Tané wakes in a canopy bed in the palace of the Unceasing Emperor in the City of the Thousand Flowers. She is relieved to find the rising jewel safe in its case. A servant assures her that Nayimathun is resting, and that Loth and Thim are unharmed guests. Thim visits her and thanks her for saving his life, and when Tané questions why he sailed with Westerners who hate dragons, he gently challenges her assumptions about difference.

In the Twilight Gardens, Tané reunites with Nayimathun. She confesses her guilt over the exile, her violence, and her impurity, but Nayimathun rejects this self-condemnation, telling Tané that to be kin to a dragon is not to be pure but to be the living sea—dark, dangerous, and unknowable. The dragon affirms she chose Tané for her dragon's heart. Overcome with emotion, Tané weeps and embraces her friend. She offers the rising jewel to Nayimathun, and they discuss her possible descent from Neporo. Nayimathun warns Tané to keep the jewel's true nature secret from the young, impulsive emperor, and urges her to support Loth's alliance proposal and learn where the waning jewel is.

Tané speaks with Loth, who reveals the waning jewel is held by Eadaz uq-Nāra, a gravely ill mage in Inys. He explains that an orange from a tree in the South, guarded by wyrm-slayers called the Priory, could heal her. Together they form a plan: Tané will support Loth's appeal to the emperor, and if the alliance is agreed, she will fly to the South to retrieve the healing fruit and then to Inys with news and the waning jewel's wielder restored. Thim reluctantly agrees to keep the jewels secret.

Loth presents his proposal to the Unceasing Emperor in the Hall of the Fallen Star. He explains that the Nameless One will return this spring and proposes a military alliance between Virtudom and the East—trade, financial and military support, and a tribute for the dragons—though Queen Sabran does not offer marriage. The emperor, a young and forward-thinking ruler, agrees in principle to the military stand against the Nameless One, though he must consult his Grand Secretariat and the Imperial Dragon before confirming.

Over a private breakfast, the Unceasing Emperor hears Tané's full story—everything except the jewel. He agrees to write to the Warlord of Seiiki on her behalf so she might one day return home. He also grants her permission to serve as his messenger to Inys. That night, Thim and Loth inform Tané that the emperor has formally agreed. Loth gives her Queen Sabran's ring and a personal letter, and asks her to detour south to the Priory to find healing fruit for Ead. Tané vows to see it done and prepares to depart under cover of darkness.