Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of murder and suicide.

On the morning of Claudia’s wedding, she considers running away but does not follow through. She tries to accept her fate of marrying Caspar and becoming queen, hoping that once she gains the throne, no one will tell her what to do. She seemingly gives up on saving Finn and dreads telling him that Incarceron is shrunken and she does not know how to get anyone out.

The Warden reassures Claudia that “Caspar is nothing but a stepping-stone” (370). She asks if the Warden is part of the conspiracy to kill Sia and Caspar, but he tells her not to worry about it. She asks if he plans to kill her one day, too, but he contends that he loves her. He asks for the key, but Claudia wants to bid Finn farewell first. When the Warden leaves, Claudia contacts Finn, who tells her that their ship has crashed and Gildas is wounded. They see a passageway, but Gildas is too weak to travel. She doesn’t know how to help them because there is no gate.

Jared asks Evian who “the Nine-Fingered One” (374) is and learns that this term refers to Incarceron’s single escapee.