The Devils

Brother Diaz sits trapped in his carriage on Saint Aelfric's Day, desperately trying to reach his important audience with the Pope. Stuck in traffic moving at a snail's pace through the crowded streets of the Holy City, he grows increasingly anxious about being late, having already allocated five hours for what he thought would be ample travel time. The city is described as a chaotic maze of religious activity, filled with pilgrims, prostitutes, merchants, and all manner of characters seeking spiritual or material gain.

The atmosphere of the Holy City is vividly portrayed as a place where sacred and profane elements coexist in stark contrast. The streets are packed with flagellants performing public acts of penance, priests arguing theology from mechanical pulpits, and children burning elf effigies in public squares. Brother Diaz's internal struggle with temptation is revealed as he notices the numerous prostitutes, hinting at past indiscretions that may have led to his current situation.

As the bells for midday prayers begin to ring throughout the city, Brother Diaz becomes increasingly desperate, even attempting to bribe his uninterested driver with double payment. His frustration culminates in a prayer to Saint Beatrix, clutching an ancient family heirloom vial while irreverently swearing. Immediately afterward, something crashes onto the carriage roof and throws him face-first into the seat in front of him.

The impact on Brother Diaz's carriage is revealed to be caused by Alex, a thief attempting to escape through the city streets. After botching her landing, she flees through crowds of penitents while nursing an injured ankle, using a stolen prayer cloth as disguise and trying to blend in with the religious processions.

Alex's pursuers are Bostro and his thugs, who work for Papa Collini collecting debts. After a chaotic chase through the fish market involving a heavy pan, hot oil, and scattered seafood, Alex finds herself cornered in a dead-end alley. Despite her attempts to talk her way out or fight back, Bostro and his men catch her. Their exchange establishes that Alex voluntarily took on someone else's debt despite Papa Collini's warning and has failed to repay it. As Bostro prepares to take payment in teeth or fingers, the situation changes.

Duke Michael of Nicaea appears with his servant Eusebius and claims that Alex is Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos, the long-lost daughter of Empress Irene and rightful heir to the Serpent Throne of Troy. He asks about the birthmark beneath her ear, which Bostro confirms, while Alex is as surprised by the claim as anyone. When Bostro resists releasing her, Michael offers coins for the inconvenience. Eusebius then presents Michael's sword, and Michael makes clear that the offered coins represent what he considers the men's lives to be worth.

Brother Diaz frantically rushes through the Celestial Palace's halls, expecting to be late for his papal audience after the street chaos that delayed his carriage. To his relief, he learns he is actually early, as the palace adjusts all schedules to account for the city's perpetual delays. However, instead of meeting with the Pope as expected, he is directed to meet with Cardinal Zizka, the formidable Head of the Earthly Curia, who has cleared her schedule specifically for him.

In Cardinal Zizka's surprisingly austere office, Brother Diaz encounters a grim Knight Templar named Jakob of Thorn and a mysterious woman called Baptiste. The Cardinal paints a dire picture of the world's state, describing threats ranging from Church schisms and squabbling princes to monsters, demons, and the looming threat of elves from the Holy Land. She emphasizes that these unprecedented dangers require extreme measures and unconventional methods.

The true purpose of the meeting is revealed as Cardinal Zizka introduces Brother Diaz to his new role as vicar of the Chapel of Holy Expediency, a secret thirteenth chapel within the Celestial Palace. Despite his attempts to emphasize his administrative background and express reservations, Diaz finds himself unable to decline the appointment. The Cardinal makes it clear that this chapel operates beyond conventional morality, undertaking necessary but questionable tasks for the greater good of the Church. Though clearly uncomfortable with this development, Diaz ultimately accepts his new position, outwardly agreeing that his purpose is 'to do good,' while inwardly questioning what that truly means.

Alex finds herself in luxurious quarters within the Celestial Palace, experiencing an unprecedented level of comfort and cleanliness. As she looks down at the Holy City from her window, she contemplates her dramatic change in circumstances while fighting her ingrained instincts to steal the silver comb left behind by the nuns who cleaned her up. The stark contrast between her former life in the slums and her current elevated position creates an internal tension between suspicion, opportunism, and the possibility that her circumstances have genuinely changed.

Duke Michael visits Alex and explains the history behind his claim about her identity. He says that Empress Theodosia the Blessed had three children: Irene, Eudoxia, and Michael. Irene, Michael's elder sister and Alex's alleged mother, should have succeeded Theodosia, but Eudoxia murdered Irene, usurped the throne, and triggered civil war. Michael says Irene's infant daughter Alexia was spirited toward the Holy City and later believed dead. He then produces half of a split copper coin that perfectly matches the half Alex has worn around her neck all her life. He also describes Troy's Pillar, Hanging Gardens, palace, and Pharos as he urges her to return and claim the Serpent Throne.

