Ead and Loth take passage to Inys on a ship called the Bird of Truth. On the way, Ead uses her magefire to burn some ships from Yscalin that have massed close to the Inysh coast. However, she cannot burn the entire fleet for fear of exhausting her siden.

When they reach Inys, Ead and Loth ask Aralaq to hide; they then proceed towards Ascalon. Inys looks gloomy, with some villages visibly scorched by wyrms. Ead hears people express their misgivings about Sabran’s rule. At the gates to Ascalon, Ead and Loth see the heads of two women displayed: One is Truyde and the other is Aubrecht’s killer. Such cruelty is extremely unusual in Inys. Ead also spots a poster announcing a bounty for her. She and Loth dress up as merchants to sneak into the castle, Ead killing a knight who spots them entering.

Loth finally reunites with his sister, Margret. Ead eavesdrops on some courtiers and learns that people still think Sabran is carrying the future princess and for that reason prefers to stay confined to her quarters. Ead concludes that Igrain Crest has Sabran under house arrest and is running the court.

Ead, Loth, and Margret free Lintley and the other “Knights of the Body” from their holding cells.