Murtagh inspects the corner chambers Bachel has assigned him in the temple. Though modest by imperial standards, the rooms are clean and comfortable, with windows overlooking both the courtyard and the nearby Tower of Flint. From the window, Murtagh sees Thorn waiting below, two armed villagers watching the courtyard, and the tower standing near tended grounds behind the temple.

Unwilling to wait for Bachel to reveal her motives, Murtagh decides to investigate Nal Gorgoth for himself. He uses the ancient-language spell for sleep on the guards, reasoning that wards may not block magic meant to help rather than harm. The spell works, and Thorn lowers Murtagh into the courtyard, though Thorn warns that Bachel is dangerous and suggests leaving the matter to others.

Murtagh insists that they need to know the truth about Bachel, the Dreamer of Dreams, and the prophecy involving them. Thorn reluctantly agrees but refuses to let Murtagh explore alone. After waiting hidden under Thorn’s wing until the village sleeps, Murtagh checks the area with his mind, confirms nearby people are asleep, and leads Thorn toward the Tower of Flint.

On the way, Murtagh examines an ordinary-looking well and decides it is probably not the sacred well Grieve mentioned. At the Tower of Flint, Murtagh leaves Thorn outside, unlocks the door with magic, and enters a filthy cylindrical chamber filled with hundreds of coops and sleeping crows. Murtagh realizes the tower likely houses the birds Bachel uses to make her crow-skull amulets.

While searching the tower, Murtagh slips in the droppings, disturbs the birds, and calms them with the ancient language. In the filth, Murtagh finds a metal cloak clasp bearing a crest he recognizes from Galbatorix’s private dining hall: the mark of Saerlith, one of the Forsworn. The discovery suggests a possible connection between Nal Gorgoth, the Dreamers, the Forsworn, and perhaps Galbatorix himself.

Outside, Murtagh and Thorn consider how Saerlith’s clasp could have come to Nal Gorgoth. Murtagh speculates that Saerlith may have discovered the place, that Galbatorix might have known of it, or even that Nal Gorgoth could be the evil refuge where Galbatorix and Morzan hid after betraying the Riders. Thorn notes that Umaroth knew enough to warn them away, raising the unsettling possibility that the old dragons and Riders feared Nal Gorgoth.