Inside a house where the Veil is meeting, two conspirators gather, waiting on a third. Though their identities are not revealed to the reader, they are Ezril, the high priest, and Berras Emery, Alucard’s brother. The two of them are disagreeing about how best to bring down the king. Berras says that Ezril’s plan is faulty because she wants to enact it during the solstice festival, which is weeks away. She points out that Berras’s plan hinges on having the persalis and that it is not yet in his hands.

The third man, the Master of the Veil, enters. He reminds them that the Hand was his idea, and says, “I make weapons that will hold. And they may be blunt, but they are ours to wield. They will cause their havoc. They will take the credit, and the blame” (364). After the Hand assassinates the king, the leaders will execute the lower-level members and take power for themselves. When the Master of the Veil leaves, Berras tells Ezril that the Master of the Veil will not share the throne. She tells Berras to worry about that when the Master of the Veil has the throne and leaves as well.