The Crochans remain in their ancient camp for a week to heal after the skirmish, while Manon and the Thirteen stay among them despite being ignored and hated. Glennis explains that the camp is one of the oldest Crochan gathering places, used for rites of adulthood, and confirms that the Crochans will leave for Eyllwe the next day. When Glennis offers Manon a broom and asks whether she will fly south with them, Manon accepts because she and the Thirteen have decided to follow the Crochans, even though delay may doom the North.

Dorian spends the week trying to teach himself shapeshifting in the open camp, watched by Vesta and tolerated by the witches. He keeps his true purpose hidden: he wants to master shifting so he can infiltrate Morath, find the third Wyrdkey, and eventually sacrifice himself to the Lock and the gate. Despite repeated attempts to change his hair, skin, or eyes, nothing happens, and Dorian privately worries about his own darkness, his brother Hollin, and the possibility of being collared again.

Following Glennis’s hint, Manon delivers returned brooms to several Crochans in an effort to learn about them and perhaps earn a chance to speak. Most respond with scorn, but Karsyn, the black-haired witch stationed near the wyverns, shows curiosity. Manon explains that Erawan created the wyverns as killers, though some became something else, and Karsyn observes that Abraxos and Asterin’s blue wyvern, Narene, appear to be mates out of love. The revelation unsettles Manon and Asterin, but Abraxos’s reaction seems to confirm it.

That night, Dorian asks Manon to watch his eyes while he attempts to shift their color. Their conversation turns personal when Manon asks which element he prefers, and Dorian says ice. Dorian tells Manon that she is not cold at heart, but Manon resists the idea, insisting that being Crochan queen does not erase the many Crochans she has killed. Dorian argues that what matters is how she uses that truth now and tells Manon that caring does not make her weak.

The argument deepens when Manon accuses Dorian of failing to follow his own advice. Dorian admits that he cares about more than he should, including Manon, and Manon leaves the tent in anger. Later, troubled by his words, Manon returns before dawn and sleeps beside him without conceding the argument. When they wake, Manon notices that Dorian’s eyes have turned brown, proving his shapeshifting has finally begun; as the camp breaks, they all start the long flight to Eyllwe.