Glokta receives a letter from Sult ordering him to abandon Dagoska, transfer command to General Vissbruck, and leave the defenders to fight to the last man. Vissbruck reacts bitterly, comparing Glokta to a rat fleeing a burning house, but Cosca defends him. Vissbruck describes their hopeless position: The land walls are lost and the Gurkish are preparing to bombard the Upper City with incendiaries. Glokta advises Vissbruck to take his own life rather than face Gurkish captivity, and privately tells Kahdia to surrender early to secure terms for his people.

While packing, Glokta hides a leather case of gems—part of an advance of 1 million marks from Valint and Balk—beneath his clothes. Practical Vitari confronts him, locking the door and pinning him at knifepoint for abandoning their deal. When Glokta dares her to kill him, she relents and removes her mask, revealing a her face, which is softer and younger than what Glokta had expected. Vitari begs him to take her along, insisting it is not for herself. Moved by Vitari’s vulnerable state, Glokta agrees. That night, he, Vitari, Frost, and Severard escape Dagoska by boat under cover of darkness.