Seth is cornered by two Nymphs. He sees Darcy fighting across the pit, too far away to help. Max intervenes, killing one Nymph and distracting the other, which allows Seth to break free. After killing the final Nymph, Seth collapses from his injuries.

Orion finds Seth and heals his injuries. Orion continues to be somewhat cold toward Seth, not fully trusting him after the rivalry over Darcy. Fully healed, Seth returns to the fight. He searches for Caleb, hoping he has reached Tory and can free her from Lionel.

As the battle unfolds below, Lionel and Clara use magic to prevent Tory and Xavier (who are sitting with them) from intervening. Lionel paces, furious that his main Nymph army has not yet arrived. He orders Clara to join the battle, and as she departs, her control over Tory and Xavier weakens. Tory tries to escape with Xavier, but the Guardian bond compels her to stay and protect Lionel.

Caleb appears on the balcony and attacks. Tory is forced to defend Lionel, using her own powers against Caleb. When Xavier joins the fight against his father, Tory is compelled to attack him as well. She then shields Lionel from one of Caleb’s fireballs, absorbing the flames herself. As the fight continues, Lionel commands Tory to kill Caleb. Torn between the bond’s magical power and her own will, she hopes that Caleb will be able to escape.

Darius reaches a large, ancient stone humming with power. Compelled to make an offering, Darius cuts his palm and places his bleeding hand into a hole in the stone. The stone begins to drain his blood and magic, trapping his arm. He sees a vision of a happy future with Tory/Roxy, but a voice tells him fate has other plans. He has visions of the battle playing out in the amphitheater and sees visions of Orion, Darcy, and Xavier all dying in battle. The vision culminates with a prophecy of Tory being killed by Lionel. The voice asks what Darius would be willing to sacrifice to change their fate.

The battle continues and Clara uses magic to trap Orion, separating him from Darcy. Now that Orion knows Clara is possessed by the evil Nymph Princess Lavinia, he can detect Clara’s true self, trapped by Lavinia and suffering. Lavinia (in Clara’s form) reveals that Lionel wants Orion kept alive but punished, and she plans to make him suffer by hurting Darcy. She then offers Orion an impossible choice: save either his sister or Darcy. For a moment, the real Clara surfaces, her eyes full of pain, before Lavinia regains control.

Caleb continues to attack Lionel, who is shielded by Tory (still magically compelled to protect him). Caleb pauses to protect Xavier and carries him to safety. Caleb heals Xavier’s head wound and then drinks his blood to replenish his power. After Xavier shifts into his Pegasus form and returns to the fray, a re-energized Caleb returns to the royal box to confront Lionel.

Darcy has also been trapped by Lavinia/Clara’s dark magic. Lavinia’s voice taunts her, and Lavinia begins evoking a mysterious dark magic spell. Lavinia presses a hand coated in Orion’s blood onto Darcy’s arm, leaving a bloody handprint. Then Lavinia vanishes. The mark turns black, and an overwhelming wave of dark power causes Darcy to collapse.

Orion remains trapped by Lavinia’s dark magic. She torments Orion with a vision of the past, revealing how her shadow spirit possessed and consumed Clara’s soul as part of Lionel’s dark ritual. The vision confirms that Clara has been dead for years, her soul trapped by magic. Clara’s spirit speaks to Orion, begging him to kill her possessed body to set her free. Orion finds Darcy next to him in the mysterious, liminal space where they are both held by Lavinia’s magic. 

Lavinia appears and attacks Orion. As she does, Clara’s voice screams for him to act. Orion stabs Lavinia (in Clara’s body) with his enchanted sword, knowing this will release his sister’s trapped soul. As she dies, Clara thanks him. Orion feels momentary relief, but Lavinia reappears. Orion grimly concludes that “now that she was free of Clara’s body, [Lavinia] was more powerful than ever” (721). Lavinia continues enacting her dark magic, smearing Darcy with Orion’s blood. Lavinia then vanishes, leaving Darcy and Orion together and unsure of the nature of the curse she has enacted.

In the magic cave, Darius continues to see visions, offering a chance to rewrite fate. He sees a vision where Tory is freed from Lionel’s magic. The mystical voice offers a bargain: Every bond placed upon both Darius and Tory will be wiped away, giving them a fresh start—but Darius must pay with his life at the end of one year.

Darius then sees a vision of his future, in which he shares a final kiss with Tory before he dies in her arms. Knowing a life without her is meaningless, he accepts the deal. He places his bleeding hand back on the stone and formally offers his life in payment, sacrificing himself to save his beloved.

Still fighting Caleb, Tory is abruptly freed from the Guardian bond (as result of Darius’s deal in the cave). Freed from Lionel’s control, she is momentarily stunned. Caleb seizes the opportunity, delivering the antidote which fully reawakens her Phoenix abilities. Tory immediately shifts into her Phoenix form and attacks. She burns off Lionel’s hand. Lavinia appears and tries to subdue Tory with magic, but Tory is now too powerful to be contained. As the battle rages, she spots Darcy, and the sisters run to reunite.

Darcy and Tory meet in the middle of the battle. Before they can speak, Orion insists they must retreat, as Lionel’s full Nymph army is arriving. Using magic to amplify her voice, Darcy orders the rebels to fall back. The Heirs and their allies flee with the help of a Dragon ally. 

While she is not yet aware of the deal Darius has made, Tory has visible signs of no longer being bound by the star-crossed curse (which had previously impacted she and Darius). Orion notices that he is no longer bound by the Guardian Bond that previously existed between himself and Darius (Darius’s deal stripped away all previous bonds impacting himself and Tory, including this bond with Orion). Darcy is confused and worried about the mysterious curse Lavinia placed upon her. 

The Heirs and their allies are now fugitives: “[We’d all shown our cards […] [Lionel] would have every loyal Fae and Nymph in Solaria hunting for us by nightfall” (735). The novel ends on a note of uncertainty and imminent danger.