When they make it to the fight platforms, a bunch of Samran Hounds are out training. Shal wonders why the presence of Hound guards is increasing, especially those who don’t answer to him. When he tests his Hindsight on them, he discovers they’ve been trained to block it, which makes him uneasy and distrustful.

Vabras informs everyone that the morning fights have been cancelled due to the departure of Katsan and resignation of Havoc. The fights for that afternoon will consist of Cain versus Neema, Tala versus Shal, Ruko versus Visitor Pyke, and Cain versus Shal.

During Neema and Cain’s fight, Vabras cheats by giving the first round to Neema despite Cain clearly winning. Cain’s abbot switches his batons out for a dagger for the weapons round without Cain’s permission. During the fight, Neema accidentally nicks him with her fan, drawing blood. This prompts the Fox to take over Cain’s body briefly. He begins to slash Neema’s throat with the dagger before Cain takes back control and redirects it. Neema is rushed to the medic tent to tend to her neck wound while Cain follows her, apologizing profusely.Before he can explain what happened, Neema already suspects a fragment of the Fox took over. Cain tells her he possesses the full Fox, then explains the book on his bed. She informs him that it was her fragment Sol that told him the story of the Fox and how it ended up inside Cain.

Lately, the Fox has been awake at the same time Cain is, which isn’t supposed to happen. Until he can figure out a way to get it under control or excise it completely, he wants to keep his distance from Neema because he doesn’t trust himself not to hurt her.

Cain speaks with Visitor Pyke, who explains that he knew the Fox was inside Cain the day he survived eating Pyke’s poisoned food. When Cain asks how to get rid of it, Pyke tells him that’s not possible. Cain must make peace with the Fox or it will destroy him.

As the fight begins between Ruko and Pyke, he sees his mother Yasila sit in the stands to watch, which affects his ability to focus. The voice in Ruko’s head tells him that Pyke is winning because he has given up his powers for this moment and has nothing left to lose. It urges Ruko to find something he needs more. He automatically thinks of the throne, but the voice urges him to dig deeper. When he can’t think of anything else, the voice tells him he will die.

Benna appears in the crowd beside Ruko’s mother in disguise. Her enthusiastic wave toward Ruko and a jig of encouragement bring Ruko to laugh for the first time in years. He decides this is what he needed—and with renewed vigor, he wins the fight.

Ruko lands a killing blow in the weapons round. Yasila spends Pyke’s final moments with him in the med tent as he dies. Pyke tells Yasila he sensed a change in Ruko during the fight. Yasila apologizes for the hurt she’s caused Pyke. He finally opens his heart to her in his final moments, and they share an affectionate goodbye as he passes.

With Pyke dead and unable to prevent Ruko from winning, Neema decides the Raven was right: She must do everything she can to keep him from the throne so he doesn’t destroy the world. The contenders gather in a lodge outside the Monkey palace for the Monkey Trial.

The Monkey Trial consists of an improvised performance centered around a topic pulled at random from a box. Cain pulls the word respect and gives a speech about his upbringing and how he was adopted by a woman from a Venerant family who built a school in “a dump like Scartown,” where she treated everyone she met with dignity and respect regardless of their station (502). When he is emperor, he will seek to treat his subjects all the same way because “every life is of equal value and every soul deserves respect” (502). Tala pulls the word joy and sings a harvest song. Shal pulls perseverance and performs a martial display set to drums. Ruko pulls peace and recites verses of a poem titled “The Truce.”

Havoc’s father, Lord Clarion, concludes the improv segment by intentionally forgetting about Neema to embarrass her. She takes back power by demanding an apology before taking the stage for her own performance. She draws the word friendship, which she believes is meant to mock her—the lonely scholar who notoriously has few friends. She begins her speech by claiming that Gaida Rack was not her friend, “but in death, I have come to respect her passion. Her courage. Her persistence” (507). She requests they give her a moment of silence.

As everyone quiets, Neema hums the song Gaida sang to the emperor before her death, “Come to the Mountain,” then begins to speak the words aloud like a chant. She reaches out to Sol with her mind and he comes, along with the rest of the Raven. The Raven fills the air, all of its fragments flying in circles around everyone. Though the crowd can’t necessarily see the Raven, they can feel its energy and are left in awe. Neema wins the Trial with her performance.

The emperor visits the same prison where Benna was held. He has his new Samran Hounds execute and replace the old guards as he visits the other prisoner on site—Gedrun. The emperor recites what he’s named the Chameleon Spell and transforms. Bersun’s likeness becomes Andren Valit, who has ruled Orrun for the past 16 years after successfully killing Bersun. He informs Gedrun that his son Ruko will take the throne soon and after tomorrow Gedrun will no longer be needed. Gedrun weeps in relief at being released from the torture of the spell, which steals pieces of his soul every time it’s used. Andren claims that with his son’s help, he will build a new empire.

