Isla panics, wondering how she’ll be able to hide her powerlessness from Oro if they are partnered. Oro comes to Isla’s room and offers her a deal: If she will use her knowledge of nature to help him seek a cure for the curse, he will protect her. Isla bargains for safety for another realm of her choosing, planning to save Celeste as well. Oro asks Isla to come out with him immediately. He also warns her to hide her identity as the Wildling ruler by wearing regular clothing and shielding her powers; otherwise, she might be a target for ancient creatures bearing a grudge against Wildlings.

Oro takes Isla to the shore, where the enchanted storm that haunts Lightlark is temporarily frozen for the games. Despite Isla’s fear of heights, she crosses a treacherous bridge to a cliff and then follows Oro by jumping down into a hole in the ground. She falls into freezing water and comes out spluttering at Oro, who says it was a test of her trust. Then he reveals what he’s looking for: the heart of Lightlark, a magical energy center that blooms in a different spot every hundred years.