Sarkis materializes in an unfamiliar storeroom and sees Bartholomew and Nolan. The bruises on Nolan’s neck indicate that at least a day has passed. Bartholomew demands that Sarkis throw down his sword. Sarkis refuses but knows that the magic will prevent him from harming his wielder. When Bartholomew threatens to cut off his hand, Sarkis defiantly slams his forearm on a packing crate. When Bartholomew implicitly threatens his genitals, Sarkis shocks both men by placing his penis on the crate and daring them to do their worst, since it will all grow back.

Nolan steps forward diplomatically, claiming that his order wanted to purchase the sword legitimately. Bartholomew reveals that their “procurer” in Archon’s Glory failed to acquire it; he is the one who sent the footpads after Halla in the city. Nolan promises to ensure Halla’s safety if Sarkis cooperates, while Bartholomew taunts that Halla is better off with her cousin. Beaten, Sarkis agrees to cooperate if Nolan swears to send word to Halla, which Nolan promises to do the next morning.

When Sarkis asks why Nolan’s order wants him, Nolan reveals that Sarkis is the only living person who met their founder, the Sainted Smith: The woman who forged the sword and trapped him in it.

Shortly after being locked up, Halla and Zale hear Alver approaching. He enters and tries to gain sympathy by blaming his mother for the kidnapping. When Halla tells him to release them, he refuses and casually states that they will have to kill Zale. Zale points out that kidnapping and murder make him a bad person, and Alver storms out.

After Zale frees Halla from her ropes, she unties Zale. They sneak downstairs, hearing Alver and Malva arguing. She and Zale agree that whoever escapes must go straight for the constables. As they near the kitchen, Zale trips on a loose flagstone, alerting their captors. Alver rushes out and grabs Zale, but the priest pulls free with Halla’s help.

Trapped in the kitchen with Alver blocking one exit and Malva the other, they all exchange insults. Malva declares that they must kill both captives. Out of sheer disgust and frustration, Halla grabs a knife from the butcher block and stabs Alver in the upper arm. Malva attacks with a frying pan, but Halla dodges, and Zale punches Malva in the nose. While both attackers reel, Halla and Zale escape the house. Once outside, Halla screams for help, shouting ”Murder!” to alert the neighbors.

The constables arrest Alver the next day. Malva is not arrested, as the constables are reluctant to arrest an old woman with a broken nose. Zale explains to the bailiff that they need to find Bartholomew, whom they claim is being led astray by Nolan. The next morning, Halla, Zale, and Brindle the gnole set out for Amalcross in the slow-paced wagon.

Zale tells Halla that the town officials failed to protect her from her relatives and that she could justifiably complain to the Squire. They stop at an inn and learn that Bartholomew, Nolan, and a bodyguard (Sarkis) passed through three days ago. The innkeeper notes that Nolan, the young man, had been recently beaten. From this, Halla deduces that Bartholomew is the wielder. Brindle advises her to stop fretting and licks her cheek.

Near the Drunken Boar Inn, they encounter three paladins of the Dreaming God. Zale joins them for a chat. One paladin, Jorge, has an infected arm wound from fighting a demon-possessed sow. Halla cleans and treats the wound, earning the paladins’ thanks. Jorge notices the rope burns on her wrists but does not inquire about them. As thanks, he puts their bill on the Dreaming God’s tab. Zale tells Halla that it is good to have the paladins on their side.

The next morning, Sarkis writes a short, pained letter to Halla, saying he is alive and apologizing to her. Nolan takes it to the innkeeper for delivery to Rutger’s Howe. Sarkis resolves to find his way back to Halla.

Early the next morning, Halla and Zale are dragged from their wagon by priests of the Hanged Mother. The captain questions Halla about her “spirit” or “tame devil,” revealing that his information comes from the bandits that her party encountered on the road. He claims they are responsible for missing Motherhood priests. Halla and Zale feign ignorance, with Halla derailing the interrogation by babbling randomly. The frustrated captain orders his men to bind them. A voice intervenes, asking if there is a problem.

The three paladins confront the Motherhood priests. Jorge states that the Dreaming God owes Halla a debt. The captain calls Halla a “witch” who consorts with demons, and the word “demon” immediately focuses the paladins’ attention, as demon-slaying is their sole purpose and jurisdiction. Zale points out that a claim of possession would place the area under the Dreaming God’s authority. The captain backs down and rides away with his men.

Brindle reveals that he fetched the paladins when he saw the priests approaching. The paladins agree to travel with the wagon, but the ox is too slow, so Mare, the female paladin, offers to take Halla and Zale to Amalcross on horseback. The wounded Jorge stays behind with Brindle.

Elsewhere, Sarkis answers Nolan’s questions about the Sainted Smith. In a flashback, he recalls being the Smith’s prisoner. She promised him immortality but admitted that two previous subjects had become trapped in their swords and had a breakdown. Sarkis watched in horror as she killed Angharad Shieldborn by plunging a newly forged sword into the woman’s chest. He pushes the memory away by thinking of Halla and remembering Fisher, a former soldier who retired before the final battle and may have descendants. Having calmed himself, Sarkis turns back to Nolan.

The horse ride is physically punishing for Halla and Zale. They make it halfway to Amalcross in one day and rent a room. They agree that if killing is necessary, Halla should do it, as Zale would be better positioned as a witness in her defense. Zale plans for the paladins to drop them at the city gates.

