Saeris sits on Sanasroth’s icy throne while the vampire court challenges her right to rule. Zovena, Keeper of Missives, denounces Saeris as a former human, a half-blood, and a weak replacement for Malcolm, stirring the gathered vampires into outrage against both Saeris and Kingfisher.

Kingfisher speaks privately into Saeris’s mind, identifying the Lords of Midnight and their dangers: Zovena, Ereth, the silent Hazrax, and Algat, a former witch turned vampire. When Algat meets Saeris’s gaze, Saeris is briefly overwhelmed by flashes of memory, as if someone has rifled through her mind. Carrion then nearly lights a cigarillo, drawing Ereth’s attention and forcing Saeris to seize control by ordering the court to proceed with the coronation.

The Lords shift tactics by insisting Saeris must drink blood before she can be crowned. Taladaius argues that no law requires it, but Zovena and Algat use Saeris’s lack of feeding to portray her as unfit. Saeris demonstrates that she can still her heartbeat, but the court remains unsatisfied, and Ereth proposes that she accept blood as a coronation gift.

Kingfisher tells Saeris to drink from him, recognizing that the Lords expect her refusal and are using the demand to undermine her. Saeris agrees despite her discomfort. When Saeris bites Kingfisher, she first seems to transfer something to him, and black ink moves from his skin to her chest before she finally drinks his blood.

The act overwhelms both Saeris and Kingfisher with intense sensation and desire, and Kingfisher has to command Saeris to stop. The court erupts in approval, with Ereth declaring that Saeris is now bound to blood and that her commitment can no longer be questioned. As the vampires chant for Saeris to be crowned, Saeris, intoxicated by the blood, suddenly perceives the Hall of Tears as beautiful rather than bleak.