Ruthless Vows
by Rebecca Ross
Contents
29. Fifth-Floor Signals
Overview
Iris returns home to find that Sarah and Forest have quietly become close, giving Forest a source of healing while underscoring how much has changed during Iris’s absence. Sarah also reveals that Oath is slipping under the control of the masked Graveyard, suggesting the city is more unstable than Iris knew and that Verlice may no longer command events.
Using Sarah’s help at the Gazette, Iris follows the man collecting Roman’s articles and uncovers a major connection when he leads her to the Kitt Estate. The chapter shifts Iris from reunion and observation into active investigation, opening a new path toward the magical network and Dacre’s hidden reach in Oath.
Summary
Iris returns to her flat and is startled to find Sarah Prindle arriving with dinner for Forest. Over tea, Sarah nervously explains that she and Forest have grown close while Iris was away. Sarah began visiting after finding Forest sitting alone in the dark, grieving and withdrawn after the war and Iris’s absence; repeated dinners and conversations slowly turned into a bond, and Iris realizes Sarah has become an important comfort to her brother.
The mood shifts when gunfire sounds outside. Sarah explains that a masked group called the Graveyard now patrols Oath at night, enforcing a curfew and claiming to protect the city while hunting for Enva. Iris pieces together that the city’s unrest has been building for some time and begins to understand that Chancellor Verlice may be losing control, which helps explain why he refused to let Enva’s army enter Oath.
Forest soon bursts in, soaked from the rain and frightened by the gunshot, expecting Sarah to be in danger. He is shocked to find Iris home, then embraces her with obvious joy. During dinner, Iris notices the tenderness between Forest and Sarah, and the sight makes her happy for them even as it sharpens her own longing for Roman and her fear for the danger surrounding him.
After the meal, Iris quietly asks Sarah about the mysterious man who has been collecting Roman’s articles from the Gazette. Learning that he will return at nine the next morning, Iris asks Sarah to signal from the fifth-floor window with her handkerchief as soon as the man leaves. Iris does not explain everything, but she reveals her aim: she needs to find a magical door.
The next morning, Iris waits outside the Oath Gazette and watches for Sarah’s signal. When Sarah raises the handkerchief, Iris spots the cloaked courier leaving the building and follows him through the city. He eventually crosses into the wealthy district known as the Crown and enters a grand estate behind iron gates. When Iris reads the name carved into the stone pillar, she discovers a crucial lead: the courier has gone to the Kitt Estate.
Who Appears
- Iris Winnowreturns home, learns new truths about Oath, and tails Dacre’s courier to the Kitt Estate
- Sarah Prindlereveals her growing relationship with Forest, explains the Graveyard, and signals Iris from the Gazette
- Forest WinnowIris’s brother; warmly reunited with Iris and shown to be quietly falling for Sarah
- Dacre’s courierhooded man who collects Roman’s articles and leads Iris to an important estate
- Chancellor Verlicediscussed as a leader who may be losing control of Oath to the Graveyard
- Roman Kittabsent but central; his article courier becomes Iris’s lead toward a magical door