The chapter opens in the Presence Chamber of Ascalon Palace, where Queen Sabran receives a Mentish delegation led by Lord Oscarde, Duke of Zeedeur, who is also the father of maid of honor Truyde utt Zeedeur. Zeedeur reports that his party was attacked by a wyvern en route—the second sighting in two days—before presenting the main purpose of his visit: a marriage proposal from High Prince Aubrecht the Second of Mentendon. Aubrecht offers a rare black dancing pearl as a gift. Sabran accepts the pearl but does not commit to the suit, agreeing only to consider it. Ead privately believes Sabran will never accept, as the queen has a pattern of stringing suitors along without marrying, despite intense pressure from the realm to produce a Berethnet heir.

After the audience, Ead volunteers to handle the chamberers' duties alone so Margret Beck and Linora Payling can attend the feast. In a private exchange, Margret reveals she has been summoned by Lord Seyton Combe, the spymaster known as the Night Hawk, and hopes to learn news of her missing brother Loth. Ead reflects on her friendships with the Becks, which she did not originally intend to form, and on her distant homeland, the Priory, from which she has had no word of recall.

Alone in the Great Bedchamber, Ead strips and inspects the queen's bed for hidden weapons or poison. She then sneaks into the Coffer Chamber, bribing a rainbow mimic bird that acts as a watchful sentinel. Beneath a loose floorboard, she discovers Truyde's hidden cache: love letters exchanged with the missing squire Triam Sulyard, written in a simple cipher. The letters confirm a love affair but also reveal a shared secret enterprise. A final letter from Sulyard, written around the time of his disappearance, reveals he sailed from Perchling after speaking with a seafarer and asks Truyde to convince Queen Sabran of some unspecified danger. Ead also finds a book written in Eastern script—possession of which constitutes heresy in Inys. She takes the book and letters before escaping through a window.

The chapter then shifts to Lord Arteloth Beck, who is at a country inn with his friend Lord Kitston Glade, on their way to the port. Loth recalls being forcibly removed from court in the middle of the night by Combe's retainers. A terse note informed him that he and Kit are now ambassadors to the Draconic Kingdom of Yscalin, tasked with investigating the fate of the previous ambassador and discovering whether Yscalin plans to invade Inys. Kit explains that their exile is likely political: the Dukes Spiritual want to remove Loth from Sabran's side because his close friendship with the queen might discourage foreign suitors needed to secure a Berethnet heir. They discuss their captain, the legendary privateer Gian Harlowe, who once served Queen Rosarian. Loth despairs at the impossibility of exposing Combe's machinations from abroad, but Kit encourages him to stay hopeful. They resolve to press on toward their ship.