Forty-eight hours later, at dusk, Saeris examines her transformed body in a provocative black dress meant for her coronation. She is now a Fae-vampire hybrid with pointed ears and fuller body features. Carrion Swift sprawls on a chaise, crudely compliments her appearance, and earns Kingfisher’s murderous wrath. Taladaius tries to defuse the tension as Kingfisher’s shadow magic attacks Carrion, strangling him. The vampire lord warns that any display of fear or violence will be used against Saeris by the hostile court.

The ritual pounding of the assembled court grows louder. Saeris reflects that she killed Malcolm for survival and vengeance, not power, but accepts the crown to end the war without further bloodshed. Kingfisher retrieves Solace, his father’s ancient god sword, which Saeris drew from the quicksilver—a magical substance that creates portals between worlds—and which is now bonded to her. Taladaius argues she should appear regal and unarmed, so Kingfisher sets the sword aside and instead wraps a silver chain around her waist as a garrote and straps one of his daggers to her thigh using a lattice of shadow magic.

They enter the Hall of Tears, a vast chamber carved with grotesque faces. The five Lords of Midnight stand on a five-pointed star mosaic: Taladaius, a “hook-nosed” male, a pale non-Fae creature, an old woman with gray hair, and a beautiful blonde. Zovena, the blonde Keeper of Missives, challenges Saeris’s legitimacy, questioning how a recently human girl could have killed the mighty Malcolm. Saeris descends the stairs and declares herself Saeris Fane, their queen.

Saeris sits on the cold stone throne as Zovena continues her assault, noting Saeris’s beating heart and arguing she is too weak and too recently human to rule. Kingfisher telepathically identifies the Lords for Saeris: Zovena, a beautiful and cruel female vampire, is Keeper of Missives; Ereth, the “hook-nosed” Keeper of Evenlight, is a religious zealot; the Hazrax, an ancient non-Fae creature, is Keeper of Silence; and Algat, a former witch with rotten teeth, is Keeper of Records. When Algat stares at Saeris, she experiences invasive visions and feels someone probing her mind.

Algat declares Saeris must drink blood before being crowned to prove she is truly a vampire. Taladaius argues it is not required by law, but Zovena and Ereth press the issue, suggesting Saeris feed from a servant or from Kingfisher himself. To counter accusations about her humanity, Saeris wills her heart to stop beating, demonstrating her vampire nature. The Lords remain unsatisfied.

Kingfisher tells Saeris to bite him and satisfy the vampires. He bares his wrist, and as she sinks her canines into his flesh, she pauses. Black ink transfers from his skin to hers, forming a new tattoo across her chest just below her collarbone. This mark signifies a God Binding, a rare magical bond. When Saeris drinks, an overwhelming explosion of pleasure and euphoria rocks her. Kingfisher, also affected and barely in control, gently tells her to stop. The court cheers as Ereth declares her bound by the blood. In her euphoric state, the Hall of Tears suddenly appears beautiful to Saeris, and Ereth approaches to crown her.

Kingfisher watches Saeris receive the crown, suspicious that Ereth encouraged her to dose him with venom to incapacitate them both. He regrets not explaining the effects of drinking his Fae blood. As Ereth places the diadem on Saeris’s head, he draws a concealed silver blade and lunges at her. Kingfisher intercepts him, knocking him down the dais steps, then hurls Nimerelle. The god sword cleaves Ereth in half. Taladaius uses his blood-boiling magic to kill three of Ereth’s followers who rushed to their lord’s aid. Kingfisher confronts the dying Ereth, showing him his God-Bound markings, suggesting that he and Saeris are favored by the gods. Ereth dismisses them, saying they have different gods, before turning to ash.

Zovena charges for Nimerelle, but Taladaius tackles her. Saeris commands everyone to stop, her voice carrying immense supernatural authority. She issues her first royal edicts: All subjects must kneel in her presence, none may harm her or her allies, and the feeder horde is permanently decommissioned from warfare. A shock wave of power enforces her will throughout the hall.

Later that night, Kingfisher is at the Fae war camp in Irrín with Renfis, a sandy-haired general, recounting the coronation. Renfis and Lorreth, a dark-haired warrior, are more amused by Kingfisher getting dosed than concerned about the assassination. They discuss their lost friend Foley. They need to find him because his knowledge of Alchemy is crucial for Saeris. Renfis doubts Foley would help after a thousand years as a vampire and expresses his deep-seated anger and mistrust of Taladaius for turning Foley. Kingfisher defends Taladaius, as he understands what it is like to be forced to inflict harm. Danya, a fierce female warrior, bursts in and tells them something is wrong outside.

Eight feeders stand motionless on the opposite bank of the frozen Darn. They suddenly move in perfect unison, crawling toward the river. They cross the Fae’s magical boundary without hesitation. When Renfis launches a blue-white orb of magic at them, it strikes two feeders but is absorbed into their chests, creating glowing white marks. The marks spread to all eight feeders. Kingfisher sends his shadow magic to attack, but it too is absorbed, causing him to feel profound coldness and sorrow. They realize the feeders are siphoning their magic.

Kingfisher orders his warriors to use only silver weapons, no magic. When he strikes one of the new feeders with Nimerelle, the god sword screams in his mind as a black substance crystallizes on the blade. The creature is unharmed, immune to both the iron and silver that would kill a normal feeder. The rushing water of the river also has no effect on them. Kingfisher commands his warriors to use fire as a last resort. A warrior throws a torch, and a feeder is engulfed in flames, but it shows no pain. The burning feeder kills the warrior who lit it, then rampages through the camp. Kingfisher and Danya tackle the burning creature and hold it down while someone beheads it. Both are badly burned in the process.

