Conor climbs the North Tower and remembers studying astronomy there with Kel as children under Fausten. Their old dream of seeing southern stars now feels distant, because Conor has lost Kel’s company and does not know whether they will ever meet again.

Conor also thinks of Lin, who, like Kel, is safe only because she has been sent away from him. He recalls Lin’s account of what King Markus told her: Malgasi, the phoenix, the exchange of blade, blood, and fire, and the secret behind Markus’s apparent madness. Conor accepts Lin’s story instinctively, trusting it as deeply as he trusts his bond with Kel and his love for Lin.

Conor enters Markus’s chamber and finds the King changed. Markus is no longer blank and furious; the King’s eyes are clear, his color has returned, and he seems to be waiting for some future event. Conor kneels and tells Markus that Lin revealed everything, and that Conor has sent Lin, Kel, and Mayesh away so the Palace’s enemies will believe he is isolated and defenseless.

Conor explains his strategy: if the Malgasi and their allies think Conor is at his weakest, they will grow overconfident and strike. Conor tells Markus that others believe the King is weak, but Conor believes they can defeat their enemies together. Markus responds by touching Conor’s hair with his clawed hand and rasping, “Yes. Together.”