As Din, Ana, and Malo arrive in the High City, Din is struck by its stone towers, carved walls, and ancient royal hall, all of which feel older and grander than the living architecture common elsewhere in the Empire. Ana is far less impressed, and her reaction hints at resentment beneath the city’s splendor. Inside the smoky, firelit hall, they see that the imperial delegation’s Treasury carriages remain outside, showing that the visitors have not been allowed to leave.

Prince Camak approaches them with two powerful advisers: Satrap Danduo Darhi and court jari Pavitar. The prince appears nervous and politically weak, while Darhi and Pavitar immediately seem to be competing for influence around him. Ana adopts a highly formal tone, offers condolences for the king’s death, and makes clear that she has come to understand what happened rather than to defend anyone blindly.

When questioned about her blindfold, Ana admits she is sightless but says Din and Malo act as her eyes. Camak then reveals the most important new fact: Kardas has fallen ill from what they believe is the same poison that killed the king. Pavitar still argues that Kardas must be the murderer because Kardas handed the king the cup before the king was immediately struck down. Ana responds that she must first see Kardas and treat him if possible, and when Pavitar presses her, she bluntly says that if Kardas is truly guilty, she will not object to his execution in Yarrow.

This answer shocks the court, but it also clarifies Ana’s priorities: truth before diplomacy. Camak then asks Ana to accompany him to the reliquary to keep vigil with his father’s body, insisting on privacy because he cannot trust the court’s many listeners. His request exposes both his fear and his need for honest help outside his divided advisers. As Din follows, Darhi quietly intercepts him, reminds him of the oathcoin he once gave him, and offers further assistance, signaling that Darhi is trying to build a private channel of influence with Din while the court crisis deepens.