Manon and the Thirteen reach Orynth with every Crochan witch who can fly and fight, after racing north through hidden routes to avoid Morath. As more Crochans joined them along the way, their force grew to five thousand, and their sudden arrival causes Morath’s army to halt in shock. Manon tells Aedion that the Crochans will handle the Ironteeth, leaves Vesta as a messenger-sentinel, and flies to the castle battlements.

Morath’s pause gives Orynth a brief reprieve. Manon meets with the mortal leaders and makes the stakes clear: five thousand Crochans cannot defeat a hundred thousand soldiers, but they may be able to keep the Ironteeth from taking the city and opening it to the demon hordes. The witch tower remains a major threat, since Morath may be repairing it to use against the Crochans at dawn.

Manon, the Thirteen, Bronwen, and Glennis spend hours organizing the Crochan forces against the Ironteeth formations Manon herself once designed. Later, in a bare chamber, Manon and her coven face the reality that they may have to fight friends, lovers, or family among the Ironteeth. The Thirteen remain committed, disappointed that no witches from the Ferian Gap joined them, but certain they are choosing freedom from the Matrons.

Manon tells the Thirteen that she would rather fly with them than with ten thousand Ironteeth, and the coven renews its bond with defiant pride. Their shared vow, “We are the Thirteen,” frames the coming battle as both military resistance and a final rejection of the lives the Matrons made for them.

Elsewhere in the castle, Evangeline becomes enamored with the Crochans after receiving a red cloak, and tells Lysandra she will help both Darrow and the witches tomorrow. Unable to sleep, Lysandra wanders to the Great Hall and finds Aedion alone. Still angry but moved by his earlier declaration of love, Lysandra says she will think about what he said and asks him not to die in the next day’s battle. Aedion asks whether he may kiss her if he survives; Lysandra refuses to promise more than a conversation, leaving them both with hope and uncertainty before the battle resumes.