Matthias reflects on guilt, honor, and the strain of dealing with Alys Van Eck, then recalls how Kaz’s crew reached this point. After Rotty found suspicious activity on Eil Komedie, Nina wanted to rescue Inej immediately, but Kaz judged the island too obvious and likely fortified. Instead, Kaz decided to strike where Van Eck was not looking: at Van Eck’s pregnant wife, Alys, whose location Kaz traced through Cornelis Smeet’s files to a hidden lake house listed under Wylan’s mother’s family name.

The crew staged a diversion at the harbor to make Van Eck expect an island rescue, then raided the lake house. Matthias admired the precision of the operation, though one guard died during Nina and Jesper’s part of the mission. Alys, initially confused and docile, realized she had been taken during the return to Black Veil and dissolved into loud, persistent crying, frustrating everyone and provoking Kaz into threatening Wylan when Wylan protested that Alys was only frightened and pregnant.

Inside the tomb, the crew tries to calm Alys without removing her blindfold. Matthias uses practical kindness, offering biscuits, easing her swollen feet, and promising she will not be harmed, though he knows the promise may not be fully in his control. Alys’s love of singing becomes a new torment, and Kaz soon resumes command, assigning positions for the noon exchange at Goedmedbridge: Wylan on the ground, Matthias on the Emporium Komedie roof, Jesper on the Ammbers Hotel roof, and Nina on a third-floor balcony with a view of Van Eck.

Before leaving Black Veil, Matthias questions Jesper about the guard who died at the lake house. Jesper warns that Nina is not quite herself, deepening Matthias’ fears about the effects of parem withdrawal. As Matthias and Nina row into the city, Matthias thinks about giving Kaz the remaining parem, his vow to protect Nina, and whether he has replaced one rigid cause with another after abandoning the drüskelle.

In the Barrel, Nina admits that her Grisha abilities have changed: tailoring herself is painful and difficult, and compelling behavior may no longer work. When Matthias asks Nina to test compulsion on him, the moment turns intimate, but Nina rebukes Matthias for treating her as if she might break. They collect costumes from the Golden Badger and distribute Mister Crimson disguises and fake coins across East and West Stave, creating a crowd of masked decoys under the cover of a supposed gambling hall promotion.

At dawn, Matthias escorts Nina to her hotel room overlooking Goedmedbridge, but their tension remains unresolved. Matthias takes his rooftop post, naps uneasily through a nightmare of losing Nina in a killing snowstorm, and wakes near noon. Kaz arrives with Alys, Van Eck arrives with Inej and armed guards, and the exchange begins; then Jesper signals alarm, and Matthias spots Stadwatch moving toward West Stave, suggesting Van Eck or another force has introduced a new threat. Matthias warns Nina by mirror and reaches for his rifle as trouble closes in.