The chapter opens with a verse about the creation of the final Providence Card, the Twin Alders. The speaker recalls accepting an unknown price to make the twelfth Card, only to discover afterward that the cost was the inability to use any of the Cards.

In the Equinox gardens, Elspeth confronts Ravyn after realizing he is infected. Emory, drunk and unstable, interrupts with mocking comments, and Elm arrives with his Scythe to manage him, giving Elspeth and Ravyn space to speak privately.

Ravyn admits that he is infected and that King Rowan knows. Elspeth accuses Ravyn of living openly under royal protection while other infected people risk execution, then demands to know his magic. Ravyn shows her that Providence Cards lose their light and power when they touch his skin, though their power returns once he releases them. The Nightmare realizes Ravyn cannot use most Cards and cannot be affected by them; Ravyn confirms that only the Mirror, the Nightmare, and perhaps the Twin Alders still work for him.

The conversation is interrupted by courtiers, and Ravyn refuses to continue in public. When Dimia and Nya approach, Ravyn forces Elspeth to resume their fake courtship by holding her hand and leading her into a dance. Elspeth understands that the performance protects the lie and stops her from questioning him further, but it also draws public whispers and complicates their already tense alliance.

After the dance, Ravyn reminds Elspeth that admitting treason should count as honesty, but Elspeth remains angry and leaves for the castle. Near the great hall, she finds Elm and Emory. Emory quotes a warning from The Old Book of Alders about the Nightmare, making Elspeth fear that his secret-reading touch has exposed the creature in her mind. Before she can respond, Emory coughs blood onto the floor, showing that his condition is worsening.