Celene recounts Dior’s escape attempt to Jean-François. Using the stolen hairpin, Dior spends twenty tense minutes picking her cell lock while fearing Nikita’s return. Celene’s moth-fragment distracts the alert jailor long enough for Dior to seize his cudgel, but the jailor nearly overpowers Dior with thrall strength. Dior survives by fighting brutally, beating the jailor unconscious and taking his cloak.

Dior and Celene move through Dún Maergenn, with Celene scouting ahead and Dior hiding in plain sight as a servant. In the Hall of Crowns, Dior narrowly avoids Kane, who storms past complaining about Kiara. Dior then collides with Joaquin from Aveléne, but instead of raising an alarm, Joaquin quietly helps Dior gather the fallen mugs and lets Dior go.

Dior reaches the cold outside and finds a vast pit filled with human bones and discarded clothing, evidence of the Dyvok court’s slaughter. Horrified, Dior prays for the dead but forces herself onward because stopping would ruin the escape. At the sewer well, Dior prepares to pick the grate’s lock and sees the trapped people of Auldtunn, promising to return for them one day.

Before leaving, Dior spots Baptiste working in the forge and cannot abandon him. Despite Celene’s frantic warnings, Dior enters the smithy and urges Baptiste to flee with her through the sewers. Baptiste is torn between escaping and leaving Aaron and the others behind, but Dior says they can return later with Celene when Celene is healed. Baptiste finally agrees to meet Dior by the well.

Back at the grate, Dior struggles with the lock until Kiara arrives with soldiers and scorched. Baptiste is with them, weeping and branded with Kiara’s mark. Kiara reveals Baptiste had tasted her blood at Aveléne after Aaron’s fall, so he was already vulnerable to binding. Broken by Baptiste’s betrayal and the realization that Kiara owns him, Dior drops her weapon, sinks to her knees, and wonders where Gabriel is.