Ead and Margret arrive in the north of Inys by ship, then ride to Serinhall, the Beck family seat near the ruins of Goldenbirch—birthplace of Galian Berethnet. They are received by Lady Annes Beck, Margret's mother, who fusses over Margret's upcoming wedding and hosts an extended supper. During the meal, Margret steers conversation toward the family legend that the Saint once visited Serinhall. Lady Annes confirms that Galian stayed there after Cleolind's death and trusted the Beck family above all others.

After supper, Margret visits her ailing father, Lord Clarent Beck, who suffers from mind fog after a riding accident. Clarent believes Loth is dead, and Margret painfully allows this misunderstanding to persist so he will pass on the family secret meant only for the heir. He whispers a riddle to Margret before Lady Annes interrupts and Clarent breaks down in grief. Margret transcribes the riddle, which she immediately recognizes: it points to a tunnel she discovered as a child beneath the haithwood forest near Goldenbirch.

Margret explains that as a six-year-old, she and Loth ventured into the haithwood and she crawled into a coney-hole that led to a hidden underground passage. She never told anyone, believing it was the abode of the Lady of the Woods. The riddle's references to creatures "furred" with "offerings dung" confirm the location. They ride by night through the ruins of Goldenbirch and into the terrifying haithwood, locate the coney-hole, and dig their way in.

Underground, they find a tunnel with alcoves for candles and a chamber containing iron vats of eachy oil and a blackstone slab inscribed with a clue about fire and starlight. Ead combines her magefire with the waning jewel, causing the slab to crack open and release Ascalon—a magnificent silver longsword forged from comet-metal by Kalyba and wielded by Cleolind against the Nameless One. Ead lifts the legendary blade, finding it light and thrumming with power.

As they return through the haithwood, they spot a mysterious figure among the trees. On the corpse road near Goldenbirch, Kalyba ambushes them, seizing Margret and demanding Ascalon in exchange for Ead's broken oath. When Ead refuses, Kalyba torments Margret with an illusion of choking thorns. Ead uses magefire to burn away the enchantment, and in doing so strips Kalyba's disguise—revealing that the witch's true form is identical to Sabran Berethnet.

Kalyba then reveals the greatest secret in Virtudom: she stole the infant Galian from Goldenbirch and raised him, later fell in love with him, and through enchantment made him believe she was Cleolind. She became his queen and bore a daughter—Sabran the First—before Galian saw through the illusion and imprisoned her. She escaped but lost her child, and Galian hanged himself from her hawthorn tree. Every Berethnet queen descends directly from Kalyba, inheriting her face and green eyes. Kalyba also reveals she is the White Wyrm who attacked Sabran, ending the pregnancy to earn the trust of Fýredel so she can become the Nameless One's Flesh Queen and reclaim the Inysh throne in Sabran's guise. When Ead and Margret refuse to surrender Ascalon, Kalyba transforms into the White Wyrm, devours the horse carrying the sword, and flies away. Ead, devastated but resolute, tells Margret she must speak with Sabran and open a new path forward.