In the frozen library of Canaan House, Harrowhark overhears Abigail Pent gently explaining to Ortus that she is unlikely to learn anything useful through psychometry from his old rapier. The weapon is too old, partly replaced, and was only briefly handled with gloves, leaving almost no viable trace for Abigail to read.

Harrow enters after being noticed, and the chapter establishes that Canaan House has worsened drastically. The bloody fog has become sleet, ice, and snow, sometimes red; food is limited to preserves; strange catches from the sea have been rejected by Teacher; and the building is now infested with living pink tubes that bleed foul water, heal when cut, and form organlike growths.

Harrow reports that she, Quinn, and Dyas have laid wards around the Sleeper. Harrow also tried to move the coffin, but it is immovable and extends downward like a pillar. Ortus reproaches Harrow for risking herself instead of letting him fulfill his role as cavalier, but Harrow replies sharply, exposing the familiar tension between Harrow's independence and Ortus's desire to be useful despite his fear.

Abigail then asks Harrow what they should do next. Abigail admits her own necromantic skills are scholarly and limited in combat, while Dulcinea's flesh magic is mostly self-sustaining. As a result, Abigail identifies Harrow, Lieutenant Dyas, and Protesilaus as their effective front line. Harrow warns that the worsening cold may reduce her own usefulness because freezing marrow makes her bone magic difficult, though Harrow has begun experimenting with heating marrow to compensate.

Teacher enters in a disturbed, prophetic state and says Canaan House is being punished for old sins. Teacher compares the Ninth House's worship of a monster in a tomb to the Sleeper's coffin in Canaan House, warning that the Sleeper is gathering strength, changing the facility, and trying to master everyone inside. Teacher claims ordinary swords cannot defeat it, its weapons will ruin flesh, and it is coming specifically for Harrow.

Teacher throws a bottle at one of the organlike tubes, but it bounces off uselessly. Teacher then raves that once the Sleeper gets Harrow and the tomb is opened, the Emperor will never know peace again, before capering away through the halls. Harrow is left cold and isolated until Abigail touches her shoulder and, in blunt defiance of Teacher's terror, says, "Well, bugger Teacher."