Lia lies down in her bed, thinking back on her romantic evening with Rafe. She recalls how they embraced, kissed, and tumbled through the leaves together. They talked for hours, and Rafe told her about his life as a farmer. It was a perfect evening, and Lia still can’t believe she experienced it. Due to her excitement, she does not fall asleep until dawn.

Pauline abruptly wakes Lia and tells her something is wrong with Walther. Lia leaves in a panic and finds Walther outside, completely distraught. He weeps as he tells Lia that his pregnant wife was shot with an arrow and fell into his arms, already dead. Lia asks Walther who is responsible. He doesn’t answer; instead, he leaves with vengeance in his eyes.

Lia fears for her brother, who appears to be breaking down with grief. She knows he left not as a soldier, but as a man seeking revenge. She also feels responsible, because her instincts tell her that the Venda people are to blame. Lia believes that if she had married the prince and formed the alliance, the Venda people would never have felt so emboldened.

Lia stands in the meadow throwing her dagger against a tree and considering her future. She knows that if there is even a chance that her return could prevent further violence, she must go back. She sees visions of the people she loves, like Pauline, and her brothers, and knows their lives are in danger. Kaden tries to talk to her, but she tells him to leave.

Lia approaches Rafe and kisses him roughly. Rafe can sense something is wrong, and Lia announces that she is leaving to return to Civica, where her parents live, the next day. Rafe asks if she can wait a few more days, but Lia is resolute, knowing that each extra day could mean more lives lost.

Pauline and Berdi try to argue with Lia about leaving, believing she is better off in Terravin. Gwyneth remains silent knowing that this decision was always inevitable. Lia packs her bag and thinks about Rafe, who wants to meet her an hour outside of town for one last goodbye. Although he did not say he loved her, Lia is all but certain that he does.

Pauline continues arguing with Lia, but eventually decides just to accompany her back to Civica. They take their donkeys and their belongings and say goodbye to Berdi and Gwyneth. They are only a few hours outside of town when Lia gets the sense they are in danger. She looks around and sees a man on a horse, who turns out to be Kaden. She’s relieved at first, but then Kaden calls several other men out of the trees and they grab Lia and Pauline. When Kaden starts speaking in Vendan, Lia realizes that he was sent to kill her all along. She manages to convince him to let Pauline go because of her pregnancy, but Lia is taken away with the troops. Her head is covered so she cannot see, and she wonders if she might suffocate. She decides that she must find a way to kill Kaden.

Rafe waits with his assistant on the road for Lia, but she never arrives. He starts to fear that something is wrong. Rafe had planned to tell Lia his true identity, that he is the prince whom she was arranged to marry, but worries that she won’t forgive him when she hears the truth. He feels she would be safer in Dalbreck. After several more minutes of waiting, he decides to go back to Terravin to look for Lia.

Lia finds herself in a barren landscape that is overwhelmingly hot. She doesn’t recognize the borders of Morrighan and Kaden criticizes her for it. At night, Lia refuses to eat the cooked snake, and Kaden confesses that he told the others Lia has the gift to keep herself alive. He reminds her that his loyalties are to Venda.

Rafe comes back to Terravin and cannot find Lia anywhere. He returns to the inn, where Pauline is distraught and explains what happened. Rafe asks Berdi to prepare food for his men, who will arrive later, and leaves to catch up with Kaden and the others.

Lia wakes up to find the youngest member of the brigade holding a knife to her throat. Moments later he is scolded and reminded of Lia’s purpose as a “prize” for the leader. Lia considers her options and how she might escape, but nothing comes to mind. At one point she hits Kaden with her canteen in anger, and he wrestles her to the ground, pushing her face in the sand. Later, Lia relents and eats some snake, despite having no desire to do so.

The brigade approaches a large city of ruins known as the City of Dark Magic, and Lia finds the size and breadth of the ruins astounding. She decides to start playing off her supposed “gift.” She claims to sense trouble ahead, but Kaden ignores her and presses on. They arrive at a luxurious pool and Lia bathes for the first time in days. While doing so, she hears troops nearby and runs to catch them, but Kaden catches up with her and grabs her. He tells her they were Dalbreck troops and would not recognize her, and would thus kill them both. Lia is at least grateful that her “suspicion” of trouble turned out to be true.

Rafe finds blood on the ground and is sure it must belong to Lia. Anger fills him as he swears to find Lia before it is too late.

The landscape becomes rocky and Lia guesses they have travelled at least a hundred miles by now. She wonders about Rafe, whether he still cares about her, and whether he is back home now. That night, one of the men tries to molest Lia, and Kaden interferes. He insists that Lia sleep next to him instead. During the night, Lia decides to try and take her bag and go, but a voice stops her before she completes the task. When it turns out that Kaden was awake the whole time, she realizes that listening to the voice was wise.