Murtagh is unsettled when Bachel calls him her son, but Bachel explains that all followers of the Great Dream are her children. She identifies herself as the witch of Nal Gorgoth, says she knows Murtagh and Thorn by reputation, and claims she foretold their arrival. When Murtagh asks why they were expected, Bachel declares that Murtagh and Thorn are meant to be the saviors of the world.

Bachel postpones explanations and orders Grieve to arrange a feast in their honor. The villagers prepare with disciplined eagerness, revealing a mixed community that includes humans, dwarves, and possibly an Urgal child. Murtagh accepts Bachel’s hospitality but remains armed and wary, while Thorn stays close. Bachel asks how Murtagh found the valley, and Murtagh admits that he encountered and killed some of her amulet-wearing Eyes after they attacked him. Bachel thanks him for sparing those he could and hints that her Eyes are numerous.

During the feast, Bachel praises Thorn, questions his unusual size, and says the Dreamers revere dragons rather than worship them. Thorn senses that Bachel’s mind is unlike any he has encountered, hard and strangely distorted, reinforcing Murtagh’s suspicion that she is not as she appears. Bachel commands Alín and her armor-clad litter-bearers to dance, and the celebration takes on a fierce, ritual quality. Murtagh observes that the villagers obey Bachel with intense devotion rather than ordinary fear.

As the feast continues, Bachel eats and drinks prodigiously without losing control. When Murtagh remarks on her constitution, Bachel reveals that her mother was an elf and her father a human woodcutter, both long dead. She rejects Murtagh’s condolences, saying she has no sorrows and only triumph as the chosen Speaker. After night falls, Murtagh asks directly about the Dreamers, and Bachel says they dream of remaking the face of the land, with Murtagh and Thorn destined to help.

Bachel claims to be a seer and prophet but refuses to demonstrate her power, saying visions are granted only for sacred purpose by the Dreamer of Dreams, whose voice she serves. She promises that Murtagh and Thorn will soon redden blade and claw in service of the cause, then ends the conversation and orders Grieve to escort Murtagh to his chambers. Murtagh plans to sneak back to Thorn later and investigate. On the way, Grieve shows hostility, mentions a sacred well, refuses to explain it, and warns that Bachel can use something called the Breath to humble Murtagh. Grieve leaves Murtagh at a set of wooden doors, and Murtagh enters alone.