Vernon catches Elide as Elide tries to escape Morath. Vernon cuts Elide to prove Elide is not fully witch, then overpowers Elide despite Elide’s defiance. Vernon reveals that Elide’s Blackbeak blood combined with her human family’s magic makes Elide valuable to him.

Vernon drags Elide into a freezing dungeon cell and leaves Elide in darkness. Vernon says Elide brought this punishment on herself by allying with Manon and confirming Vernon’s suspicions about Elide’s blood. Elide searches for any way out but finds none, and Vernon abandons Elide where Vernon thinks no one will notice Elide’s absence.

When Manon returns to Morath, the duke immediately summons Manon. Manon lies that rebels attacked Manon’s party and that Manon killed them all, concealing Aelin’s survival and the connection that might endanger Elide. The duke gives Manon intelligence files on the empire’s enemies, including reports on Aelin Galathynius, Aedion Ashryver, and Chaol Westfall.

Reading the files, Manon realizes Aelin’s magic still worked in Wendlyn and suspects the king and duke are responsible for magic’s absence in Adarlan’s lands. Manon also pieces together that Aelin, Chaol, and Aedion were not spying in the forest but trying to save Dorian and the female prisoner. Manon understands that Chaol likely came to kill Dorian as a mercy because the rebels do not know Dorian is still inside the Valg possession.

The duke refuses to fully explain the tower weapon and presses Manon to choose a coven for his purposes, making clear Manon must continue proving herself. Manon delays the choice and threatens the duke’s servants if they disturb Manon before Manon has rested. As Manon leaves, Asterin stops Manon and insists they need to talk.

Manon and Asterin fly into the mountains, where Asterin reveals that decades earlier Asterin loved a human hunter and became pregnant. After Asterin returned to Blackbeak Keep, the Blackbeak Matron kept Asterin hidden; when Asterin’s witchling was stillborn, the Matron beat Asterin, burned the child, and branded Asterin’s abdomen with the word UNCLEAN. Asterin explains that Sorrel and Vesta saved Asterin afterward and that Asterin dedicated herself to Manon because Asterin believed Manon might someday defy the Matron. Asterin begs Manon to stop the Matron and the duke from using witches and witchlings as monsters; Manon reinstates Asterin as Second and decides they must proceed carefully with a dangerous plan.