Lorcan and Elide reach the edge of the flooded plain too late and realize the ilken have shifted north, putting them on the wrong side of Aelin's planned line of attack. Elide sees Aelin standing alone before the army, and Lorcan recognizes the scale of Aelin's rising power as far beyond what he witnessed at Mistward.

As Aelin's fire gathers, Lorcan tackles Elide to the ground and throws every bit of his magic into a shield to keep them alive. Arrows from Gavriel, Fenrys, and Aedion drive the ilken inward, forcing the army into the path of Aelin's attack.

From behind Aelin's line, Aedion watches Aelin unleash a catastrophic wave of flame that consumes the center of the legion. He keeps firing at ilken that veer out of the fire's path while Dorian and Rowan add ice and wind, tearing apart the creatures that resist Aelin's magic. Aedion senses that such power must carry a terrible cost and thinks of the witch's warning: "Nameless is my price."

Lorcan shields Elide as the marsh boils, grasses ignite, fish die, and fire, wind, and ice batter his defenses. The ilken are systematically destroyed: those in the air are burned, frozen, or shot down, and those that land are killed by waiting beasts and ambushes. When the storm ends, no ilken survive.

Rowan walks into the dying firestorm to reach Aelin, who is left with only a crown of flame. He holds and kisses her, and a matching crown of fire appears on his head, drawing Lorcan's attention to the pull of Aelin's immense power. Lorcan then realizes Aelin has emptied her reserves and is vulnerable.

Elide asks what they should do next, and Lorcan decides they will approach Aelin and Rowan despite not being friendly with them. His focus shifts to Aelin and the Wyrdkey she possesses, the sibling to the key Elide carries, and he fails to notice that Fenrys and Gavriel have vanished from their positions.