As Morath’s siege nears Orynth, Aedion inspects the city’s preparations and finds that Darrow and the Terrasen lords have stocked food, weapons, medical supplies, sleeping arrangements, and wall reinforcements well. Restless after a cold, uneasy night in his old castle room, Aedion broods over childhood memories of Ren, their rivalry, and the fatherhood he received from Rhoe instead of Gavriel.

Ren joins Aedion on a lower turret at dawn, and the two discuss defenses, including archers, boiling oil, and the danger that Morath’s witch towers might destroy the gates before the army arrives. Ren’s comment about needing hellfire prompts Aedion to notice something on the plain and decide that they must speak with Rolfe.

That night, Aedion leads a small group across the Plain of Theralis under cover of darkness. Lysandra shifts into a giant badger and digs pits in the frozen ground while Ilias, the Silent Assassins, and Rolfe’s Mycenians place heavy materials inside and conceal the traps. The group works through the night and returns unseen to Orynth.

A day later, Morath’s army appears on the horizon. From Orynth’s walls, Lysandra stands with Evangeline and the gathered allies as Ansel counts the swelling force, which grows from fifteen thousand to fifty thousand and then beyond. Three witch towers emerge among the ranks, terrifying Evangeline, who fears not for herself but for her friends.

As the towers reach the prepared ground, Ren and the Silent Assassins rise from beneath the snow in white camouflage and fire flaming arrows into fuse lines leading to the buried firelance powders. The explosions destroy two witch towers and scatter stone, wyverns, and soldiers, giving Ren, Ilias, and the assassins enough distraction to flee back toward the city. The third tower survives, though damaged, and Morath halts; the defenders gain a reprieve, but Ansel quietly announces the enemy now numbers one hundred thousand.