Fisher sits in Saeris’s chambers at Ammontraíeth before the Evenlight Ball, watching her in her elaborate black gown. He reflects on his mother’s book, which he cannot read because it was written for Saeris alone. Iseabail is scrying elsewhere to locate Ren.

Saeris complains about her dress’s discomfort. Fisher stands behind her at a mirror and lifts her skirts, pleased to find his dagger strapped to her thigh. He tells her a queen should not enter political settings stressed and begins pleasuring her with his fingers, using his diminished shadow magic to hold her skirts.

Taladaius arrives at the door. Saeris tells him she needs three minutes. Fisher commands her to watch their reflection in the mirror as he brings her to climax. As she does, ink spreads from his skin to hers, tattooing roses across her thighs. He licks his fingers clean and quips about giving her flowers.

Saeris remembers to check Edina’s book. She reads the next entry concerning the Evenlight Ball and nods with determination, declaring she is ready.

The Hall of Tears is transformed for the ball. Fae “thralls” serve wine mixed with their blood to the gathered high bloods. Saeris presides from her throne, telling Fisher via their bond that she can smell the blood saturating the air.

Taladaius approaches wearing new tattoos and requests to perform his disavowment immediately. Saeris secretly instructs a low-blood “thrall” on a task from Edina’s book, promising payment in blood. Taladaius then formally addresses the court and rescinds his blood from Saeris in an elaborate ceremony. The ritual causes a magical shockwave, and Saeris vomits his blood into a bucket he provided. He proclaims her “Scion of no one” and leads the court in toasting her reign.

The petitions for the fifth Lord of Midnight begin. Kavan Dahlish, a towering warrior, appears first. Fisher recognizes him as one of his former soldiers who died in battle and was turned by Malcolm. Fisher feels crushing guilt, realizing many fallen warriors suffered this fate. Ibanwae, an ancient vampire with dead Alchemist runes tattooed on her face, petitions to become Keeper of Pain and speaks of destroying the Fae.

Zovena interrupts, taunting Saeris about feeding the court. Saeris uses her Alchemist magic to animate a candelabra, which pins Zovena to the floor by her neck. She calmly sits and rests her feet on Zovena’s back while hearing the remaining petitions.

After all petitions conclude, Saeris announces one more candidate. Foley Briarstone emerges from the crowd and kneels before her throne.

Saeris recalls Edina’s instruction: Consider a sixth—only the golden-toothed wolf can be trusted. The high bloods erupt in outrage, shouting insults and hurling objects at Foley. Saeris invokes her coronation edict, naming him friend to the throne and granting protection from harm.

Algat confronts Saeris, arguing that Foley cannot serve since he refused to swear fealty. When Algat attempts mental invasion, Saeris retaliates violently, causing the witch’s nose to bleed profusely. Foley declares he rejected Malcolm but will swear fealty to Saeris. He performs a blood oath, and she accepts, naming him a Lord of Midnight. He whispers that he decided to follow her because Fisher does.

The hall’s ceiling panels open, revealing the Evenlight—a shimmering green aurora that strengthens the evenlight sources throughout the palace. The court begins celebrating with music and dancing.

Fisher invites Saeris to dance. She questions him about the dresses he leaves for her, worried he is trying to domesticate her. He reassures her that they are invitations to feel safe and soften, promising he has her. He shows her a beautiful but poisonous flower called Widow’s Bane to demonstrate that beauty does not equal weakness.

Suddenly, high bloods begin screaming and vomiting black blood throughout the hall. Taladaius announces their judgment has arrived, revealing the wine was poisoned. He offers vials containing an antidote that will revert them to Fae. Most high bloods choose death over transformation. Taladaius drinks a large dose himself, leaves a message for Everlayne, and collapses.

The hall fills with black blood as hundreds of high bloods die or convulse. A “thrall” refuses to give Saeris the antidote for Taladaius, citing his orders. Foley forces it down Tal’s throat. Taladaius stops vomiting blood but begins foaming at the mouth and seizing violently.

Zovena appears, reverted to Fae. She reveals Taladaius forced the antidote on her while Saeris and Fisher were dancing. Fisher reports Algat has disappeared and likely took the cure, reverting to a witch. When Tal regains consciousness, Foley confronts him, insisting he must live and make amends for the atrocities Malcolm forced him to commit rather than escape through death.

Using the quicksilver pool, the group travels to Cahlish’s armory with new relics fashioned from Tal’s ring, Zovena’s ring, and Foley’s chain. They encounter Hayden wielding a fireplace poker. Saeris tells him to stay and learn the truth about recent events.

Later, in the dining room, Fisher briefs Te Léna and Maynir on the massacre. Carrion arrives, and Fisher surprisingly invites him to listen. Iseabail enters with bloodied wrists from her spellwork. Fisher confronts her, and she confesses to collaborating with Taladaius by casting the spell that poisoned the high bloods. She reveals her blood, cursed to vampires, was transferred through sigils marked on the “thralls.” Fisher realizes the freed high bloods could have attacked Saeris.

Learning that Tal survived, Iseabail panics. She explains the spell was channeled through a large witch mark on his chest, meant to die with him. If not removed, it will open a gate to the demon realm. They race upstairs to find the bedroom engulfed in flames, with Tal’s body burning but not consumed. Te Léna identifies the mark as irreversible dark magic.

