Prince Kashin arrives after Yrene summons him, and Chaol and Yrene finally move the furniture blocking the suite door. Yrene calmly explains that someone followed and attacked her, but she withholds the likely connection to Morath and Chaol’s healing. Kashin responds by ordering heavy guard placements throughout the hall, garden, and nearby crossroads, then joins the palace search himself.

Before leaving, Kashin offers to escort Yrene back to the Torre with armed guards, but Yrene says she feels safer in Chaol’s suite. The statement affects Chaol deeply, even as Kashin gives Chaol a disappointed, warning look. Once Kashin departs, Yrene asks to stay; Chaol insists she take the bed while Chaol keeps watch from his chair.

As Yrene settles, she asks Chaol what it is like to kill someone. Chaol admits he first killed only recently and explains the uncertainty of fighting Valg-infested humans, since some victims may still remain beneath the demon. Yrene recalls the oath she swore as a child never to kill a human being, admits she might have tried to kill the attacker, and thanks Chaol for being willing to take that burden on himself.

The conversation turns to Nesryn’s departure. Chaol says he promised Nesryn an adventure and believes she deserved to go, but when Yrene asks what Chaol deserves, he answers that he deserves nothing. Yrene disagrees, then falls asleep while Chaol watches over her through the night.

At dawn, Chaol leaves Yrene under guard and threatens the soldiers with severe consequences if she is harmed. Chaol goes to the training courtyard, where the older guard Hashim recognizes that Chaol has come for instruction rather than news about the attack. Chaol asks to learn the Antican guards’ methods, seeking new ways to fight from his chair and within his changed body.

Hashim trains Chaol brutally, adapting exercises for the chair and showing him new strikes, defenses, and ways to disarm opponents. The guards neither mock nor stare, having helped Shen recover from losing an arm. Afterward, Yrene works on Chaol for six hours; the healing leaves both exhausted but restores a precise awareness in Chaol’s feet and past his ankles. Chaol then makes training with Hashim before dawn into a daily routine.