The next day, they arrive at Amalcross. Meanwhile, Sarkis materializes in Bartholomew’s house and sees the man’s corpse; he realizes that Nolan has killed Bartholomew and is now the wielder. Nolan complains that Bartholomew kept changing their deal and refused to sell the sword. He reveals his plan to burn down the house to dispose of the body. The front door opens, and Halla and Zale enter. Sarkis sees Halla and says her name with great emotion.

Nolan is shocked at Halla and Zale’s arrival. Halla ignores Bartholomew’s corpse and offers the value of her entire inheritance in order to buy the sword from Nolan. Sarkis tells her he is not worth such a gesture. Nolan scoffs and refuses, saying the sword is priceless. Halla reveals a crossbow and aims it at Nolan, telling him how messy it would be if she only wounded him and had to finish him off with a knife.

Nolan commands Sarkis to defend him, and the sword’s magic compels Sarkis to move between Halla and Nolan. Sarkis begs Halla to leave, fearing that the magic will force him to hurt or kill her. Still hurt by his reticence in explaining his past, she reminds him that he is used to betraying people. Sarkis continues pleading as he struggles to resist the compulsion. He shoves the kitchen table into Halla, winding her, as an alternative to striking her with his sword.

Nolan screams at Sarkis to kill her. Realizing the magic will force him to kill the woman he loves, Sarkis finds a loophole: The magic forces him to defend his wielder from all threats, and he himself is now the greatest threat. The magic wavers for a moment. Sarkis turns his sword around and impales himself on it.

Anguished, Halla kneels beside the dying Sarkis. He wipes her tears, insisting that he had to do it to protect her, then vanishes as Nolan sheathes the sword. Nolan stares, amazed that the magic did not prevent Sarkis’s death. A quietly furious Halla shoots Nolan in the leg with the crossbow. As he screams in pain, she picks up a kitchen knife and threatens to torture him. Zale offers to hold Nolan down. Terrified, Nolan immediately renounces all ownership of the sword and shoves it at Halla, who becomes the wielder once again.

Zale calls for the constables and tells them a modified story: They came to check on Bartholomew, found him murdered by Nolan, and Halla shot the killer in the struggle. The story is believed, and Nolan is arrested for murder. The constable assures Halla that she did the right thing and should not feel guilty over Nolan’s fate. Halla is left with the sword, knowing she must wait a fortnight for Sarkis to heal.

That night at an inn, Halla breaks down crying. Zale comforts her and explains that dying is different for Sarkis. Zale also reveals that Bartholomew’s will left everything to Silas. Now, because Halla is Silas’s heir, she has inherited Bartholomew’s estate as well.

After three days, Brindle and Jorge arrive with the wagon. Halla, Zale, and Brindle make the long trip back to Rutger’s Howe. The fortnight of waiting is agonizing for Halla, who paces restlessly, feeling that her house is too small now. She takes long walks down the lich road to manage her grief and anxiety.

On the final night, Halla sits with the sword, resolving to give it to Zale if Sarkis no longer wants anything to do with her. She swallows her fear and draws the blade. Sarkis appears in a flash of blue light, sees her, says her name, and buries his face in her shoulder.

Sarkis holds Halla tightly, relieved that she is safe. He kisses her passionately, and they become lovers again. Halla explains Zale’s theory that they can have intercourse without risk of pregnancy if the sword is sheathed afterward. Sarkis is enraged to learn that Alver tied Halla up, but his attention soon turns back to his passion for her. After they make love, Sarkis expresses his guilt, feeling that he has failed her and does not deserve her.

Sarkis spontaneously asks Halla to marry him, then becomes distraught, realizing that by his people’s customs, he must pay a marriage price to her family and cannot afford to do so. He explains the custom is vital for social standing and the “legitimacy” of children. In his culture, the husband’s family pays the wife’s family to compensate for her absence from her family’s household. Sarkis suggests that Zale, whom Halla values, can act as her kin and set the price.

Halla refuses to let him earn money as a mercenary. Sarkis asks if she will hate him for not aging alongside her. She snorts and says it is a relief not to tend another old man. He admits that watching her age will gut him, and they both confess their love for one another. They agree to marry and find a way to resolve the marriage price.

Zale accepts the role of Halla’s kin and spends three days negotiating the marriage price with Sarkis. The negotiation involves complex arguments about comparative economics. On the fourth day, Sarkis presents a small bag of coins, explaining that he got the money from the Temple of the Rat in exchange for agreeing to be interviewed by their scholars and a dedicate of the Many-Armed God. Halla formally accepts the price, and Sarkis asks her to be his wife.

The priest of the Four-Faced God performs the wedding ceremony. Zale stands for both families, and Brindle the gnole serves as a witness. That night, Halla and Sarkis are happily in bed together as husband and wife. After some playful banter, they express their love for each other, and Halla falls asleep in her husband’s arms.

The following spring, Sarkis is settling happily into domestic life in Rutger’s Howe, feeling that he has found a home. Their household includes the screaming prophecy bird, a cook who repeatedly quits and returns, and odd antiquities that occasionally tumble from closets. Sarkis feels a pang at the thought of leaving for a few weeks to visit Halla’s nieces but looks forward to returning home.

A letter arrives from Zale. The priest writes that they visited Nolan in prison in Amalcross before he died. Nolan told Zale that his failure did not matter because his order would have the “second sword” soon enough. The Temple of the Rat is investigating the matter. Sarkis and Halla are left to contemplate the ominous news, holding each other for comfort.