Haunted by nightmares of Nan’s death and years of sleepless guilt, Rune Winters wakes feverish and rides Lady to the shore before dawn to clear her head. When she returns to Wintersea House, Lizbeth meets her with the New Herald.

The front-page report claims a “witch attack”: Captain Gideon Sharpe’s late-night raid on a print shop ended in an explosion, followed by a second blast at Blood Guard headquarters. With twenty-seven confirmed dead and no names listed, Rune panics and rides hard for the capital, terrified Gideon is among the casualties.

At the print shop’s smoking ruin, Rune pushes through bystanders and asks for survivors and names, but no one has seen Gideon. She rides on to the burned-out Blood Guard headquarters, the shattered former Royal Library, and wonders if Cressida Roseblood caused the attacks.

Refusing to wait for news, Rune goes to Old Town and pounds on Gideon’s tenement door until her hands hurt. When no one answers, she breaks down on his doorstep, overwhelmed by grief and longing she doesn’t want to name.

Gideon suddenly appears—alive, injured, and bloodstained—and demands to know why Rune is there. Rune sobs that she thought he was dead and admits the fear felt like being held underwater. Gideon, shaken and tender, tells Rune she has never been more beautiful; he explains he was at the hospital with a hurt friend. Drawn to him despite the danger, Rune kisses Gideon back, agrees to come inside, and he leads her through the door.