Kalak barricades himself inside his secure building in Lasting Integrity after the Radiants depart. Shaken by how narrowly he escaped recent danger, Kalak reflects on his long survival, his worsening fear and indecision, and his dependence on Ishar to keep his mind from collapsing completely. Although Kalak thinks about fleeing again to hide from the Ghostbloods and their leader Thaidakar, Kalak is too late to act.

When Kalak enters his study, animated drapes seize and gag him, pinning him against a wall. A short foreign man waiting at Kalak’s desk reveals himself as Felt, whom Kalak recognizes from Adolin’s group. The trap proves that Kalak’s refuge was already compromised, and the sight of a gemstone dagger on the desk deepens Kalak’s terror.

Felt then exposes the larger deception. The seon in Shallan’s box, Ala, drops its timid act and reveals it has been spying all along, overhearing Kalak’s conversations with Shallan and Adolin. Ala says it has already passed along the location of Ba-Ado-Mishram to Iyatil and to Kelsier, confirming that the Ghostbloods now possess the crucial information Kalak tried to protect.

Although Ala asks whether they should use the dagger on Kalak, Felt decides against it for now because he does not trust the weapon and expects more instructions if the mission succeeds. Felt and Ala choose to hold Kalak captive and wait, leaving open the possibility that Kalak may still be useful. Terrified but exhausted, Kalak feels a grim relief that the burden of choosing his next move has been taken from him.