Loth arrives in Rauca, the capital of the Ersyr, guided by the ichneumon that found him in the desert. The city overwhelms his senses with its spice markets, flower gardens, windcatchers, and the magnificent Ivory Palace—seat of the House of Taumargam, which employs Chassar uq-Ispad as an ambassador. Loth keeps himself covered to hide the plague spreading across his body, fearing both discovery and contaminating others.

In a covered market, Loth purchases a water flask and receives a pargh (face cloth) as a gift from a friendly merchant. The merchant tells him that Chassar uq-Ispad is likely at his estate in Rumelabar and that caravans depart from the Place of Doves at dawn. Loth also sends a letter he had written to Margret from Cárscaro, hoping to bypass Combe's interference by using the dove-post system.

Exhausted, Loth finds an inn with help from the ichneumon, though the animal then disappears into an alley. Loth notices a mysterious woman wearing a bronze mask standing nearby, watching him. In his room, Loth collapses and weeps for Kitston Glade, grieving his companion's death. He reflects on the religious differences of the Ersyr, which follows the Dawnsinger rather than Virtudom, and recalls Ead's childhood connection to these teachings.

Loth's plague symptoms are worsening—his skin is scaling and fever grips him. He prays that Chassar will have the cure, trusting that the Knight of Fellowship sent the ichneumon to guide him for a reason. During the night, Loth wakes shaking with fever. He calls out, but a figure wearing the bronze mask looms over him, and everything goes dark.