When Fisher touches Saeris, the runes on Fisher’s skin that mirror hers flare with agonizing pain. Compelled by unknown forces, Saeris places her hands on Tal’s chest. The witch mark unravels, and the fire extinguishes instantly.

In a shared dream set in Ballard, Fisher paces angrily about Iseabail’s betrayal and failure to locate Ren. Saeris reveals that a third rune appeared when she touched Tal’s chest. She calms Fisher by asking him to hold her, then confesses her fear of taking the blood curse cure—it might kill her or revert her to human mortality.

Fisher promises that if she becomes mortal and dies of old age, he will join her in death rather than continue without her. The dream ends.

Awake at Cahlish, Saeris encounters Carrion in the corridor. He admits he has been reading about Winter Court history, researching what reclaiming his throne would entail. In his plant-filled room, he shows her a specimen that blooms profusely whenever he speaks—behavior botanically impossible for this species. Saeris confirms the plant’s growth is tied to his voice, suggesting emerging Fae magic.

The estate begins shaking violently. They see thousands of warriors from Irrín, led by Lorreth, marching toward Cahlish.

Danya and Lorreth report the rot overwhelmed their camp, spreading faster than before. They lost warriors during the march and estimate the rot will reach Cahlish within 16 hours maximum.

Saeris consults Edina’s book and discovers a missed entry warning her and Foley not to take the blood curse cure yet. The next entry instructs her to read on at the white cliffs. Fisher interprets this as directing them to evacuate everyone to Inishtar, the satyr coastal town.

Danya argues they should fight using brimstone harvested from the fire sprites. Fisher furiously refuses to sacrifice them. Lorreth mentions another source of brimstone, but both Fisher and Danya reject it without explanation. The argument grows heated until Lorreth intervenes.

Outside, Saeris finds Hayden standing in the rain. He apologizes for doubting her and expresses his desire to be useful rather than a burden. After he goes inside, an inexplicable force compels Saeris to remain outside.

The Hazrax materializes before her. It reveals that it gifted her the third rune—its true name—which grants the power to undo or break things and will stabilize her other runes temporarily. The creature calls the gift an apology for the difficult future it has foreseen. As a second gift, it gives Saeris its Ring of Midnight, instructing her to give it to Foley. The Hazrax departs, telling her she has almost deduced its true identity.

In a Cahlish study, Iseabail reports she cannot locate Renfis through scrying due to “dark spots”—places like quicksilver pools and sprite colonies that block magical detection. Fisher threatens to expose her unauthorized use of forbidden dark magic to her clan’s matriarchs. Her panicked reaction confirms her superiors never sanctioned her actions at Ammontraíeth.

Enraged at the witch’s deception, Lorreth uses his rarely employed magic to pin Iseabail against a bookcase. Saeris arrives and stops him. Learning the rot has reached the estate, she joins Fisher outside, where the last warriors evacuate through a massive shadow gate as black veins corrupt the lawns.

Wearing Fae war braids, Saeris stops Lorreth from harming Iseabail and establishes that they will not torture people, a stance Fisher agrees with. They decide to return to Ammontraíeth later to aid the newly reverted Fae. Fisher promises he will always give her whatever she desires, no matter the cost.

The remaining group emerges: Te Léna and Maynir take Everlayne through the gate; Taladaius, weak but walking, insists on going to his ancestral home at Bayland’s End; fire sprites refuse evacuation, believing their brimstone will protect them from the rot. Carrion, Hayden, and Foley depart carrying salvaged books from the library.

As Fisher enters the shadow gate last, carrying Onyx, a voice from the space between worlds speaks: “Hello, Dog” (545).

Saeris and Hayden emerge into chaos—Inishtar burns, under attack by “feeders.” Hayden briefly maintains consciousness after the gate transition before collapsing. Saeris fights through the melee, noting the “feeders” are recently turned humans who ignore her commands entirely.

She realizes Fisher never came through the gate. Foley confirms Fisher was behind him but vanished before the gate closed. They find Hayden unconscious but uninjured and regroup with Lorreth and Carrion. Lorreth reports Taladaius was last seen fighting a “feeder” pack and is now missing. It is also revealed that Zovena fled into the chaos immediately upon their arrival and could not be reasoned with.

Checking Edina’s book, Saeris finds the “read on at the white cliffs” entry, but the guidance she expected is not there. Instead, the next page simply says, “Read on after the trade,” providing no help for their current crisis.

The group takes shelter in the home of Orellis, a satyr architect, and her faun daughter, Lanny. Te Léna reports Everlayne is safe upstairs. Iseabail confirms she cannot scry for either Ren or Fisher.

They discuss the attack, realizing the “feeders” were Zilvarens. Carrion and Saeris theorize that Zilvaren’s circular design functions as a massive sigil Madra has used for centuries to siphon magic from its inhabitants, giving her enough power to open portals between realms without quicksilver.

Iseabail explains that warding against this threat would require a witch coven, powerful Fae, and a personal item of Madra’s. Saeris declares her intent to find Fisher and states she possesses such an item that they can use.