In the tunnels beneath the clock tower, Rowan and Aedion are forced backward by Wyrdhounds that deliberately keep them away from the dropped fuse. Noon arrives, and the tower remains standing, meaning Rowan has failed the deadline he promised Aelin.

Rowan attacks in fury, but his outburst creates an opening. A Wyrdhound wounds Aedion, and the scent of demi-Fae blood draws several of the beasts toward the general while the rest block Rowan. Rowan is trapped between protecting Aedion and reaching the fuse that could save Aelin.

In the throne room, Aelin continues the plan by drawing the king’s attention to the Eye of Elena. Aelin threatens to destroy it unless the king releases Dorian, but the king instead orders the possessed prince to retrieve Aelin. Dorian unleashes darkness and races after Aelin as she bolts through the glass doors, leaving Chaol to confront the king.

Chaol holds his ground between the king and the hallway where Aelin and Dorian fled. Chaol names the king’s murders of his men and Sorscha, and declares that the conflict ends now, choosing to delay the king despite the danger.

Aelin flees through the glass corridors and stairwells with Dorian close behind, his ice spreading over floors, walls, and windows. Aelin relies on Chaol’s maps and pushes upward, knowing that if the ice reaches Aelin, Aelin will be stopped. When Dorian taunts Aelin with the promise that sparing him would cost everyone Aelin loves, Aelin reaches a high glass bridge between spires; as the glass shatters and cuts Aelin’s back, Aelin leaps through the broken window into open air.