Cain avoids Neema all day. Sol attempts to put doubts into Neema’s head, hoping to further the divide he’s created already by stating that Cain doesn’t want to be her friend anymore and perhaps he regrets what happened between them last night. Tala pulls Neema aside and tells her that, after a conversation last night with Sunur, they agreed to stick together as a family. However, Tala woke up with a note that Sunur has fled the island with their daughter on the same boat Katsan took to the mainland. Tala is furious and blames Neema for this.

For the Bear Trial, all contenders must face interrogation. Brother Joran of the Bears is unable to get much of note from Neema. She piques his interest, however, when she tells him that while she believes she’d make a fine empress, she doesn’t want the throne. When he asks what she does want, she simply says peace.

The second part of the Trial consists of endurance training. The contenders must load packs onto their backs and begin a long run through the woods. Neema struggles most among the contenders, but pushes forward until Joran stops her from running herself to death. Neema is escorted back to the starting line where Havoc soon joins her, claiming he’s torn a ligament and withdrawing from the competition. Neema reveals she knows he killed Gaida and that he’s leaving the Trials presumably to help Ruko win. Havoc doesn’t outright admit to killing Gaida, but claims that she was a traitor who conspired against the emperor, so if he had killed her he’d be proud of it. Neema is awarded second place in the Bear Trial despite her failure in the second half of the Trial, due to her sheer determination.

When they make it to the fight platforms, a bunch of Samran Hounds are out training. Shal wonders why the presence of Hound guards is increasing, especially those who don’t answer to him. When he tests his Hindsight on them, he discovers they’ve been trained to block it, which makes him uneasy and distrustful.

Vabras informs everyone that the morning fights have been cancelled due to the departure of Katsan and resignation of Havoc. The fights for that afternoon will consist of Cain versus Neema, Tala versus Shal, Ruko versus Visitor Pyke, and Cain versus Shal.

During Neema and Cain’s fight, Vabras cheats by giving the first round to Neema despite Cain clearly winning. Cain’s abbot switches his batons out for a dagger for the weapons round without Cain’s permission. During the fight, Neema accidentally nicks him with her fan, drawing blood. This prompts the Fox to take over Cain’s body briefly. He begins to slash Neema’s throat with the dagger before Cain takes back control and redirects it. Neema is rushed to the medic tent to tend to her neck wound while Cain follows her, apologizing profusely.

Before he can explain what happened, Neema already suspects a fragment of the Fox took over. Cain tells her he possesses the full Fox, then explains the book on his bed. She informs him that it was her fragment Sol that told him the story of the Fox and how it ended up inside Cain.

Lately, the Fox has been awake at the same time Cain is, which isn’t supposed to happen. Until he can figure out a way to get it under control or excise it completely, he wants to keep his distance from Neema because he doesn’t trust himself not to hurt her.

Cain speaks with Visitor Pyke, who explains that he knew the Fox was inside Cain the day he survived eating Pyke’s poisoned food. When Cain asks how to get rid of it, Pyke tells him that’s not possible. Cain must make peace with the Fox or it will destroy him.

As the fight begins between Ruko and Pyke, he sees his mother Yasila sit in the stands to watch, which affects his ability to focus. The voice in Ruko’s head tells him that Pyke is winning because he has given up his powers for this moment and has nothing left to lose. It urges Ruko to find something he needs more. He automatically thinks of the throne, but the voice urges him to dig deeper. When he can’t think of anything else, the voice tells him he will die.

Benna appears in the crowd beside Ruko’s mother in disguise. Her enthusiastic wave toward Ruko and a jig of encouragement bring Ruko to laugh for the first time in years. He decides this is what he needed—and with renewed vigor, he wins the fight.

Ruko lands a killing blow in the weapons round. Yasila spends Pyke’s final moments with him in the med tent as he dies. Pyke tells Yasila he sensed a change in Ruko during the fight. Yasila apologizes for the hurt she’s caused Pyke. He finally opens his heart to her in his final moments, and they share an affectionate goodbye as he passes.

With Pyke dead and unable to prevent Ruko from winning, Neema decides the Raven was right: She must do everything she can to keep him from the throne so he doesn’t destroy the world. The contenders gather in a lodge outside the Monkey palace for the Monkey Trial.

The Monkey Trial consists of an improvised performance centered around a topic pulled at random from a box. Cain pulls the word respect and gives a speech about his upbringing and how he was adopted by a woman from a Venerant family who built a school in “a dump like Scartown,” where she treated everyone she met with dignity and respect regardless of their station (502). When he is emperor, he will seek to treat his subjects all the same way because “every life is of equal value and every soul deserves respect” (502). Tala pulls the word joy and sings a harvest song. Shal pulls perseverance and performs a martial display set to drums. Ruko pulls peace and recites verses of a poem titled “The Truce."

Havoc’s father, Lord Clarion, concludes the improv segment by intentionally forgetting about Neema to embarrass her. She takes back power by demanding an apology before taking the stage for her own performance. She draws the word friendship, which she believes is meant to mock her—the lonely scholar who notoriously has few friends. She begins her speech by claiming that Gaida Rack was not her friend, “but in death, I have come to respect her passion. Her courage. Her persistence” (507). She requests they give her a moment of silence.

