Distracted by the abbess’s words, Fern cannot focus on reading. Breadlee teases her from her pocket. Unable to find Zyll during her exploration of the monastery, Fern goes to the stable and discovers the goblin feeding Bucket oats. Zyll solemnly names Breadlee Bridgemasher. When Fern asks why Zyll has not escaped despite having many opportunities, the goblin cryptically replies that she will go when it is time to be somewhere else.

Over the following days, Astryx slowly recovers. Fern begins visiting her daily to read aloud from a copy of Ten Links in the Chain found in the monastery’s library. On the third day, while reading a graphic passage, Astryx makes a sound that Fern realizes is a laugh. The elf squeezes her arm and asks her to continue. On the fifth day, Fern discovers a dun pony and colorful wagon in the stable. At dinner, a dwarf bard named Staysha introduces herself as the Silver Sparrow and explains she was also stranded by the collapsed bridge. Fern never mentions Astryx or Zyll to the bard and decides to keep their presence a secret.

Brother Burdock examines Astryx and declares her well enough to walk around, though he urges caution. After a long reunion with Bucket, Astryx approaches Fern holding a piece of paper—one of Fern’s letters to Viv that Astryx inadvertently picked up at the way station. The elf reads aloud a passage in which Fern describes Astryx’s fight with Tullah and calls her beautiful. Visibly moved, Astryx asks if Fern truly sees her that way, and Fern confirms she does. Astryx thanks Fern for saving Bucket and calls her little squire.

Fern asks Astryx to let Zyll go, but Astryx refuses, believing Tullah will kill the goblin. Astryx explains her personal code: She must walk her straight road and see her covenants through to the end. She then asks Fern why she is still on this path. Fern confesses she stays because she fears what Astryx would think of her if she left, echoing her feelings about Viv. Astryx tells Fern she belongs if she wants to, but she should find a better reason for staying.

When they encounter an enthusiastic Staysha, Astryx feigns weakness from her injuries to leave. Over the following days, Astryx continues to recover and repeatedly avoids Staysha’s attempts to extract stories. Fern writes a long letter to Viv, reflecting on her friendship with Astryx and noting that the elf has begun practicing with Nigel again, signaling their imminent departure.

On a clear morning, weeks after arriving at the monastery, the group prepares to leave. Astryx formally thanks Abbess Bluebriar and vows to return if needed. Zyll surprises everyone by giving the stolen coin purses from the Four Fingers to the abbess as repayment for the bridge. Staysha rushes out and asks to join them, offering use of her wagon. Despite Fern’s objection that they are traveling in the opposite direction of Staysha’s supposed destination, Astryx weighs the convenience and reluctantly agrees.

One of the monks, Brother Rhubarb, guides them to a new mountain path. Fern rides on Bucket with Astryx, while Zyll rides on the wagon buckboard with Staysha. They descend into a valley and follow a path along a long, still lake. Astryx asks Fern to finish recounting Ten Links in the Chain, and Fern realizes she accidentally stole the monastery’s copy. She agrees to tell the story from memory, and Astryx remembers exactly where they stopped. As Fern begins her retelling, the group continues their journey down the mountain.

Fern continues her retelling of Ten Links in the Chain as they travel along the still, green lake. After hours of peaceful travel, they reach the end of the valley and see the snowline below. Astryx calls a halt, and they make camp in a pine forest for the night. While setting up, they string a highline and tend to Bucket and Staysha’s pony, Persimmon. Fern uses Breadlee to start a fire, which amazes Staysha when she learns there are two talking blades. Staysha prepares a stew.

After dinner, Staysha plays her lute and sings a song she has written, which Fern grudgingly admits is quite good. That night, Fern has a vivid dream in which she calmly tells Viv she is leaving, brandishing a huge version of Breadlee. In the dream, Viv becomes Astryx, and Quillin and Zyll appear at the door as Fern prepares to depart.

For three days, the group travels through a quiet evergreen forest. On four occasions, they hear an eerie, loon-like call that ends in a chuckling cough. Each time, Astryx becomes alert; at night, she builds up the fire and stays awake longer than usual. Fern grudgingly comes to appreciate Staysha’s company and entertainment.

