After leaving Dom and Corayne at Andry’s door, Sorasa hesitates to leave them behind, but curiosity gets the better of her as she wonders who Erida has chosen to be her prince consort. Sorasa steals a dress and makes her way to the feast, where she watches Andry and the others approach the Queen and accompany Erida to her chambers. Sorasa then overhears a soldier cursing Dom to his red-clad companion and comparing Corayne to himself. As she continues to eavesdrop, Sorasa realizes that the man is Taristan and deduces that Erida has chosen him to be her betrothed. She leaves the feast to put black, flammable powder on the chandeliers. She then returns to the feast to watch Erida present Taristan to the nobles. Choosing her moment, she kills the guards that surround Corayne and Dom, and they all run to a barricaded room, where they discuss possible avenues of escape. Andry recommends heading to the Syrekom, a cathedral whose tunnels they can use to reach one of Ascal’s rivers.

As they run, Andry grapples with his misplaced faith in Erida and realizes that his mother is now boarding a ship without him. A horn blasts, and Andry knows that Erida has called her 200-strong garrison to chase after them.