Tané wakes in a salmon-colored stone room with her hands bound, the rising jewel taken from her. A shaved-headed woman interrogates her in Ersyri, demanding to know who she is, why she carries Queen Sabran's ring, and where she found the blue jewel. Tané refuses to answer, knowing the Priory would never give a fruit to a dragonrider. She requests to speak only to Chassar uq-Ispad.

Chassar arrives and Tané reveals she has come for a fruit of the orange tree to save Eadaz uq-Nāra, who is poisoned but alive. Chassar is stunned—he believed Ead was dead. He explains that the Prioress, Mita Yedanya, now holds the rising jewel and intends to execute Tané. Tané presses him to help her escape, warning that Ead will die otherwise. Though Chassar initially seems unable to act against the Prioress, he later intercepts Tané's escort to execution, fabricating an order for further interrogation. He shows her a hidden stair to the valley, returns her lacquer case with the coronation ring and letter, gives her silk to carry a fruit, and tells her to follow the River Minara north. He promises to try to retrieve the rising jewel and send it after her.

Tané descends the stair and beholds the massive orange tree, a living counterpart to the mulberry tree on Komoridu. As she approaches, fire-breathers attack the valley. Amid the chaos, Tané kneels before the tree and a golden fruit drops from its branches. She chases the rolling fruit to the river's edge, where she witnesses a bird transform into a naked woman—a shape-shifter named Kalyba. The Prioress Mita Yedanya confronts Kalyba, and the two battle with fire and wind. Kalyba ultimately kills the Prioress by tearing out her heart, then speaks in a strange language.

Tané crawls to the Prioress's body and takes the rising jewel from around her neck. Kalyba spots Tané and mistakes her for "Neporo," an ancient figure she calls her sister and the Flesh Queen of Komoridu. When Tané corrects her, Kalyba realizes Tané is Neporo's descendant and calls her "born of wicked seed," blaming Neporo for all the destruction. A golden-eyed woman from the caves shoots an arrow at Kalyba and silently commands Tané to flee. Tané throws herself into the river with the fruit and the jewel.

The river carries Tané away from the valley. She follows the fork north as Chassar instructed, using the rising jewel's light to navigate through the forest at night. Eventually she collapses from exhaustion, only to be found by a great white bird with bronze wings—sent by Chassar—which carries her to a forest north of Ascalon in Inys. At dawn, Tané limps to the gates of Ascalon Palace. The guards are astonished to see an Easterner. When the Resident Ambassador to Mentendon arrives speaking Seiikinese, Tané shows the ruby ring and asks to be taken to Lady Nurtha.