Back in the war tent, the healer Te Léna tends to their injuries. Renfis and Lorreth report that the other feeders have been decapitated, but their bodies and heads remain animated, and Renfis feels a continued drain on his magic. He angrily accuses Taladaius of creating these new feeders, but Kingfisher defends the vampire. The next morning, they discover that 114 warriors died in the attack. The headless feeder bodies, still tied to an oak tree, have fused with the trunk. Black roots burst from the ground, leaking dark ichor that spreads rot and decay across the earth.

The next evening, Kingfisher and Lorreth arrive at Ammontraíeth carrying a sack containing the eight severed feeder heads. In a council chamber, Lorreth confronts Taladaius, asking if he created the feeders. Taladaius denies it, stating he has never seen anything like them and does not know how to kill them, as they should not be animated after decapitation.

Kingfisher tells Saeris telepathically that she will return to Cahlish with him that night. She agrees on the condition that he train her to fight with Solace, her god sword. He agrees but suggests Lorreth would be a better teacher because he cannot bring himself to attack her with true intent.

Carrion points out an unusual marking behind one feeder’s ear. Saeris recognizes it as a sterilization mark from the Third, identical to her own. Carrion then notes the feeders have round ears, meaning they were human. They realize these are recently deceased humans from Zilvaren. The group deduces that Madra, the tyrant queen of Zilvaren, must be sending the infected corpses through a quicksilver pool.

The whispers of the quicksilver intensify in Saeris’s mind. She senses the presence of a pool within Ammontraíeth. Taladaius confirms that the Blood Court has always kept a small quicksilver pool in a sepulcher on one of the palace’s lower floors.

Saeris, Kingfisher, Lorreth, Carrion, and Onyx use the quicksilver pool in the sepulcher to travel to Cahlish. In Kingfisher’s chambers, a beautiful hunter-green dress has been laid out for Saeris, but she chooses her fighting leathers instead.

They attend a welcome-back dinner in the dining room with Renfis; Te Léna and her mate, Maynir; Lorreth; Danya; Iseabail, the witch who helped heal Kingfisher and Everlayne; and Archer, a fire sprite who serves at Cahlish. Saeris is moved by their warm welcome, realizing how much their friendship means to her. Lorreth is openly hostile toward Iseabail because she is a witch. Danya greets Saeris stiffly, her hair now cut short on one side and completely shorn on the other from burns she sustained fighting the feeders.

Saeris and Kingfisher flirt telepathically throughout the gathering. Archer leads Saeris to her seat, calling her mistress and lady of the house. Kingfisher confirms her new title: Lady of Cahlish. Carrion arrives late, clearly having just had sex, which the Fae can smell on him. Danya flirts with him, to Kingfisher and Saeris’s disgust, as they find both Carrion and Danya difficult.

Carrion jokes about an upcoming wedding, exciting the gathered friends. Kingfisher states there will not be a wedding, explaining their God Binding is more significant than any ceremony. Saeris, not wanting another public spectacle after her coronation, agrees. However, she notices a flicker of disappointment in Kingfisher’s eyes despite his apparent relief.

Outside his bedroom, Kingfisher explains the real reason they cannot marry. A Fae wedding ceremony requires the exchange of true names, which hold power over the individual. He explains he does not know his true name; while Fae are given a true name at birth, they are only told what it is on their 14th birthday, and his parents died before they could tell him his. Saeris laughs with relief, telling him she does not have a true name either, being human-born, but he clarifies that because a name was bestowed upon him—even if unknown—the ceremony cannot proceed.

Saeris reassures him that marriage does not matter and tells him for the first time that she loves him. He carries her into the bedroom, and they kiss passionately. Not wanting anyone to overhear them, Saeris instinctively uses an unknown magic to soundproof the room. Kingfisher tells her she smells like home to him.

They begin having sex. His shadow magic disintegrates her clothes. He brings her close to orgasm before stopping and biting the inside of her thigh, dosing her with his venom. She has an immediate, overwhelming orgasm that makes her briefly pass out. He challenges her to keep up with him now that she is no longer a fragile human.

She takes control, sitting on top of him while drinking his blood and dosing him with her own venom. They are both high from the exchange, their emotions and thoughts blending through their bond. He takes over, biting her breast, and they climax together as his shadow magic explodes outward, forming black wings and enveloping them both.

The next morning, Kingfisher wakes to find Saeris already gone. He sees she has again chosen her fighting leathers over a beautiful ivory dress he selected for her. He reflects that his mother foresaw Saeris’s arrival and left an entire wardrobe for her at Cahlish. He understands Saeris has not slept since her transition and needs time to explore her new existence on her own terms.

He finds Renfis in the dining room. Renfis teases him about his night with Saeris as they eat. Kingfisher admits he is in love with her. They discuss Renfis’s anger toward Taladaius. Renfis admits that he cannot forgive Taladaius for choosing to join Malcolm rather than dying honorably as a Fae warrior. Kingfisher defends Taladaius, forcing Renfis to consider what he would have done if he had found Kingfisher dying like Foley was.

They finish eating. As they crest the hill overlooking Irrín, they stop in shock. The entire encampment has been destroyed, reduced to a scorched crater. Only ash, debris, and scattered bones remain. The 11,000 warriors who were stationed there are gone. The oak tree where the feeders were tied has become a monstrous, corrupted thing. The feeder bodies have fused with the trunk, which is now gray and covered in strangling black vines. Thick black roots have burst from the ground around the tree, bearing deep gashes and leaking dark ichor like blood, spreading rot and decay across the land.