As everyone quiets, Neema hums the song Gaida sang to the emperor before her death, “Come to the Mountain,” then begins to speak the words aloud like a chant. She reaches out to Sol with her mind and he comes, along with the rest of the Raven. The Raven fills the air, all of its fragments flying in circles around everyone. Though the crowd can’t necessarily see the Raven, they can feel its energy and are left in awe. Neema wins the Trial with her performance.

The emperor visits the same prison where Benna was held. He has his new Samran Hounds execute and replace the old guards as he visits the other prisoner on site—Gedrun. The emperor recites what he’s named the Chameleon Spell and transforms. Bersun’s likeness becomes Andren Valit, who has ruled Orrun for the past 16 years after successfully killing Bersun. He informs Gedrun that his son Ruko will take the throne soon and after tomorrow Gedrun will no longer be needed. Gedrun weeps in relief at being released from the torture of the spell, which steals pieces of his soul every time it’s used. Andren claims that with his son’s help, he will build a new empire.

Hol Vabras organizes the Hound Trial himself. All contenders except for Shal, who must sit out his Guardian’s Trial, must make two laps of the island’s perimeter wall and watchtowers, with the winner dictated by the fastest time. The perimeter wall has deteriorated over the years. Fenn Fedala has warned the emperor of its need for repairs, but has never received the funds necessary to upkeep it.

The contenders are given a staggered start but Cain catches up with Neema quickly. As they talk, Sol warns her to stay away from Cain. He believes Cain is dangerous because he’s not fully in control of himself with the Fox. Cain passes Neema, then Tala easily. When Neema catches up with Tala, they realize the north-west watchtower is in worse shape than the others. They make note to be extra careful during their second lap.

As Neema finishes her first lap, a storm begins. Rain pours down, making the second lap significantly more dangerous. Cain finishes first, followed by Neema, leaving Ruko and Tala out in the storm. From the safety of the starting tower, Neema receives word from Sol that the north-west tower has entirely collapsed.

Tala and Ruko pass the north-west tower just as lightning strikes it. The impact causes the ancient, dilapidated building to crumble, taking everyone with it. While all the guards within cannot escape and lose their lives, Tala manages to latch onto a crevice in the perimeter wall. Ruko manages to leap to safety; although Tala calls for help, she believes he will leave her to die. Much to her surprise, he finds rope nearby and uses it to pull her to safety, showing compassion Tala hadn’t known he possessed. Ruko offers Tala a hug for comfort that begins stiff but relaxes as he remembers the feeling.

Fenn is arrested by Samran Hounds during the storm. He complies when they threaten to harm his wife and son.

After the Hound Trial, the Tiger abbess Rivenna speaks to Ruko. She asks him if the voice in his head—the voice of the Tiger—instructed him to save Tala. When he admits it did not, she expresses disappointment in his show of compassion for his fellow contender. She reminds him that they are not his friends and if he does not kill his main competition, Cain, before the end of the day, she will kill Tala.

That afternoon, Cain and Ruko face each other in the fighting pavilion. Neema appeals to the compassion she now believes Ruko is capable of after saving Tala. She pleads with him not to kill Cain, but he doesn’t reply. Neema kisses Cain in front of everyone before the fight, just in case.

In the second round, Ruko gains the advantage and strangles Cain until he passes out. This allows the Fox to take over, biting Ruko’s arm and mangling it. The match ends in a tie, meaning the top three contenders—Ruko, Cain, and Neema—will move forward with the tie-breaker Dragon Trial.

Neema seeks Cain out afterward and asks the Fox in control of his consciousness whether Cain is still alive. It’s confirmed that Cain is still alive, but his consciousness is asleep while the Fox is in control.

Cain, Neema, and Ruko travel to the Imperial Palace for the final Trial where the Dragon’s leader, Jadu, gives them the opportunity to view their futures. The Fox opts out, eliminating Cain from the competition.

When Neema enters, she sees herself under the moonlight carrying a heavy pack as she traverses the service path below her old room. Next, she perches on a narrow, icy ridge in the mountains. She feels much stronger physically and approaches the Bear monastery. The next scene is during the evening in the Bear’s feasting hall. A hooded figure waits for her at the throne. Neema is wearing the amethyst necklace from the Festival’s opening ceremony, but as a crown. When she approaches the dais, a figure blocks her path. Time flashes again and Neema sees the bleak Dolrun forest. Neema sees herself lying in the middle of a clearing, chained to the ground. Neema has an Order of Exile stitched into her own skin by her own hand. She’s exiled herself and is dying.

Neema decides she’s seen enough and emerges shortly before Ruko. Jadu asks if either of them saw themselves on the throne. When Ruko claims he did, she announces him the winner of the Dragon Trial. Ruko officially becomes the next emperor.

Neema warns Ruko of what the Raven showed her, but he distrusts her, believing that she simply wants the throne for herself. Rivenna visits Ruko after hearing the news. He asks her if Tala is safe, and she says he will see his friend at the reception the emperor plans to hold in his honor. He tells Rivenna that Neema believes he will provoke a Return; he wants to offer her a position as his High Justice. Rivenna states they will talk about all that tomorrow.