In the frame narrative beneath Sul Adair, Gabriel continues recounting the battle of Newtunn. On the battlements, Fabién appears through a dead puppet body and orders Gabriel to release Alba and Aléne. Gabriel refuses, kills Alba with his bloodgift, and attacks Fabién’s vessel, while Celene finishes draining Aléne. Before the puppet body collapses, Fabién reveals that Celene killed and drank Wulfric, Gabriel’s father and her teacher, gaining his ancient Faithless power.

The revelation deepens Gabriel’s fury toward Celene, but Dior’s danger forces the siblings to act rather than confront each other. Meanwhile, in Auldtunn’s ruins, Baptiste tries to break Nikita’s hold over Aaron by reminding Aaron of their life together. Aaron nearly remembers himself, but Nikita arrives after defeating Lachlan, seizes Baptiste, and orders Aaron to prove his loyalty by killing him.

At Maergenn, Dior and Reyne flee Lilidh into the tomb beneath the Holy Sepulcher, believing holy ground will protect them. Lilidh reads the old inscription as an invitation and crosses the threshold. Dior and Reyne descend into a hidden flooded crypt filled with vampire graves, statues of five vampire martyrs, and the full form of the Grail prophecy, which points to Dior, a sainted blade, sacred blood, and the undoing of the endless night.

Reyne ambushes Lilidh with her mother’s sword coated in Dior’s blood, badly burning and maiming the ancien. Reyne presses the attack, but Lilidh counters by hurling tombstones, crushing Reyne and then pinning Dior’s hand to a statue with the golden dagger. Dior tries to command her blood to move, but it only trembles. Lilidh tortures Reyne and demands Dior beg, until Prince attacks Lilidh, freed from Lilidh’s control because he had bitten Dior and tasted Grail blood.

Prince battles Lilidh long enough for Dior to tear herself free, losing fingers in the process, but Lilidh breaks Prince’s neck. Dior then drives the blood-smeared Nineswords blade through Lilidh’s heart, and the Grail’s blood burns the Contessa to ash. Dior uses her blood to heal Reyne, then Gabriel, Phoebe, and Celene arrive; Gabriel and Dior reunite in tears, and Reyne revives. As they take in the crypt, the supposedly dead wolf emerges from the shadows, and Phoebe recognizes him as Connor.

In Auldtunn, Aaron cannot fully break Nikita’s blood-bond, but he refuses to kill Baptiste and throws Epitaph away. Nikita strikes Aaron down, giving Baptiste an opening. Baptiste smashes Nikita with silversteel, Lachlan pins his brother by the ankle despite his wounds, and Baptiste destroys Nikita’s head, ending the Blackheart and declaring that some love is forever.