Lysandra flies south over the snow-covered plains and foothills of Terrasen in the form of a silvery falcon, scouting ahead of Aedion’s army. The terrain reminds her of crossing into Terrasen with Aelin earlier in the summer, but now the same borderlands have become a battlefield approach. She searches for Morath’s legions and worries about the emptied villages and any magic-wielders who might have fled too late.

After crossing the ancient border markers into Adarlan’s northern plains, Lysandra finally sees Morath’s army. She struggles to count the disciplined ranks and realizes the force numbers roughly fifty thousand soldiers, double the army Terrasen has assembled. Ilken fly above the troops, and five black-collared Valg princes ride among them, each commanding a legion. When an ilken spots Lysandra, she flees north to warn the others.

The armies meet in southern Terrasen’s snow-covered fields. Aedion chooses to wait rather than charge, hoping Morath will tire itself crossing the foothills, and he sends Silent Assassins to strike struggling soldiers in advance. Only some assassins return, because the Valg princes’ dark power sweeps ahead and kills many in its path.

Morath crosses into Terrasen after tearing down the ancient border-stones. Ilken attack the camp at night, spreading chaos with venomous claws, then tear through the defenders’ magic when battle is joined. Lysandra fights in the form of a wyvern armed with poisoned spikes, and Aedion cuts through enemies with Fae speed and an ancient sword, but neither can stop the sheer number of attackers.

As Morath’s foot soldiers reach the allied lines, Terrasen’s patchwork army begins to break. The right flank collapses under a Valg prince’s power until Ilias of the Silent Assassins kills the prince from behind enemy lines. The Bane and Fae forces hold for a time, but Morath keeps advancing through the first day, the night, and the next day; by the second night, even the Bane’s line buckles as the enemy drives them north.