Lyra studies the six-line riddle carved into the wall, which refers to caves, misbehavior, washing something out, a kiss, silence, and making a wish. Grayson remarks that he often lost when Tobias Hawthorne’s games involved riddles, and Lyra notices the weight behind his admission.

Odette lightly needles Grayson about whether he considers himself playful, while Lyra compares Tobias’s reputation with his fondness for riddles. The wordplay pulls Lyra away from the current puzzle and back to the unresolved question of her father’s final words, which Grayson once suggested might be a riddle about what begins a bet.

Grayson realizes that Lyra’s attention is divided. Lyra forces herself back to the wall riddle and proposes a frog because caves and kisses suggest fairy-tale logic, but Grayson warns that plausible answers can be decoys if they do not make every part of the riddle click.

Lyra sets down the sword, and Grayson asks to examine it. When Grayson takes the weapon, Lyra is struck by his controlled posture and by the tension between them, but the discovery of writing on the blade redirects their focus.

Lyra reads the inscription: From every trap be free, for every lock a key. The words suggest the sword may be tied to escaping locks or traps, deepening the puzzle structure around them. Lyra complains that she is starting to hate riddles, while Grayson says he is starting to like them.