Sarros holds a knife to Essie’s throat and demands all of Murtagh’s gold, assuming Murtagh is defenseless without a sword. Murtagh keeps Thorn from rushing into Ceunon, then tries to use magic to seize Sarros’s knife, but the spell fails because Sarros wears a bird-skull amulet warded by the witch-woman Bachel.

Murtagh uses the Name of Names to strip Sarros’s protections and control the knife, while also preventing witnesses from remembering the Word. The attempt still fails, revealing that Sarros’s protection rests on dangerous wordless magic. When Sigling tries to rescue Essie, Sarros’s men beat him down, forcing Murtagh to abandon restraint.

Murtagh secretly strengthens a fork with magic, uses it to knock Sarros’s knife away, and frees Essie. Sarros’s six hired men attack as the inn empties in panic. Murtagh kills or disables them with the fork, a chair, and improvised tactics, while repeatedly holding Thorn back from intervening.

After Murtagh subdues Sarros, Sarros rants about the sleeper, the Dreamers, and minds being twisted. Before Sarros can reveal where the black stone came from, Sarros dies from an apparent magical or poisonous compulsion. Murtagh takes the bird-skull amulet, retrieves the stone and his coin, and gives the coin to Sigling to compensate for the destruction.

Before leaving, Murtagh gives Essie the enchanted fork, which she names Mister Stabby, and tells her to defend herself if Hjordis bullies her again. Murtagh heals the scar on Essie’s arm, then briefly reads her parents’ thoughts to confirm the old injury was an accident rather than abuse. The healing brings the family joy and leaves Murtagh reflecting on his own unhealed wounds.

Outside in the snowy alley, Murtagh contacts Thorn, reflects on killing and his hated reputation, and considers whether he should stop running from old friends. A tiny magical grass ship drifts past, briefly lifting his spirits, but Murtagh decides he cannot return to society yet. Instead, he focuses on the mysteries of Bachel, the Dreamers, and the black stone, fleeing toward the southern gate before the watch can catch him.