Jude hides beneath a table after the massacre at Dain’s coronation, shaken by the scale of the killing and by Madoc’s betrayal. Jude thinks through the deaths of Dain, Eldred, and the royal heirs, then recognizes that the revel will grow more dangerous without a crowned High Monarch. Jude decides not to seek Madoc or the rest of the family because Jude cannot pretend the coup was acceptable.

Jude begins crawling under the tables toward the steps and the upper levels of the palace, hoping to reach deserted halls and secret tunnels. A masked figure grabs Jude, and Jude recognizes Cardan, drunk and confused. Jude realizes Cardan is the last available Greenbriar prince and the only person who can legitimately crown Balekin, making Cardan suddenly invaluable.

Jude forces Cardan under the table by punching him, then leads him through the crowded hall while the revel continues above them. As they crawl, Cardan reveals that his father despised him and that Dain forced him out of the palace. Cardan also acknowledges Madoc’s treachery and alludes to Jude’s mother having discovered Madoc’s nature long ago.

Near the steps, Cardan warns that Madoc’s knights may recognize Jude and look more closely at Cardan. Jude loosens Jude’s hair and steals a mask from a nixie to hide Jude’s face. When guards block the way to the palace, Cardan uses his ring and carefully truthful, misleading language to imply that he is an envoy connected to Balekin and Queen Gliten, persuading the knights to let them pass.

Jude and Cardan climb into the upper palace, where Cardan’s keys grant access to an empty hall. Once they are away from the revel and the guards, Jude turns the situation against Cardan and holds a knife under his chin. Jude savors having the most important boy in Faerie, and Jude’s enemy, finally in Jude’s power.