group to wait for her to feed and then follow her to her nest for a daylight strike. Greyhand assigns Aaron to charm information from the footmen outside and places Gabriel at the entrance while he and Talon watch the flanks. Talon warns Gabriel to shield his mind with thoughts of servile drudgery if noticed.

Gabriel observes Adrien, the dark-haired youth posing as Marianne’s son, who probes Gabriel’s mind and realizes he is armed. Adrien silently alerts Marianne; she fixes her attention on Gabriel, confirming he is no ordinary servant. Marianne then moves to leave with a spellbound girl, and Gabriel recognizes the victim as Aaron’s cousin, Véronique de Coste.

Unable to let Véronique be taken, Gabriel disobeys orders and confronts Marianne, drawing on a sudden silver, holy light emanating from his sevenstar and throat. The light repels Marianne’s mental assault and breaks her hold on Véronique. With Talon and Greyhand closing in, Marianne hurls Véronique aside and escapes by crashing through the ballroom windows into the night, prompting the hunters to pursue.

Chaos erupts as a dead serving girl is discovered, drained with puncture wounds to her throat. Outside, Gabriel aids Aaron in subduing a bearded Ossian thrall, noticing Aaron has been stabbed during the scuffle. Enraged by the lost opportunity and Gabriel’s defiance, Talon beats Gabriel, and Greyhand draws his sword to execute him for disobedience.

With nobles and guards watching, Aaron intervenes, revealing the thrall has confessed the vampires’ nest: an estate near Falls Bridge on Silver Lane. Talon doubts they will return, but Aaron argues they need every blade for the coming fight. Greyhand spares Gabriel for the moment, warning that if Luncóit escapes and kills again, the guilt is Gabriel’s, and promising a reckoning at San Michon. The hunters break to gather their gear and prepare to destroy the nest.