On the fourth day, they discover a small, silent village that appears deserted and wrong. Gardens are trampled, and the largest building is boarded up. As the eerie call sounds again, Astryx dismounts and approaches the building. After knocking, a man warns them away unless they are Haber’s Five. Astryx convinces the villagers to let them inside, where they find eight people and four goats sheltering from the threat outside. Astryx identifies the creature in the woods as a verdigaunt and its minions as greenlings—bones and corpses animated by ivy. A villager named Booth explains they sent a young man named Lem to hire Haber’s Five; Lem returned, but the mercenaries are two weeks late, and Lem is now presumed dead.

Astryx offers to help by fighting the greenlings and tracking them back to the verdigaunt. She asks for a volunteer, and Fern raises her hand. At twilight, Fern is positioned in the road as bait with a goat and Breadlee. From the roof, Zyll shouts that the greenlings are coming.

Shambling greenlings made of bone and ivy emerge from the darkness. Fern freezes with fear as multiple creatures advance. She trips and falls just as Astryx bursts from the tavern and attacks. The creatures are difficult to kill, rising again even after being struck down, though their tendrils recoil from Nigel’s Elder steel. When more greenlings appear and Astryx cries out in pain from her old wound, Fern hurls her oil lantern at one creature, setting it ablaze and stopping its advance. She uses Breadlee to saw through a torch pole and throws the burning top to Astryx, who uses fire and steel to destroy the remaining greenlings.

Immediately, the massive verdigaunt itself emerges—a tall, elk-headed monster with a rack of antlers and immense strength. Astryx tells Fern to run, but she refuses to leave. The Oathmaiden fights the beast, wounding it but taking a strike to the shoulder from its antlers. She leaps onto its back and drives Nigel between its shoulder blades, but the verdigaunt throws her off. Zyll climbs the monster and pulls Nigel free, sending the sword flying. Astryx retrieves it and, with a final scream of effort, drives Nigel into the verdigaunt’s skull, killing it.

Later, the villagers celebrate inside the tavern. An old woman named Finny gives a solemn speech of thanks, saying Astryx made their small lives feel bigger. Uncharacteristically, Astryx accepts the praise with grace. As Staysha prepares to sing about the battle, the door opens and a man named Haber enters with his crew. He sees Staysha, and his expression turns suspicious.

Haber’s crew enters, making the tavern crowded and tense. The group is visibly hostile toward Staysha. When Finny demands their advance payment back, Haber formally thanks Astryx for her work and admits he has admired her since childhood. He tells Finny their silver was misplaced, giving Staysha a dark look, but promises repayment.

As the crew leaves, Fern follows Haber outside and asks about Staysha. He reveals that the bard traveled with them and spread false tales about their deeds, angering another mercenary. Staysha vanished at the same time as the villagers’ advance payment, damaging Haber’s finances and reputation. He warns Fern to find a new traveling companion and hints that he knows they possess a goblin with a bounty on her head, advising that Zyll should disguise herself better.

When Fern confronts Staysha, the bard calmly denies any wrongdoing. Later, Fern tells Astryx what she learned and argues they should leave Staysha behind. Astryx asks for Fern’s honest assessment of the danger, and Fern admits she does not believe Staysha would rob them. Astryx points out they need the wagon and asks if Fern can tolerate the bard’s company a while longer. Fern reluctantly agrees.

The group departs the village, with Astryx showing uncharacteristic warmth to the villagers, making Fern feel envious. Astryx mentions Amberlin is less than a week away, forcing Fern to confront the approaching end of her journey. They travel across a grassy prairie, frequently helping Staysha’s wagon cross streams. On the second day, Astryx calls a halt, and Fern notices the elf is showing signs of fatigue from her cumulative injuries.

Staysha asks Astryx for more insight to help with her song about the verdigaunt fight, and to Fern’s surprise, Astryx quietly agrees. Annoyed, Fern walks off into the prairie, where she discusses her conflicting feelings about Staysha with Breadlee. She debates her dislike of Staysha, wondering if it stems from jealousy or frustration that her time with Astryx is ending.

Astryx finds her, and they both awkwardly tend to Bucket. Breadlee blurts out that Fern is annoyed. Fern confronts Astryx for indulging Staysha, calling it beneath her. Astryx hotly reminds Fern that she was previously criticized for not accepting appreciation and asks if Fern is “chronically dissatisfied” (259). The argument escalates, with Fern accusing Astryx of knowing it is wrong to take Zyll for a bounty. Accusing Fern of being unfair, Astryx stalks off into the prairie. Staysha, having overheard their loud argument, approaches Fern with an unreadable expression. As Fern starts to apologize, the bard suddenly swings her lute case and knocks Fern unconscious.