Ithan helps Jesiba pack artifacts when Jesiba receives a terse phone call and orders Ithan to follow her—armed with the loaded Godslayer Rifle. Jesiba leads him through the House of Flame and Shadow to a natural stone chamber filled with a silent crowd. At its center stands the Astronomer, who immediately identifies Ithan and threatens him.

Aboard the Depth Charger, Tharion joins Bryce, Hunt, Ruhn, Flynn, Declan, Baxian, and Lidia at dinner as they plan their arrival on Avallen. They trade warnings about King Morven and the “Murder Twins,” mind-reading enforcers loyal to Morven, and debate how to access Avallen’s restricted archives and the Cave of Princes. Bryce admits she intends to go into forbidden places anyway, believing the Cave of Princes may hold information about the Starsword and the “portal to nowhere.”

Lidia announces she will accompany them to Avallen because the Ocean Queen is pressuring her to resume undercover work and because a new, more dangerous Asteri mech-suit has been created—one that requires no pilot and is being stationed atop Mount Hermon. Lidia argues that stopping the suits directly would require an army they do not have, and claims she is more useful learning whatever Avallen can reveal, even if it means effectively monitoring Bryce for the Ocean Queen.

Later, Bryce and Lidia meet with the fire sprite sisters Sasa and Rithi (with Malana absent and unwell on the ship). Bryce and Lidia explain that Irithys—the sprite queen—has been freed from the Asteri palace but is missing and possibly afraid to seek her people. Bryce asks the sprites to find Irithys, support her, and persuade her to aid Midgard against the Asteri; Bryce cites Lehabah’s sacrifice against Micah as proof sprites can change the course of a fight. The sisters agree to search for Irithys and to fight when the time comes.

That night, Bryce checks in on Lidia’s wellbeing and offers her someone to talk to besides Ruhn, who continues to ignore Lidia. In Bryce and Hunt’s bunk, Bryce admits she lacks a strong plan to handle Morven beyond using the Autumn King’s notes, and she worries her “breeding potential” is no longer a political bargaining chip. Hunt and Bryce choose comfort over conflict, recommit to each other, and Bryce notes Avallen’s mist may be a “thin place” that even the Asteri cannot penetrate—raising the question of why Avallen has been left alone.

Back in the chamber, the Astronomer accuses Ithan of stealing something beyond the earlier dispute over sprites and a dragon. Ithan confronts the Astronomer’s claim of ownership over the Fendyr heir, but the Astronomer demands payment and insists the heir be returned to him. Before the confrontation can turn deadly, Queen Hypaxia Enador arrives and declares the Fendyr heir will never belong to the Astronomer again, as Jesiba pointedly welcomes the necromancer’s presence.