Nesta is stopped by another Illyrian warrior, this one armed with a bow. By questioning him, Nesta realizes he has seen Emerie and left her in danger. When the male insults Emerie and tries to control her, Nesta pretends to submit, then throws her knife into his groin, disarms him, and leaves him screaming as she takes his bow and arrows and runs in the direction he came from.

Nesta reaches a river where several warriors are forming alliances and filling canteens. Hidden nearby, she overhears them talk about a female who escaped them and likely went into the rapids, confirming Emerie survived long enough to reach the river. Instead of attacking the males, Nesta follows the water downstream and finds Emerie unconscious, trapped against a fallen tree just before a deadly waterfall. Knowing delay could kill her, Nesta strips, crosses the freezing river rock by rock, frees Emerie, then binds Emerie to herself with the bow and a torn nightgown so she can carry Emerie back through the water.

Once back on shore, Nesta builds a fire, covers Emerie, and tries to warm them both, but realizes they are too exposed to survive the coming night. While searching for shelter, Nesta is approached by a wounded Illyrian named Balthazar, who points out a hidden cave. Suspicious, Nesta forces Balthazar to swear not to harm her or Emerie. She accepts his help carrying Emerie inside, and the three spend the night in the dark cave without a fire while beasts hunt outside and other warriors scream in the woods.

During the night, Balthazar explains that he wants to reach Ramiel and become Oristian rather than waste himself on pointless killing. Nesta stays awake the entire time, using her mind-stilling exercises to endure fear and exhaustion. At dawn, Balthazar leaves peacefully, and Nesta discovers the area outside is littered with mutilated, half-eaten Illyrian bodies, proving how narrowly she and Emerie escaped death.

In a brief shift away from the Rite, Cassian and Azriel continue searching Briallyn's territory for Eris. A human merchant tells Azriel that a red-haired Fae male was dragged into the queens' castle and will soon be moved elsewhere, so Cassian and Azriel decide to wait and track him from the skies. Cassian, exhausted and worried about Nesta, Feyre, and Rhys, clings to the belief that he would feel it if Nesta were dead. Back in the Rite, Nesta scavenges clothes, water, weapons, and food from the dead, returns to find Emerie awake, and uses the Made bracelet to confirm that Gwyn is still somewhere to the south. Emerie's bracelet reacts with urgent force, and the two decide they must move quickly to find her.