Gideon drags himself up from the flooded tunnels, only to hear Laila fire her pistol and curse that the Crimson Moth has locked them inside the mine room. Gideon tries to wrench the tarnished latch open despite his bleeding thigh, but the door will not budge, and he seethes over how close he came to unmasking her before she stabbed him.

Laila shoots out through the broken window, claiming her last shot may have hit the fleeing figure. The possibility that the Moth could be Rune Winters unsettles Gideon, but he forces himself back into certainty: regardless of identity, the Moth is a killer and an enemy of the Republic. Gideon also fixates on a detail that troubles him—why the Moth chose to wound his leg instead of killing him outright.

Looking out, Gideon and Laila see a blood-red moth-shaped spell fluttering near the lantern by the door, confirming the lock is magical and will hold until the spell fades. Laila admits she never saw the Moth’s face and regrets they did not bring hounds or more soldiers; Gideon privately recognizes he left the Tasker brothers behind after their brutality, and he also avoided bringing hounds because of his conflicted feelings about using them on Rune.

Gideon lays out the implication that changes his priorities: the Moth arrived at a location Gideon gave to only one person, Rune Winters, meaning Rune is either the Crimson Moth or working with her. Laila warns that if Rune realizes Gideon set a trap, she will flee the island.

Instead of racing straight to the docks, Gideon makes a calculated split: Laila is to return to headquarters, assemble a hunting party, and ensure no ships leave port tonight. Gideon heads for the Creeds’ masked ball at Oakhaven Park, reasoning that if Rune is uninvolved she will still attend—and if she is there, Gideon will arrest Rune for treason.