A powerful Fae male enters the alley where Celaena has been drinking and loitering. His pointed ears, silver hair, tattooed face, weapons, and predatory bearing frighten the people nearby, and Celaena realizes he is dangerous enough to cut through the numbness that has consumed her for weeks.

Celaena understands that the warrior has come for her and that Maeve likely sent him. Because he can identify Celaena by scent and could expose her identity in front of witnesses, Celaena forces herself to approach him with false cheer and pretends they were expected to meet elsewhere.

The warrior gives little away and simply orders Celaena to come with him. Celaena follows him through Varese to a pair of ordinary mares, wondering about his Fae animal form and assessing his threat while hiding the scars on her wrists from Endovier.

When Celaena presses for his name and destination, he says he is Rowan and tells her only that he is taking her where she has been summoned. Celaena accepts because reaching Maeve is still the abandoned purpose of her journey, and she hopes Maeve can answer questions about destroying the Wyrdkeys.

Celaena mounts and leaves Varese with Rowan. Rowan does not ask about her past, her mission, or her years away; his silence and ancient indifference make Celaena suspect he could kill her without concern, a possibility that troubles her less than it should.