Max receives a call from his father, Lord Rigel, who invites the Heirs to the Court of Solaria to observe the interrogation of a live Nymph captured by the FIB. The Heirs gather in Max’s room, where Caleb admits that he wants to end his relationship with Tory, fearing that the Vampire bloodlust “blinds” him when he hunts in anger. He worries that he could go too far and kill her. After Orion arrives, the five use stardust to travel to the Court.

They join their parents, the members of the Celestial Council, in an observation room. The Nymph, whose deadly finger-probes have been amputated, is brought into the interrogation room. Despite this, the Nymph unleashes a powerful “rattle” that incapacitates most of the Councillors. Lionel withstands the power and brutally beats the Nymph to death before it can reveal any information. Using his Siren abilities to read emotions, Max is disturbed to sense that Lionel felt joy, exhilaration, and relief during the killing.

For their final trial, Tory and Darcy face the Earth Elemental challenge: to escape a labyrinthine cave system before time runs out. Professor Rockford adds a chilling warning to avoid being eaten. As they navigate the dark tunnels using their earth magic to sense the path, they’re hunted by an enormous, blind, worm-like creature with rows of razor-sharp teeth.

The creature pursues them relentlessly through the caverns. They eventually run into a dead end, but Darcy senses that they’re only a few feet below the surface. With the monster closing in, they use their combined magic to frantically dig their way out. They break through the ground just as the trial’s timer expires, successfully passing their final test before The Reckoning.

Darcy goes to the Fairy Fair with Diego, planning to get information about his uncle Alejandro for Orion. Diego confirms that his uncle is a cruel man who forces his family to participate in his mysterious projects. Darcy and Diego stop at a booth where Diego promises to win Darcy a stuffed Pegasus, but he’s unable to complete the game. Orion approaches the booth with Francesca and immediately wins her the Pegasus that Darcy wanted. Darcy feels overwhelmed by jealous anger.

Later, Darcy and Diego notice Tyler kissing Diego’s crush, Sofia. A distraught Diego impulsively kisses Darcy. Before Darcy can react, Orion witnesses the kiss and, in a moment of fury, retaliates by passionately kissing Francesca where Darcy can see him.

Caleb arrives late for his date with Tory at the Fairy Fair, intercepting her just as she’s about to take a shuttle bus home. He tells her that he recently found out something that changed his perspective on her but refuses to elaborate. He drives her to a remote, deserted mountain road, where he locks her in the car and confronts her, revealing that he knows she started the rumors about his Pegasus fetish.

Caleb forces Tory into a cruel game, hunting her through the dark woods. Tory fights back, striking him with a heavy branch before he uses his magic to overpower and restrain her. The violent confrontation quickly turns into kissing, and Tory can’t deny the attraction she feels to him. Having vented their anger and frustration, they reconcile and decide to proceed with their date at the fair, their relationship now charged with a new level of intensity.

As they’re eating their food at the fair, Darcy confronts Diego about the kiss, making it clear that she doesn’t feel that way about him. They agree that they’re friends. As they head to the Faerris Wheel, Orion ambushes them, forcing Diego out of their carriage to ride with Darcy alone. They argue about their mutual jealousy, and Orion admits that he only brought Francesca to get back at Darcy for going on a date with Diego. Darcy tells him that she’s still not over the betrayal of Orion letting Darius hurt Tory. She insists that their relationship is done, but Orion asks, “Do we feel done to you?” (559). As an apology for his actions in the cave, he jumps from the top of the wheel, using his magic to land safely. 

Diego is waiting for Darcy when she gets off the Faerris Wheel. He demands to know if Darcy has a crush on their teacher. When Darcy doesn’t deny it, Diego insults Orion, claiming, “I despise him. I wish a plague of fucking death on him. In fact, I wish he hadn’t survived the battle at the Pitball stadium” (562). Furious, Darcy slaps Diego, who releases a tirade of insults about her and Tory and runs away.

Darcy enters a House of Mirrors, where she sees visions of her past and a glimpse of the future involving a shadowy moon, alluding to the upcoming Lunar Eclipse. To prove his devotion and apologize for their earlier argument, Orion plans a grand romantic gesture. He summons her to a circus tent, where he and a muscular circus performer—“The Numb Man” (566)—attempt to withstand currents of high-voltage electricity pumped into their bodies. The last one to quit wins a golden crown as a prize. When the host throws the switch, Orion writhes in agony, but The Numb Man appears unaffected. Darcy discovers that the contest is rigged and secretly plugs in The Numb Man’s chair, allowing Orion to win. He and Darcy leave the fair together and reconcile with a passionate encounter in his car.

Caleb takes Tory to the fair, explaining to the other Heirs that he has abandoned their plan to punish her and intends to continue seeing her, insisting that it won’t interfere with the Heirs’ plans to drive the Vegas out of Zodiac and nullify their claim on the throne. Max points to Tory, who has stepped up to a kissing booth. Darius rushes over and yanks Tory away from the Siren manning the booth, claiming that he’s stopping her from embarrassing herself by paying for a kiss. Angrily, Tory points out that the booth is for charity and storms off. The Heirs realize that the book is raising money for a local orphanage like the one Tory and Darcy were raised in. Feeling remorse, Caleb donates 10,000 auras to an orphanage, but Tory dismisses the gesture, telling him that she wants a genuine challenge, not purchased affection.

To give her the thrill she desires, Caleb takes her to the House of Horrors, where they’re fitted with magic-blocking bracelets that suppress offensive casting but can be slipped off easily. Inside, Tory pushes her fist into the flames and confirms that she’s immune to fire. The attraction culminates in them being carried into the sky by two Manticores and dropped from a great height, only to be saved at the last second by a magical cushion of air. Exhilarated, Tory passionately kisses Caleb, and they agree to spend the rest of the night enjoying the fair together.

At dawn, the freshmen gather for The Reckoning, their final assessment. They first receive scores for their elemental trials; both Darcy and Tory earn a 9 out of 10. The final test is a magical vision quest where the stars judge their worth. During her vision, Darcy witnesses her mortal home burning down and sees a mysterious Fae using stardust watching from a distance as she and Tory are rescued from the ashes.

The stars force Darcy to confront her past traumas and potential enemies, culminating in them asking what a Fae will do to claim their rightful place. Her instinctual answer is “Anything.” The Reckoning concludes, and both Darcy and Tory receive a perfect final combined score of 20. While they and most others pass, nearly 30 freshmen fail and are dismissed from the Academy. Immediately after, the four Heirs confront the twins, declaring that all truces are over and that they will now be hunted relentlessly.