I

Before dawn, Cheradenine Zakalwe surveys the Staberinde, now entombed in concrete as Elethiomel’s fortress. Haunted by memories and Darckense’s captivity, he rejects his commanders’ push—led by Swaels—for an immediate assault, arguing only a naval engagement at the winter floods offers acceptable odds and risk to his sister.

During the tense drive back, Swaels formally challenges Zakalwe’s caution and offers to resign; Zakalwe ejects him from the car, reaffirming his refusal to attack. At headquarters, Zakalwe spars with Livueta, who urges negotiation or a face-to-face meeting and even suggests an attack, asserting Elethiomel would spare Darckense. Zakalwe refuses to gamble her life.

Exhausted and feeling powerless, Zakalwe withdraws to his study. Disturbances in the castle escalate; voices rise, then a scream. On the stairs, Livueta tries desperately to block him from the hall. Pushing past, Zakalwe finds officers gathered around a small white chair.

The chair is constructed from Darckense’s bones and tanned skin—identifiable by old, healed injuries—delivered as Elethiomel’s message. Reeling, Zakalwe retreats to his office, realizes he struck Livueta in the chaos, and, overwhelmed, places his pistol to his temple and pulls the trigger.

As surgeons fight to save Zakalwe, Elethiomel’s forces surge from the Staberinde and nearly win the ensuing battle, turning Zakalwe’s hesitation and grief into a strategic disaster and a defining personal trauma.