Saeris prepares for the vampire court in a black, sheer dress and confronts her changed reflection. She recognizes herself as no longer fully human but a Fae-vampire hybrid touched by the gods, with pointed ears and a body altered by immortality after years of starvation in Zilvaren.

In the dressing room, Carrion makes a crude compliment, prompting Kingfisher’s possessive magic to lash out and strangle him with shadows and black sand. Taladaius intervenes, warning Kingfisher that spilling living blood before the gathered vampires would endanger Saeris’s claim. The exchange reveals the fragile rules governing the Blood Court: Saeris must honor the Rite of Ascension, be acknowledged by the Lords of Midnight, and secure the crown before she can make changes.

Saeris reflects that killing Malcolm was not an attempt to gain power, but taking the throne may be the fastest way to stop centuries of war and prevent another worse vampire ruler from rising. Though Saeris is not from Yvelia, Saeris wants to reduce bloodshed and still hopes the Blood Court can be redeemed. When the court’s summons grows louder, Kingfisher tries to persuade Saeris not to go through with the ritual, but Saeris argues that the alternatives would cost more lives and keep Cahlish unsafe.

Before leaving, Kingfisher reluctantly sets aside Solace because Taladaius says Saeris cannot appear afraid or aggressive. Instead, Kingfisher wraps a silver chain around Saeris’s waist as a hidden garrote and straps a silver dagger to Saeris’s thigh with a lattice of his shadow magic. Saeris notes that silver and iron do not harm her, likely because she is not wholly vampire or Fae and remains an Alchemist with an affinity for metals.

Saeris, Kingfisher, Carrion, and Taladaius enter the Hall of Tears, an opulent and sinister chamber packed with high-blood vampires. The five Lords of Midnight assemble around a five-pointed mosaic, with Taladaius taking the final place. The other Lords include two males, two females, and one unsettling non-Fae-like creature.

The blond female Lord challenges Saeris’s legitimacy, refusing to believe Malcolm could have been killed by someone like her. Saeris descends the stairs without flinching, supported by Kingfisher and Carrion nearby, and answers that Malcolm fell because of his own arrogance. Saeris declares her name and claims the Blood Court openly: she is their queen.