Gwyneth accompanies Lia to the water to help her scrub her kavah, which still has a partial lion’s claw and vine remaining. Despite how hard she scrubs, it never seems to fade, and Gwyneth suggests that Lia might have to live with it. Lia hates the idea. When Gwyneth asks Lia if she ever plans to return to her kingdom, Lia knows that Gwyneth sees the unfaded kavah as a sign of obligation. Lia doesn’t answer, instead dipping under water to escape her reality.

The assassin watches Lia and Pauline as they sleep and decides he will have to kill them both in order to get away successfully. He decides to wait until after the festival, but knows his men will return soon, expecting the deed to be done.

The prince goes to pay Berdi for the week and overhears her and Lia talking. He stops out of sight and questions himself once again about why he has such an interest in Lia. He hears her talking about why she left her kingdom, how much disdain she has for Dalbreck, and most of all for the prince who was willing to accept a bride he had never met. He leaves without paying Berdi.

Lia walks through town to purchase new clothes that cover her kavah, along with a few other things. She enjoys the salty air, the easy atmosphere, and the sounds of the bustling village. On her way home, she is accosted by a strange, foul-smelling man who claims to be sent by the Scholar to kill her. He puts a knife to her throat and cuts it, but she manages to stomp his foot and get away long enough for Kaden to shoot him with a crossbow. Rafe arrives at the same time, and the three of them stare down at the dead man. Lia vomits. She lies and says he was a robber.

Rafe volunteers to dispose of the body. As he leaves, he thinks about how a king could possibly order the death of his own daughter, but he doesn’t realize that the king was not the one to make the order.

Everyone agrees the incident is better left a secret, and Berdi tends to Lia’s wounds while lecturing her on not being careful enough. Kaden stays to help, and briefly touches Lia’s arm to help her to her bedroom. After Kaden leaves, Rafe comes in to check on Lia, and shows his concern for her injuries. Pauline enters next; Lia tells her she fell down some stairs carrying wood. Pauline’s mourning scarf is gone, and she announces that she is ready to move on and tend to current matters (like her pregnancy). Lia unveils a gift from Walther, a large sum of money that was meant for her. She gives it to Pauline knowing she will need it most.

The opening day of the festival is filled with ritual and honoring of the local religion and stories. All of the First Daughters of the village (except Lia) march through town dressed in rags to honor First Daughter Morrighan, who was given the gift of communication with the gods following an apocalyptic event. The priest tells the story of how the people before had apparently too much knowledge but no wisdom, and could do things like fly through the heavens. He says a prayer. Lia attempts to participate but really just curses Mikael in her mind. Rafe appears and claims to be there to pray. Lia tests him by mentioning a god that doesn’t exist, and Rafe falls for it. Suddenly, Lia knows that Rafe is lying. She wonders what sort of place he could possibly have come from.

The prince approaches Enzo and pulls him aside. He tells Enzo that he heard him directing the man to the path to kill Lia, and being paid for doing so. The prince threatens to cut out Enzo’s tongue should he ever hear him mentioning Lia’s name again. Afterward, the prince thinks about the reality of being exposed, and how much closer that reality gets with each day he stays.

The assassin senses the other men from his band before he ever sees them arriving at the festival a week early. He calls this ability “the settling,” and describes it like a sort of well-developed intuition. The assassin approaches the other men and leads them to a private area, where he tells them to come back in a week. He claims to be collecting “information” that will benefit Venda, although he is doing no such thing. After the men agree and leave, the assassin tells himself that his loyalty to Venda matters more than Lia’s life.

A large feast is held which Berdi prepared, and everyone sits down to eat. Rafe ignores Lia throughout the meal, so she talks to Kaden to make him jealous. Eventually, Rafe gets up to leave, but Lia gets up with him and storms out first. Rafe follows her, and professes that he cannot stop thinking about her, how she is doing, and how much he wants to hold her. The two kiss and then kiss again, and then Pauline comes looking for Lia to make sure she’s safe.

Pauline scrubs Lia’s back in the tub and they talk about Lia’s first real kiss. Lia is in a heavenly state and asks Pauline how she knew when she loved Mikael. Pauline tells Lia the story of how she and Mikael spent two weeks together; at the end of those two weeks, the way he said her name made her sure she loved him. Lia silently wonders if Mikael really loved Pauline after all. The chapter ends with a “Song of Venda” verse that describes new hope amidst total desolation (230).

Lia gifts Pauline some new clothes that will fit her as her belly grows, and Pauline is extremely grateful. She tries to announce to Berdi and Gwyneth that she’s pregnant; they admit they already sensed it. Everyone assures Pauline she will not be alone, and the four women band together and swear to make it work. Afterward, Gwyneth takes Lia aside and warns her that a Venda assassin might be after her. When Lia presses Gwyneth for how she knows this, Gwyneth admits she used to be a spy for the royal guard, and that she still has connections to others. It all sounds highly suspicious to Lia, who never knows exactly where Gwyneth is coming from.

Later, Lia goes to the log wrestling competition along with Kaden and Rafe. They intend to battle one another, but Rafe is first paired with another opponent, and beats him without much effort. The next opponent is a younger boy with a lot more skill, but Rafe still wins. When Kaden is called, the match seems to go on forever as the two men are almost equal strength and skill. Eventually, Kaden gets the upper hand and Rafe falls into the mud. Lia watches from the sidelines, wishing the two men wouldn’t fight over her.

Lia walks around the festival observing the many events, when the man she lectured at the tavern weeks ago comes up to her. He acts angrily and threatens her, but she stands her ground and pulls out her dagger as a warning. The man backs off, but promises to see her again. Lia feels exhilarated by the moment, and walks on with pride.

Lia heads to the Sacrista in the hopes of finding a book that will let her translate the Venda text she stole. She manages to find one book that includes translations of several brief phrases. She grabs it, but the priest notices her and questions why she tried to take it rather than just ask. He reveals that he knows who she is and tells her he was one of the priests who blessed her when she was born. He asks Lia if she has been using her gift, and tells her that the king deployed thousands of troops that day. He promises that his loyalty is to the gods and not the king, and to keep Lia’s identity a secret.

Outside, Rafe finds Lia and kisses her, but Lia isn’t comfortable with the thought of being seen. She promises to see him later that night. They find Pauline and Kaden and Lia decides to try the knife-throwing game. Her first four throws are poor because of the imbalanced knives, but by the fifth throw she’s figured it out and hits the target in the center. While throwing the knives, Lia hears a voice telling her, “he’s watching,” but has no idea who that might be referring to.

Kaden decides he does not trust Rafe and that Rafe must be hiding something. Rafe’s skills during the log wrestling match pointed to training beyond farmwork. Kaden resolves to ask Lia to dance at the celebration that night.