Kel, Merren, Jerrod, and Ji-An travel by skiff to the drowned island of Tyndaris, using one of Andreyen’s smuggling boats. During the crossing, Ji-An warns Kel that Andreyen is displeased by Kel’s unexpected arrival with Anjelica Iruvai, and confirms that Anjelica was right about Prosper Beck’s hidden weapons cache. The group lands with limited time before the tide rises and climbs to the ruined Chapel of a Thousand Doors.

At the chapel, the group hides after seeing a lit lantern that marks a meeting place. Lady Liorada Alleyne arrives with Gremont, and soon the Dark Assassin appears. Their argument reveals that Lady Alleyne, the Gremonts, the Cabrols, and other Charter families helped create the Shining Gallery disaster, though Lady Alleyne insists they did not know the full extent of the plan and now resent being threatened by their ally.

The assassin unmasks herself as Elsabet Belmany, Crown Princess of Malgasi. Elsabet explains that the conspirators intend to weaken or control the Aurelians, leave Prince Conor as a familiar figurehead, and shift real power to loyal Charter families aligned with Malgasi. Elsabet also exposes a deeper threat: a stone embedded under her skin allows her to summon fire, proving that Malgasi possesses a power beyond ordinary weapons.

As Elsabet demonstrates this fire magic, Jerrod suddenly kills Gremont by cutting his throat. Lady Alleyne flees, but Elsabet’s fire reveals Kel, Merren, and Ji-An in hiding, and Elsabet’s guards pursue them. Kel pauses when the dying Gremont grabs him and begs for help, but Kel instead takes Gremont’s amulet and leaves him to die, condemning him for his abuse of Antonetta.

The group races down the island under flaming-arrow fire and finds that their skiff has abandoned them. Antonetta Alleyne unexpectedly appears in her family’s pleasure boat, having followed her mother to Tyndaris, and rescues them. During the escape Merren is wounded and hits his head, but Jerrod hauls him aboard while Ji-An covers their retreat.

On the boat, Jerrod reveals that Gremont’s supposedly protective amulet was fake because Alys Asper had the real one switched while Gremont was at the Caravel. Antonetta lends her carriage so Merren can be taken to Lin for treatment. Before Kel leaves, he apologizes to Antonetta for shouting at her, admits he cannot answer her questions without lying, and they share a brief, charged almost-kiss before Antonetta sends him after his friends.