Lachlan charges into Newtunn with a force of silversaints and Silver Sorority sisters, answering Gabriel’s earlier demand that Lachlan bring a silvered army. Lachlan wounds Nikita with silvershot, and the sudden arrival of the Order turns the battle. Kiara blocks Lachlan’s killing blow, but Nikita abandons Kiara and flees back toward the dún, causing the Untamed and the Dyvok highbloods to retreat.

Newtunn falls to Gabriel’s allies. Gabriel reunites with Lachlan in relief and joy, while Baptiste and Phoebe survive nearby. On the Auldtunn walls, the duskdancers and freed scorched regroup as Nikita’s forces withdraw to the stronger defenses of the keep, their morale shaken by the silversaints’ arrival.

From the dún, Nikita lashes out at Kiara for failing to kill Gabriel and rejects Kiara’s appeal to love and loyalty as weakness. When Alix suggests fleeing by sea, Nikita decapitates Alix with Epitaph to terrify the court into obedience. Nikita then orders Aaron to bring all the captured people from Aveléne and commands Kiara to fetch Dior.

Kiara enters the dungeons in a rage, wounded by battle and by Nikita’s contempt. Instead of delivering Dior to Nikita, Kiara kills Isla and the thralls guarding Dior, cuts the mark of Nikita’s fealty from Kiara’s own hand, and uses Kiara’s blood to rouse Dior. Kiara releases Reyne as well and tells Dior and Reyne to hide from Nikita until the battle is over, openly betraying the Blackheart.

Meanwhile, Gabriel, unaware of Kiara’s betrayal, prepares the allied assault on the dún with silversaints, duskdancers, moonsmaidens, and freed soldiers. Ashdrinker warns Gabriel too late that another enemy has arrived behind them: Fabién Voss’s forces, including over a thousand foulbloods and fresh thrallswords. Gabriel realizes Fabién lied to Nikita and planned to let both sides weaken each other before claiming Dior, and Gabriel sees the Voss children at the rear, renewing Gabriel’s vow of revenge.