Dorian travels through the Fangs and into Oakwald with Manon, the Thirteen, and the Crochan witches as they head toward their rendezvous with Eyllwe’s war leaders. They are a week late, and during a midday break Dorian continues testing his new shifting ability, which he has only barely begun to understand after accidentally keeping brown eyes for three days.

Dorian realizes that elemental magic works differently from shifting: this power requires him to let go of himself and become something new. Glennis questions what, or who, Dorian is trying to become, and Dorian thinks of Sorscha, the collar, and the parts of himself he wishes he could escape.

By reaching inward toward his damaged heart, Dorian finds a knot in his magic and begins to weave it into an altered appearance. His eyes turn green and his hair turns gold, startling the witches. But when Dorian’s true answer becomes that he wants to be anyone but himself, he loses control and returns to his usual form; Manon’s grim smile suggests she understands his self-loathing.

That night, Glennis asks the Thirteen whether they have ever seen the Wastes. The question leads to a tense discussion about the ruined witch homeland, whether the city could be rebuilt, and whether both Crochans and Ironteeth need a plan for what they will become after war and exile. Manon has made little progress in winning the Crochans’ trust, but Glennis presses the question as a matter of identity and future survival.

Before Manon can answer, the Shadows, Edda and Briar, burst into the firelight after scouting the rendezvous site. Dorian instantly shields the camp with magic, and Briar reports that the place reeks of death, signaling that the expected meeting may have gone terribly wrong.