Lorcan kneels amid Aelin’s blood and abandoned weapons, shattered by what Maeve did and by his own betrayal in summoning Maeve. Rowan arrives in a panic and holds a dagger to Lorcan’s throat, demanding Aelin’s location and revealing that Aelin is his wife. Lorcan realizes Aelin likely married Rowan to secure Terrasen’s future and surrendered to Maeve partly to keep Elide from Cairn.

Manon explains that Maeve took Aelin, while Gavriel says Maeve used the blood oath to keep the cadre from helping before severing the oath dishonorably. Elide recounts what happened on the beach: the Lock, Elena’s role, Aelin’s required sacrifice, Rowan’s true mating bond, Lyria, the whipping, the mask, and the iron box. The group absorbs the truth that Aelin knowingly gave herself up while still trying to protect everyone else.

Aedion confronts Lysandra after learning Lysandra knew Aelin’s plan. Rowan understands that Aelin intended to die forging the Lock while Lysandra lived the rest of her life in Aelin’s form, preserving the illusion of a queen and letting Rowan rule Terrasen. Aedion realizes Aelin also expected him to secretly sire royal heirs with Lysandra, and he lashes out at Lysandra for the deception.

Elide rejects Lorcan, cursing him to live forever with guilt and loneliness, then seeks refuge among Manon and the Thirteen. Aedion also condemns Lorcan for summoning Maeve and failing to help Aelin. Meanwhile, Manon reunites with Asterin and the Thirteen, learns they survived and followed Abraxos to her, and asks whether they will follow her as the half-Crochan heir.

Manon declares that Aelin’s sacrifice created a life debt and that the witches must become better than their foremothers. She resolves to find the Crochans and raise an army for Aelin, Terrasen, and the witches themselves, and the Thirteen pledge themselves to her. Later, Manon tells Dorian that Aelin secretly slipped the Wyrdkeys into her pocket, keeping them from Maeve; Dorian accepts the keys and understands that their quest and the war are far from over.