Lott Penshugon’s severed head is delivered to the Kaul estate, and Hilo reacts with grief and rage. Lott is the latest of several No Peak Fists murdered and stripped of jade by Gont Asch’s forces, making Hilo feel that Gont is cutting away his men one by one before coming for him.

Hilo insists on accompanying Maik Kehn to Lott’s home to deliver funerary money and clan assurances. Hilo tells Lott’s younger children that their father died for his oath and that they should one day feel pride in his sacrifice. Hilo then addresses Lott’s teenage son as a fellow Green Bone, effectively welcoming the newly graduated Academy student into No Peak’s brotherhood and instructing Kehn to find him a proper mentor.

The chapter shifts into Hilo’s memory of first bonding with the Maik brothers at the Academy. After Hilo and other boys ambushed Kehn and Tar because of a feud and the Maiks’ disgraced family reputation, Hilo stopped the fight from escalating when Tar drew a knife. Hilo then fought both brothers himself to settle the matter, earning their respect; the three left together and later endured punishment together, beginning the loyalty between Hilo and the Maiks.

Back in the present, Hilo and Kehn go to the Cong Lady, where they find another Fist, Eiten, alive but mutilated: Gont has cut off both of Eiten’s arms and sent him back with an ultimatum. Eiten reports that Gont will give Hilo until the end of New Year’s Day to surrender himself for an honorable death; otherwise, Gont will keep killing No Peak Fists, target Anden and Shae, burn the Torch’s house, and destroy the clan. Eiten begs Hilo to kill him and take his jade, but Hilo refuses, arguing that Eiten still has a mind, jade abilities, a wife, and an unborn child; Hilo promises that if Eiten still wants death after one year, Hilo will grant it honorably.

After Eiten is taken to the hospital, Hilo rebukes Kehn for being ready to grant Eiten’s request too quickly, saying Eiten wanted dignity, not death. Hilo recognizes that Kehn is struggling as Horn because the Green Bones still look to Hilo as their wartime leader. Hilo also understands Gont’s ultimatum as a strategic attempt to end the war before both clans are bled too badly, and he privately considers that surrender might be a worthwhile trade if No Peak’s defeat is inevitable.

Hilo tells Kehn that if Hilo dies, Kehn should prioritize Wen’s safety and future over revenge, even if that means leaving Kekon or turning to the Mountain. Kehn rejects the idea of swearing to the Mountain, but Hilo insists on making his wishes clear. The two prepare to address the men upstairs, visit Eiten’s wife, and then go to Sogen to replace Lott.