Lidia escorts Irithys, the imprisoned Queen of the Fire Sprites, through the Asteri palace and deliberately avoids the dungeons, claiming she wants to “warm her up” before using her. Lidia brings Irithys into a quiet interrogation room where Hilde, a Grand Hag of the Imperial Coven, sits chained in gorsian shackles. Lidia needles Hilde about betrayal and their shared witch history, while carefully keeping her own reactions hidden under palace surveillance.

Lidia frees Irithys from the crystal bubble and orders her to burn Hilde’s hand, expecting the sprite queen to relish hurting the hag who collared her. Irithys refuses repeatedly, insisting honor forbids attacking a helpless enemy. When Irithys will not comply even under threat, Lidia coldly seals her back into the crystal, declaring she has no use for her if she won’t obey.

As Lidia leaves, Hilde demands to know what will happen to her; Lidia tells Hilde to beg Rigelus for mercy and exits. In private reflection, Lidia reveals she framed Hilde two days earlier by planting Lidia’s own comm-crystal in Hilde’s pocket; when Mordoc “found” it based on Lidia’s suspicion, the Asteri’s investigation gained a new, useful thread. Lidia returns Irithys to the mystics’ hall and, with time running short, abandons further attempts to recruit her.

Elsewhere, Bryce and Nesta continue through the ancient tunnels in tense silence until they reach a vast chamber split by a narrow stone bridge over a deep chasm with a roaring subterranean river. Nesta warns it is ideal for an ambush but admits no one has ever come this way; she reveals she volunteered to retrieve Bryce, claiming intuition. They cross anyway, and talons begin skittering from above and below as leathery bat-lizard creatures swarm the tunnel mouth.

A massive, blind Middengard Wyrm surges up from the chasm, snapping flying creatures out of the air as Bryce panics and freezes on the bridge. Nesta grabs and drags Bryce into the tunnel to safety. Afterward, Nesta chastises Bryce for freezing, and Bryce fixates on the word “Middengard,” wondering if the monster connects to Midgard; Nesta doesn’t know, but notes such wyrms are rare. Questioning Bryce’s starlight, Nesta shares that Amren recognized Bryce’s story about Theia, and confirms Theia was once High Queen of these lands before leaving—forcing Bryce to confront that her Starborn lineage ties her to this world’s old royalty.