In Qali Palace on an island in Idle Lake, Mikail meets with General Salosa, the palace guard commander, who needles him with bureaucratic delay and demands updates on a planned assassination. Mikail reports there is no change and confirms the timing is still set for after the tuhko game; Salosa matches Mikail’s phrasing by saying the king’s security posture is also “no change.” Salosa orders Mikail to bring the “traitors” in alive and promises a reward.

Mikail walks back through the western halls toward the Hall of Spies, reflecting on Qali’s opulence and his contempt for its power structures. In his sparse office, Mikail lights a smoky fire in the large fireplace as a precaution against anyone hiding in or listening from the chimney.

Zahara, Mikail’s deputy who came to him through King Joon, enters. When Mikail asks if she was responsible for Count Dal’s death, Zahara’s reaction confirms she killed him. Zahara warns that King Joon is “making moves,” and Mikail presses her about the assassin Thorn, who was killed in Aseyo; Zahara says Thorn was not sent by their spies and that Salosa claims Thorn was operating outside Qali with an unknown target, implying a rogue assassin.

Mikail queries broader intelligence. Zahara reports Khitan remains unchanged: Queen Quilimar wears the ring, holds court, and her young son is still alive “for now.” In Gaya, Zahara has no answers yet about the missing laoli cache Mikail found in Oosant, though suspicion is falling neatly on the eastern count; Mikail orders the pursuit continued. In Wei, the priest king’s grip holds despite their efforts, and two more agents have disappeared. Zahara also confirms the northern and western counts are in Tamneki, with no sign of the southern count.

Before leaving, Zahara asks whether Mikail will bring in the traitors tonight and tells him, “Safety in death,” a spy’s farewell that also functions as advice to choose death over capture. Mikail recognizes the implication: deliver bodies rather than prisoners. With the bells striking three, Mikail leaves Qali, choosing to cross the bridge over Idle Lake and reflecting on the iku beneath the glassy surface and how traitors are sometimes fed to them. He reaches the far shore and resolves to bring in the traitors, one way or another.