Celene continues recounting the moments before the Battle of Maergenn, beginning with Gabriel learning that Celene’s teacher was his father, Master Wulfric. Gabriel demands to know how Wulfric died, but Celene is distracted by her blood-linked vision of the Hall of Plenty, where Nikita Dyvok exposes Dior’s plot and the young conspirators refuse to betray her.

Celene realizes Dior has been discovered and warns Gabriel, who immediately flees the commander’s tent to gather Phoebe and the others. Through Celene’s vision, Celene sees Dior’s desperate strike fail, Isla á Cuinn reveal herself as the traitor, and the Moonsthrone horns and pipes rise outside Maergenn as the Highlanders prepare for war.

In the prison beneath the river, Celene’s tale is interrupted when Capitaine Delphine, Dario, and the thrallswords bring Gabriel to Jean-François. Gabriel and Celene exchange venomous insults, making their hatred clear, but the Marquis forces both siblings to remain and jointly recount the Battle of Maergenn so their testimonies can be compared.

Jean-François frames the impossible choice before Gabriel at Maergenn: retreat and abandon Dior to the Forever King, wait and be crushed between Dyvok and Voss forces, or attack the walls through enthralled innocents, including Gabriel’s friend Baptiste. Gabriel answers that those thralls stood between Gabriel and Dior, revealing that Gabriel chose the assault despite the moral cost.

Gabriel and Celene then describe the army mustering at dawn before Maergenn. Phoebe stands with Gabriel while Cinna paints protective blood magic on Phoebe’s skin, Highlanders and shapeshifters gather in a frenzy, and Celene kneels to recite the Benediction for Battle. To Celene’s surprise, Gabriel kneels and prays beside Celene, not for himself, but for Dior’s survival; both siblings acknowledge that Gabriel should have known better than to expect heaven to answer.