Aelin avoids returning to the sewers until she is sure Lorcan and the Valg are gone. The next night, while Aelin, Rowan, and Aedion eat a poor dinner, Lysandra arrives unexpectedly and banters with them, easing the room until Rowan identifies Lysandra as a shape-shifter.

Lysandra admits the secret is true and explains that almost no one knows, not even Arobynn. She was born with the ability to take any form, hid it as a child, and was thrown out by her mother after accidentally shifting in front of her. Lysandra survived on the streets by changing forms and making herself beautiful to earn money, but when magic vanished, she became trapped in the borrowed face she still wears and can no longer remember her original one.

Aelin struggles briefly with the fact that Lysandra kept this from her, but decides the secret was a matter of survival, not betrayal. Aelin accepts Lysandra and says she would value a shape-shifter as an ally and friend. Lysandra then gives Aelin the item Aelin requested and warns that Arobynn will call in Aelin’s favor the next day, requiring delivery the following night and then dinner with him.

Aelin, Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra discuss the likelihood that Arobynn’s dinner is a trap. Aelin explains that Arobynn prefers control over simple poison and that any move he makes will be designed to frighten, restrain, or dominate them. Privately, Lysandra tells Aelin she cannot risk returning until after the plan, and the two women affirm their trust; Lysandra says Aelin’s cause matters because it could create a world where people like Lysandra do not have to hide.

The next morning, Arobynn’s formal invitation arrives, requesting dinner for Aelin and two guests and the repayment of his favor. He also sends perfumed skin oil and asks Aelin to wear it, which Aelin recognizes as another attempt to mark and control her. Aelin plans to comply because her real goal at dinner is to retrieve the Amulet of Orynth, and Rowan notes that the invitation reveals Arobynn knows how many people are with Aelin and likely knows Rowan is Fae.

When Aedion asks about securing the demon Arobynn expects them to deliver, Aelin tells Aedion he must stay behind because his wound has reopened and the sewers are too dangerous. Aedion resists, but Aelin refuses to risk him. With Rowan accompanying her, Aelin prepares to hunt and capture a Valg commander for the favor Arobynn has demanded.