Several days after recent events, Yrene works with Chaol in a quiet Torre workroom after Chaol asks to see more of Antica and train outside the palace. Chaol’s legs are responding better to physical work, while Yrene’s magic continues to chip away at the Valg darkness along Chaol’s spine. Yrene explains that ancient healers once created extraordinary aids for spinal injuries, but their methods have been lost because their records vanished from remote outposts.

Chaol asks whether Yrene records their work, and Yrene admits she keeps some notes. Yrene worries about the slow pace of healing and about the unknown hunter who attacked her, but Chaol reassures Yrene that the attacker will not be allowed to hurt her. Yrene then suggests returning to the library because they still do not know how the Valg-related books and scrolls came to the Torre.

In the library, Nousha warns Yrene and Chaol that their research may be dangerous, especially since the attacks began around the same time they started investigating. When pressed, Nousha says there are no acquisition records old enough to explain the books’ origins, but rumors claim the information came from desert caves. One such cave may still exist at the Aksara Oasis, a royal refuge that ordinary people are forbidden to enter.

After leaving the library, Yrene explains that gaining access to Aksara will be difficult without raising questions. Chaol suggests that Yrene might use a palace connection, and Yrene realizes Hasar may be useful, though risky because Hasar is politically sharp and powerful. Yrene and Chaol agree to proceed carefully, while also acknowledging that the hunter is likely not finished with them.

Instead of parting, Yrene asks Chaol to stay for dinner, and Chaol proposes going out into the city. They dine together in a public restaurant, where Chaol experiences the freedom of being simply himself rather than a lord, captain, or royal official. Yrene admits she rarely gives herself time for pleasure or friendship, and both recognize that they must learn how to live if they survive the war.

The evening deepens their intimacy. Chaol talks about Brullo and his old life with less pain than before, finding that sharing the memory honors the man rather than only reopening grief. When Chaol escorts Yrene back to the Torre, both linger before parting, and Chaol rides back to the palace feeling unexpectedly lighter.