In the foothills of the Spindles, the aftermath of the great battle against the Draconic forces is revealed. The wyrm Valeysa has been slain by a harpoon, and the ground is littered with the dead—both human and wyrm. Fýredel, rather than defending his territory, had summoned his siblings to crush the combined armies of North, South, and West, but they failed. When the Nameless One was dragged beneath the waves, Fýredel fled and his followers scattered.

The sun rises over Yscalin, illuminating a landscape of blood, char, and ruin. A Seiikinese woman named Onren has brought Loth to the battlefield on dragonback so he can search for Margret. Loth gazes toward the smoking city of Cárscaro and learns that King Sigoso is dead—his corpse hangs from the Gate of Niunda, a sight that caused his soldiers to desert. No one can yet confirm whether the Donmata Marosa survived, but Loth prays fervently that she lives and will be crowned.

Loth makes his way to a field hospital a league from where the fighting began, where tents fly the flags of all nations. The wounded cry out in agony—some with deep burns, others unrecognizable under blood. King Jantar of the Ersyr is among the gravely injured. Loth finds Margret inside a tent for Inysh casualties, wearing a bloodstained apron and kneeling beside the wounded Sir Tharian Lintley, whose face bears a deep stitched wound that will scar him for life.

Margret looks up at Loth in a daze before recognizing him. She tells him she believes Tharian will recover—his wound was dealt by a soldier, not a wyrm. Loth embraces her and tells her the Nameless One is dead and it is over. Margret weeps with relief. As a new spring dawn breaks over the Spindles, brother and sister hold each other and watch the light gild the sky.