Aelin and Rowan inspect the sewer crossroads after Lorcan has slaughtered the Valg captains and the Wyrdhound Aelin lured to him. The massacre proves that the stone-skinned creatures can be killed and that Lorcan is powerful enough to do it. Aelin reveals the trap had several purposes: to force the king’s creatures to hunt Lorcan, to keep Lorcan away from her plans, and to test whether the sewer entrance can be used for her own attack.

Aelin then tells Rowan her larger plan: once Lorcan draws away or kills the remaining Wyrdhounds, Aelin intends to enter the castle through the sewers and destroy the clock tower from below, freeing magic. Later that night, Aelin and Rowan ambush a small Valg-led patrol, kill the guards, capture the commander, and chain the commander in an abandoned cellar so Aelin can fulfill Arobynn’s demanded favor.

During the interrogation, the possessed commander shifts between the Valg presence and the human man inside, whose name is Stevan. Stevan reveals that the black rings enslave and corrupt the men who wear them, and that soldiers were forced to put them on as part of their uniform. Stevan confirms that a Valg prince inhabits the Crown Prince’s body and suggests that if such a powerful demon is inside Dorian, Dorian may have been broken and used by it. Stevan begs for death, and Aelin makes him listen to her terms.

Aelin later wakes from fear and checks that Rowan is alive beside her, haunted by the Valg threat to destroy everyone she loves. Though exhausted, Aelin slips out alone for one last undisclosed task and returns near dawn smelling of ash. Rowan is furious that Aelin risked herself and kept secrets, but the conflict softens when Aelin asks Rowan to accompany her somewhere important before the night’s dinner with Arobynn.

Aelin visits Sam Cortland’s grave, which Wesley had properly marked after Arobynn left it blank. Wearing bright clothes because she believes Sam would have preferred life over mourning, Aelin leaves three stones on the headstone, speaks to Sam about her past, admits she loved him, and allows herself to grieve without blaming herself for his death. Rowan joins her, quietly honors Sam with a stone of his own, and understands that Aelin means to kill Arobynn after dinner. Aelin confirms that the Amulet of Orynth is partly an endgame and partly a distraction, and that she has no choice but to be ready.