Celaena wakes to find Elena’s ghost standing at the foot of Celaena’s bed. Celaena reaches for a crude hidden knife, but Elena dismisses it as useless and reminds Celaena that Celaena must win the competition. Celaena insists that Celaena intends to win only for freedom, not for Elena, and presses Elena for useful information about the evil killing the Champions.

Elena claims to know as little as Celaena about the creature, but says they are on the same side. Elena gives Celaena one cryptic warning: keep an eye on Celaena’s right, because the answers will be there. When Celaena looks right, Celaena sees only the tapestry hiding the tomb; when Celaena turns back, Elena is gone.

The next day, Celaena faces a poison-identification Test with thirteen remaining competitors. Each Champion must rank seven goblets from least to most deadly, then drink from the goblet chosen as safest. Celaena, exhausted from investigating Wyrdmarks and guarding against the unseen killer, identifies several poisons but struggles to decide between a harmless-seeming wine and a water goblet that appears clean.

As the time runs out, Celaena notices Pelor at the table to Celaena’s right. Pelor, who had said earlier that he was trained in poisons, has arranged the water as the deadliest and the wine as safest, and he subtly nods to Celaena. Remembering Elena’s warning, Celaena copies Pelor’s solution and understands that Pelor may be helping because both Pelor and Celaena are outsiders targeted by Cain.

Brullo checks the Champions’ answers. Many fail and need antidotes, Nox chooses wrong, Cain is poisoned by belladonna, and one Champion collapses after drinking bloodbane-laced water. Celaena drinks the wine and passes; Pelor also passes, becoming the only other winner. Celaena accepts the shared victory and admits Elena helped, but remains wary because Elena still refuses to reveal the full purpose behind Celaena’s path.