Brother Diaz crawls out of the Adriatic onto a bleak, rainy beach, half-naked, exhausted, and shocked to have survived. Looking back, Brother Diaz sees the burning galley far out at sea, then notices a pale shape among the rocks and discovers Vigga lying face down in a rock pool.

Brother Diaz drags Vigga clear of the water with great difficulty and panics until Vigga stirs. When Vigga wakes, Brother Diaz stays with her as she breaks down sobbing, thirsty, and ashamed. In comforting Vigga, Brother Diaz reflects that he has lost sight of a priest’s duty to show mercy to the cursed and outcast, and he finds unexpected comfort in helping her.

As the light fades and the rain worsens, Brother Diaz urges Vigga to move down the coast to search for the others. Vigga initially tells Brother Diaz to leave her, warning that she is dangerous and unclean, but Brother Diaz refuses. The two have already stripped drowned oarsmen for clothes, leaving Brother Diaz in ill-fitting trousers and Vigga in a strained shirt, which underlines how desperate their situation has become.

Brother Diaz then speaks honestly, admitting that he is lost, frightened, and unlikely to survive alone. He tells Vigga that she is his responsibility and praises her as magnificent in battle. The praise steadies Vigga, and when Brother Diaz asks what she remembers, Vigga recalls only blood and chaos before turning the conversation back to Brother Diaz’s reckless courage in confronting her wolf-side earlier.

Vigga warns Brother Diaz never to provoke or trust the wolf again, because unlike Jakob, Brother Diaz can die. Regaining her resolve, Vigga promises to keep the beast under control and insists they must continue south along the shore. She then reveals the most important fact of the chapter: Pope Benedicta’s binding on her wrist still tugs toward Alex, proving that Alex is alive, though possibly in immediate danger, so Brother Diaz and Vigga set off to find her.