Wirr and Dezia sit by the fire and bond over their shared experiences of constricted court life. Wirr believes that Davian blames him for the deaths at the school, and Dezia consoles him, explaining that people grieve in different ways.

Davian has a Foresight vision of armies preparing to invade Andarra. The troops have helmets with no eye openings and bear a symbol of a circle with three vertical wavy lines inside. The general declares they have waited 2,000 years for revenge and that Andarra will burn. Davian keeps the vision to himself as they travel to Deilannis. Near a bridge, two sha’teth attack them, forcing them to cross into the ancient city. One of the sha’teth speaks in Andarran and demands that they hand over the boy. The sha’teth do not cross the bridge, and Taeris surmises that the Law of Decay prevents Essence from functioning in the city.

Deilannis is shrouded in mist, and the party makes their way past abandoned buildings. Taeris puts Shackles on everyone except Nihim and Wirr to keep track of their location. They come upon a large archway topped with an impaled skull, and Caeden identifies it as the Door of Iladriel, the official gateway to the inner city. When they enter, Caeden recognizes the landmarks and believes he has been here before. Taeris is disbelieving, as no one has been in Deilannis since Devaed’s time. When they reach a fork in the road, Taeris takes a turn, and Caeden defers to him although he knows Taeris’s choice is wrong.

They reach a twisting spire with double doors at its base. Before Taeris can enter, a dar’gaithin (a humanoid creature with a reptile’s tail) attacks. Taeris tells Caeden to run, and he leads them to the Northern Bridge. Nihim falls, and Davian stays behind with him. They hide in an abandoned building where a sharp-toothed creature with a hole instead of a nose corners them with a spectral blade. Nihim shields Davian with his body and is stabbed. Davian expects to die, but the creature sniffs the air, says Davian’s name, and dissipates into the mist.

Nihim reveals that an old Augur friend foretold his fate; he has known for 20 years that he would die in Deilannis with someone important. He confides that Taeris believes in an ancient prophecy that Davian is the one to defeat Devaed. Nihim explains that Taeris and Davian are linked, and that Davian must break this bond or Taeris will die.

Davian is suddenly struck by a blast that sends him rippling through space. He feels pulled apart and focuses on a light that takes him out of the void. He awakes on an altar in a temple, and a plain-looking man introduces himself as Malshash. Malshash explains that they are the only two people in Deilannis; Davian cannot return to Nihim, who is likely dead from Orkoth’s blade. Davian’s Shackle has fallen off, and he no longer bears the Mark on his skin. Malshash has never heard of the Tenets because they have not been created yet. They leave the temple, and Davian recognizes it as the spire-shaped building that Taeris wanted to enter. Malshash takes Davian to his house, feeds him, and tells him that he is surprised that Davian survived the rift. Davian passes out from exhaustion mid-conversation.

Taeris is unable to track Davian’s Shackle and concludes that he and Nihim must be dead. Wirr, overcome with grief and guilt, isolates himself from the group until Aelric joins him. Aelric tells Wirr about his childhood, when he accidentally injured a friend named Lein during swordplay. When Aelric was sentenced to a flogging, his father intervened and was killed by the injured boy’s family. King Andras took Aelric and Dezia in, and Aelric spent his youth training with the royal swordmaster to gain control over the weapon. Aelric empathizes with Wirr’s sorrow and reveals that he has figured out Wirr’s real identity as Prince Torin. He cautions Wirr against getting too close to his sister, as they both are bound to see to their royal duties over their personal desires. Wirr reluctantly agrees and begins to regard Aelric with more respect.

Asha meets with Duke Elocien and the king’s advisor, Laiman Kardai. Mysterious invaders in the north have escalated their attacks; they are called “the Blind” due to their eyeless helmets. Asha connects the attacks to the Augur visions of invaders reaching Ilin Illan. Elocien and Laiman convince the king not to send all the troops to fight, as this would leave their city vulnerable. The men worry that King Andras is not himself and has been acting erratically.

Asha returns to her room and is shocked to find an older-looking Davian waiting for her. He has an additional scar on his face and a tattoo-like scar on his neck depicting a circle with three wavy lines. This version of Davian tells Asha that she will not always be a Shadow. She will also make a deal with the real Shadraehin, a woman. He says that Asha must deliver an obscure message to her: that Tal’kamar is taking Licanius to the Wells. He warns her not to let anyone, even himself, know that he has visited. The older Davian then disappears.

Davian has a vision of King Andras’s troops being murdered in their sleep by a sha’teth. When he awakens, he is greeted by an elderly man who reveals that he is still Malshash, but as a shapeshifter, he must take a different form each day. Davian has time-traveled to a version of Deilannis about 90 years in Davian’s past.

Malshash explains that 3,000 years ago, a people called the Darecians fled to Andarra when Aarkein Devaed destroyed their homeland in the Shining Lands. The Darecians built Deilannis, a city that could collect Essence in its streets and stones and store it in the altar called Jha’vett. The Jha’vett was used for time travel, but the Darecians were unsuccessful in going back in time to prevent their homeland from being destroyed. The Darecians believed that each return to the past created an alternate reality that branched from the main timeline. By contrast, the Augurs have theorized that instead of infinite possibilities, there is only one timeline. When Aarkein Devaed tried to use the artifact, he damaged it instead.

