A vision shows Hain kneeling at an ocean clifftop, bloodied and weakened, praying in the language of Nelfinex for the Starlings to prevail before an unseen attacker beheads him.

Caspia wakes in a panic and recounts the vision to Andreas. Hain’s plural phrasing tells her he was aware of both her and Xandra, likely through Brother Nold. They speculate that the Voster killed him for betraying his oath. Caspia declares it her duty to find and destroy the orbits, saving Xandra and ending the migrations. Andreas objects but cannot stop her and agrees to join the search.

Drawing on Nelfinex burial tradition—in which the ashes of the dead are sealed in glass containers called orbits, which in turn are sealed in deep underground stone temples—Caspia proposes starting at the Evon Ravine, a treacherous, monster-filled chasm between Quentis and Genesis. Andreas reluctantly agrees, vowing to follow her wherever the quest leads.

Days into the journey, Caspia abandons the stifling carriage at a rest stop. Andreas has organized fifty soldiers, supply wagons, a healer, and the guidance of Seth Hay, a merchant whose family specializes in traversing the Evon Ravine. He persuades Caspia to endure the carriage through lionwick territory.