Iris returns with Enva's forces to Oath in cold rain, expecting relief after the journey west. Instead, Chancellor Verlice meets the army at the city outskirts and declares that Oath will remain neutral ground. Because of that decision, he refuses to let the troops enter the city and only allows them to camp in a field outside it. When Keegan asks for shelter and treatment for the wounded, Verlice refuses immediate admission and says he must first consult his council.

Iris and Attie listen to the exchange as reporters, and Iris is furious that Verlice treats Enva's army like an invading force rather than allies who came to defend the city. Verlice notices Iris watching him and leaves under the clear threat that she will write about what he has done. The result is immediate: the soldiers must raise tents in mud and rain with limited comfort, while the wounded remain outside the city walls.

Before leaving, Iris urges Marisol and Lucy to stay with her in the city, but Marisol refuses because she wants to remain with Keegan. Marisol tries to steady Iris by comparing their situation to an albatross that flies into a storm instead of fleeing it, arguing that they have already survived worse and must trust their own strength. Iris hears the encouragement, but she also notices Marisol's exhaustion and understands that harder trials are still ahead.

Tobias then drives Iris and Attie back into Oath. Iris returns to her flat and is unsettled because home no longer feels fully familiar, though she finds signs that Forest has been caring for himself, including medicine and fresh flowers. She starts boiling water and sets up her typewriter to write an angry article about Verlice's refusal. When the front door opens, Iris expects Forest, but the person entering is Prindle, shocking her and ending the chapter on a sudden new turn.