On the icy banks of the River Volta after the slaughter at San Guillaume, Gabriel realizes Dior is a girl, not the boy she had pretended to be. Shocked and grieving, they confirm the deaths of Saoirse and Phoebe at Danton’s hands and Sister Chloe’s death in the river. Dior screams a vow of vengeance at the monastery across the river until Gabriel stops her, warning that Danton may cross if they delay.

Dior accuses Gabriel of planning to leave her at the Volta as agreed, but Gabriel refuses to abandon her and gives her his greatcoat. As the cold worsens, Dior repeatedly falls from exhaustion and hypothermia, so Gabriel carries her to cliffs above the river, where he finds an abandoned wolf den for shelter. To keep Dior awake, he places Ashdrinker in her hands and instructs the sword to tell her stories while he gathers fuel.

Gabriel returns with wood, starts a fire, and tends his injuries while Dior, steadier in the warmth, listens to Ashdrinker’s song and brings up the battle at the Twins and the Forever King’s threat. Gabriel dismisses hero worship, insisting he only delayed the king’s conquest. Their talk turns to Dior’s disguise; she explains she posed as a boy for safety, listing the freedoms it afforded her in a world that preys on girls, and hints at abuse in her past.

Dior recounts her childhood: a poppy-addicted, alcoholic mother in Lashaame, an unknown father, and a horrific memory of finding a rat crawling from her mother’s mouth before her mother’s death. Living on the streets from about eleven, she cut her hair, stole a coat, and survived with a gang. She admits that after learning of the prophecy from Sister Chloe and Père Rafa, she briefly hoped things might be all right, but laments that everyone leaves—naming Saoirse, Chloe, and a person called Toff.

Despite his earlier plan to stop at the Volta, Gabriel recognizes Dior has no one left and decides to stay with her. He proposes traveling by day to the cityfort Redwatch to plan their next steps. Dior tests his morals and boundaries with teasing and a revelation about her attraction to women; Gabriel is nonjudgmental, and they share warmth under his coat, lying back to back by the fire.

As they settle in, Gabriel apologizes for the dead, Dior echoes the sentiment, and she fears Danton’s return. Gabriel reassures her that the river will delay Danton for now and promises to keep watch. Dior thanks him softly before trying to sleep, and Gabriel vows protection: “Fear no darkness.”