Dorian watches Aelin examine the stone chest in the ruined temple and feels ashamed that no one understood what Kaltain had endured or accomplished sooner. As he studies the gathered allies, Dorian realizes many of them seem tied to specific gods, suggesting their convergence is not coincidence. Manon notices Dorian’s unease, but before Dorian can fully explain, Aelin opens the chest.

The expected Lock is not inside. Instead, the chest contains an old iron-bound mirror marked with the Eye of Elena, which Manon identifies as a witch mirror. Manon explains that true witch mirrors can show past, present, or future, communicate with sister-glasses, store power, or serve as weapons, depending on their making.

When questioned, Manon reveals that Yellowlegs had met with the former king to demonstrate mirror magic and that Erawan’s forces are building enormous mirror-lined towers in the Ferian Gap. These towers are designed to amplify Erawan’s power and incinerate armies from the battlefield. The revelation leaves Aelin without the Lock she sought and with a new threat to confront.

The group carries the mirror back across the marshes toward their ships. Aelin is drained from the battle and from overusing her magic, while Rowan and Aedion press Manon for details about the towers. Aelin wants to speak with Elide and puzzle out whether the mirror might somehow be the Lock, but exhaustion forces her to postpone every question until they reach safety.

Near the shore, Lysandra senses trouble, and the party climbs a dune to find a hundred gray sails surrounding their ships. Lorcan urges retreat because their strength is depleted, but Aelin insists the fleet will not attack. When Lorcan tries to remove Elide, Aelin blocks him with a weak wall of flame, and Manon steps in, warning that Lorcan will not take Elide away; Elide calmly says she chooses to remain.

Aelin descends to meet the armed party waiting on the beach. Their leader removes her hood, revealing Ansel of Briarcliff, Queen of the Wastes, whose arrival with Melisande’s fleet shows that Aelin had secretly called in another ally. The two women exchange barbed greetings, making clear their hostile history even as Ansel’s fleet appears to have arrived on Aelin’s side.