Ravyn, Jespyr, Petyr, and the Nightmare hurry through the wood at dusk while crows circle overhead, reminding Ravyn of Hesis’s ability to see through crows. The Nightmare pauses to ask the trees for direction; the aspen branches bend east, and the group presses onward through mist and bramble while Ravyn’s broken nose begins bleeding again.

The group descends into a dark, mist-filled valley and reaches a vast wall of interwoven alder trees. The Nightmare identifies it as the threshold to the Twin Alders, reciting the warning that the second alderwood must be crossed to know hell. Because the way inside must wait until morning, the Nightmare commands nearby aspens to uproot and form a tight protective circle around the group for the night.

Inside the circle, Ravyn’s injuries and Jespyr’s swollen cheek force the group to tend to themselves. Ravyn offers Jespyr the Maiden Card, but the Nightmare explains he cannot touch any Card while in Elspeth’s body because Elspeth would absorb the object he sacrificed to forge it. Jespyr uses the Maiden to heal her face, and Petyr reveals from The Old Book that the Nightmare paid for that Card with his shorn hair.

The Nightmare examines Ravyn’s nose and confirms it is broken. When Petyr asks whether Brutus Rowan killed him, the Nightmare avoids a full answer but admits he knew Brutus well and remembers Brutus’s cruel skill with pain. To distract Ravyn while setting the break, the Nightmare tells Ravyn to tap the Nightmare Card, allowing Ravyn to speak with Elspeth.

As the Nightmare resets Ravyn’s nose, Ravyn’s pain and shame overwhelm his usual control. Elspeth, Jespyr, and Petyr steady him, and Elspeth tells him that pain is not weakness. Ravyn apologizes for what happened in the courtyard after Gorse’s death, and Jespyr apologizes for her own words; the Nightmare then tells Ravyn that Gorse was not the only one who died there—the Captain of the Destriers died too.

Later, Ravyn and Jespyr each speak with Elspeth through the Nightmare Card before trying to sleep. Ravyn and Elspeth share a brief tender exchange, and Jespyr recognizes a rare hint of Ravyn’s old grin. The Nightmare quietly reveals he once had a sister named Ayris, which makes Ravyn and Jespyr reflect on the human man beneath the monster. As Ravyn falls asleep beside Jespyr, he warns her to stay close when they enter the alderwood, and she promises she always does.