Before — Chapter 24

Isla, a month after dueling Grim in Nightshade, covertly returns to his realm to search the infamous day-run night market for rare skin gloves that could help her survive the Centennial. Disguised and alone, she navigates grotesque stalls, determined to secure any advantage.

Inside a labyrinthine skin shop, an emaciated man ambushes Isla, trying to scalp her for her Wildling hair. Acting on instinct, Isla kills him, only for nearby guards to notice and pursue. She flees through the market, attempts to open a starstick portal, but the magic falters when Grim appears, and she is arrested.

Imprisoned and shivering in a thin silk dress, Isla confronts Grim, who releases her shackles but demands answers. He lists her offenses—trespass, theft of a relic, stabbing him, returning again—and challenges her recklessness. Isla withholds her purpose, insisting she wasn’t there for him.

Grim proposes a deal: he seeks a powerful, secret sword and believes Isla can help retrieve it. In return, he will spare her at the Centennial and act as her ally. Isla distrusts him and initially refuses, but when Grim moves to leave her in the cell, she relents, demanding her starstick back.

Grim returns the device, and Isla accepts the bargain. The chapter closes with their wary pact sealed, binding Isla’s survival strategy to Grim’s hidden objective and setting the terms for their future entanglement at the Centennial.