Malshash explains that he used the Jha’vett and a personal belonging of Davian’s to summon him to the past. He hands Davian a ring made of three twisted bands which Davian has never seen before but presumably left for Malshash at some point in Davian’s future and Malshash’s past. The ring anchors Davian to this past, and with sufficient Augur training on the use of the magical force called kan, he can safely return to his present, where a shadow of himself remains. Davian is the only one who has survived the rift. Malshash reveals that he is a fellow Augur and leads Davian to the Great Library, where Davian studies the Darecian texts and vows to find Ilseth Tenvar, the man who lied to him.

Taeris removes Caeden’s Shackle despite Aelric’s objection, arguing that Caeden has proven himself trustworthy. Caeden is tempted to physically connect with the bronze box that Taeris carries but resists, fearing what it might reveal about himself. Caeden suddenly has a series of different visions. At first, he is standing on a hill before the ocean, holding hands with a beautiful woman. The vision dissolves into a city with great black walls and fires, then shifts to a kaleidoscope of screams, burning homes, and two snake-like dar’gaithins. Caeden then sees a cavern with a humanoid creature made of fire, holding a sword named Licanius. In his final vision, Caeden is greeted warmly by a man named Alaris, who calls him by the name Tal’kamar. Alaris explains they are old friends and are in one of Caeden’s dok’en, a mental meeting place. Alaris warns Caeden that if his companions find out who he really is, they will kill him. He instructs Caeden to find a man named Havran Das in Ilin Illan. Caeden asks if he is responsible for the village massacre, and Alaris ambiguously answers that Caeden is not the type of man to do such a thing without a reason.

Wirr confronts Taeris for knowingly taking them in the wrong direction in order to reach the spire. Taeris confesses that he believed a weapon (the Jha’vett) was inside and could help them defeat Aarkein Devaed. He recounts the Augur’s vision of Nihim’s death and Nihim’s decision to meet his fate. The Augur assured Nihim that no one else would die, and Taeris believed their party was safe.

Wirr is unsure he can forgive Taeris, but he contends that they must be truthful if they are to succeed. He reveals his identity as Prince Torin, and Taeris reveals what really happened on the day Davian was attacked. Taeris had come to Davian’s defense but was held down by the other men. The attack caused Davian to draw on his latent Essence. Davian used his mind to Control the men, including Taeris, and forced them to cut their own faces. Taeris was the only one to survive because of his Reserve of Essence. When he checked on Davian, the boy had passed out from blood loss, and Taeris used his own Essence to save him. When Davian awoke with no memory of what had happened, Taeris took the blame for the men’s deaths. He believes that a link still exists between Davian and himself, and at times he finds himself cutting his face against his will. Since Davian disappeared in the rift, Taeris no longer feels the link. Wirr tells Taeris that he did the right thing and that he wishes Davian knew of Taeris’s sacrifices.

Asha and Fessi find comfort in listening to each other’s stories and feel less isolated and alone. Asha is troubled by Davian’s visit and is unsure if it was real, but she keeps the encounter a secret. After Fessi leaves her room, Asha is accosted by two Shadows, Teran and Pyl, who beat her up and kidnap her. Asha awakes in a locked room where they accuse her of withholding information from the Shadraehin. Asha bluffs and tells them that Erran has incriminating documents on Duke Elocien that he plans to hand off to her. She gives them instructions on where to meet Erran, hoping that he will Read their minds and locate her.

Days later, Erran, Fessi, and Kol rescue Asha. When Kol sees Asha’s battered state, he returns to the building and beats up Teran and Pyl. Kol apologizes to Asha for his coldness when they first met, and Asha thanks him for defending her. Like Fessi, Kol has no one to share his thoughts with, as the Augurs are not permitted to talk about their visions with each other. Asha offers to listen, and Kol is grateful. Duke Elocien requests her presence and shows her a package that he received in his office. In the box are the severed heads of Teran and Pyl, and a note in the Shadraehin’s handwriting, apologizing. Asha confirms that the Shadarehin had not ordered the kidnapping and still believes that she is on his side.

In the Great Library, Davian learns about kan—an Augur’s power, which is distinct from a Gifted’s Essence. Kan is an external force whose source comes from the city of Deilannis, whereas Essence is a life force that comes from within a Gifted. Kan can access thoughts and time and can manipulate Essence’s energy more efficiently, such as storing Essence indefinitely or making Vessels. Malshash is pleased with Davian’s progress.

Malshash reveals that Davian is the only one to survive a rift because he was once dead, if only briefly, and has been using kan to absorb the Essence around him to remain alive. Davian does not create any Essence of his own, which is what gets destroyed during a rift. Davian is appalled, but Malshash assures him that it is an advantage and will help him to return to his timeline more quickly. Malshash trains Davian on how to shield his own mind by imagining a box where he can lock away his secrets. Davian learns how to read Malshash’s mind and how to detect lies beyond a shield. He also learns that memories are subjective and can change. Malshash cautions that they do not have much time, as Davian’s ring can only anchor him in this past for so long. Eventually, the shadow of his shadow in the present will draw him back to correct the main timeline. Having control of kan will make his return safer.

Caeden dreams about being trained by a mage named Ordan who has red skin, a snake-like body, and the ability to be reborn. Caeden keeps his visions to himself as the group travels north. He is worried about the news of attacks by the Boundary, and as he looks at his wolf tattoo, he wonders how he is connected. They come upon a large town and hundreds of desecrated bodies. Two survivors, a woman and boy, inform them that soldiers with no eyes massacred the town. When Taeris goes to help them, the survivors suddenly attack and are killed by the group. Taeris explains that they were Echoes, people who have been possessed and intentionally left behind as a trap. The group continues their trek to Ilin Illan, hoping to reach the city and restore Caeden’s memory before the invaders attack.