Alex remains wary, but the matching coin and her new circumstances make her begin to consider that Michael and his story may be genuine. At the same time, she sees the princess role as an escape from debts to Papa Collini, the Queen of Clubs, and Little Suze. She decides to play the part, take what advantages she can, and abandon Michael if the situation becomes too dangerous. After he leaves, she pockets the silver comb.

Brother Diaz's pride swells as he takes in the Chapel of Holy Expediency's magnificent upper level, complete with expensive artwork, giant votive candles, and an ornate pulpit. His satisfaction turns to apprehension when Jakob reveals a hidden stairway beneath the pulpit, leading into ancient underground passages built by the Witch Engineers of Carthage.

Below the chapel, Diaz meets Hobb, the English keeper, and is introduced to his actual flock in heavily secured cells. Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi is a naked magician convicted of Black Art whose clothes were taken after he tried to write with dirt. Sunny is an elf whom Diaz has difficulty noticing until she chooses to draw his attention. Baron Rikard is an ancient vampire who nearly mesmerizes Diaz into putting an arm through the bars before Jakob stops him. Another member of the flock has been moved elsewhere because of unacceptable behavior.

Baptiste and Jakob explain that the chapel's prisoners undertake work that those above will not contemplate and that turnover among them can be severe. They describe Diaz's predecessor, Mother Ferrara, as rigid, zealous, and ill-suited to a role where dogmatism can be dangerous. When Diaz repeatedly asks what became of her, Jakob finally answers simply that she is dead. Diaz is left confronting how far his new duties are from the comfortable church position he expected.

Alex is taken to a heavily protected chamber in the Celestial Palace for a ritual intended to strengthen the Church's case for her royal identity. Two chained Oracles seize her hands and deliver visions of elves, Troy's Pillar and Pharos, trials ahead, and fire at both her beginning and end. Cardinal Bock and Duke Michael interpret "fire at her beginning" as support for the title Pyrogennetos, meaning a royal child born beneath Saint Natalia's Flame. Bock then formally records the Church's proclamation that Alex is Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos and the rightful heir to the Serpent Throne.

At dinner with Cardinal Zizka and Duke Michael, Alex learns that Eudoxia's four sons, Marcian, Constans, Sabbas, and Arcadius, are competing for control of Troy. Michael says his ally Lady Severa has remained in the city and kept him informed. The four dukes possess land, money, soldiers, spies, and assassins, and may also employ forbidden magic.

Michael and Zizka describe Eudoxia as a powerful sorceress who founded a coven and experimented with combining humans and animals in an attempt to locate, release, capture, and harness the human soul. The Church plans to keep Alex's survival secret while copies of the papal bull are sent ahead shortly before her arrival. Alex realizes that the role she accepted as an escape from her debts involves powerful rivals, sorcery, and a dangerous journey to Troy.

Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi seethes at the humiliation of his imprisonment and the company he is forced to keep. During preparations for the chapel's binding ceremony, an acolyte faints and drops a prayer sheet. Balthazar discreetly covers one sheet with his foot because its reverse side is blank, planning to use it in a future escape attempt.

Benedicta the First, the Child Pope, arrives with Cardinals Zizka and Bock and applies a simple red line of ink across the wrists of Baron Rikard, Sunny, and Balthazar. The binding orders them to conduct Princess Alexia to Troy, obey Brother Diaz, see Alex enthroned as Empress of the East, and then return. Benedicta also warns that failing to try will make them very sick and tells them to be nice to one another on the journey. She leaves to apply the same binding to the absent Vigga.

Balthazar is contemptuous of the apparently crude ritual and expects to escape easily. When he mentally rejects the mission and imagines abandoning Alex, he suddenly vomits violently. Sunny tells him that the binding works better than it looks, demonstrating that Balthazar has badly underestimated it.

Leaving the Holy City, Alex struggles with side-saddle riding and distrusts the armed Papal Guards whom Duke Michael says are there to protect her. Looking for a possible ally, she introduces herself to Sunny. Their wary conversation develops into an unexpected rapport as Sunny describes being displayed in a circus and Alex jokes about her own new identity.

Balthazar remains obsessed with understanding Pope Benedicta's binding. Baron Rikard tells him about Estella of Artois, a sorceress who spent months unsuccessfully trying to break the same binding. Estella later died when a giant fell on her, not because the binding itself killed her. Rikard refuses to explain the binding and suggests that Balthazar, as the magician, should discover its secret himself.

Sunny then warns that three or four dozen pursuers are following about half a mile behind. While the convoy accelerates toward the walled Rolling Bear inn, Balthazar uses the stolen prayer sheet, improvised runes, and crude materials to attempt a breaking spell. The attempt fails and makes him vomit. Arrows strike the convoy, killing the wagon driver and another member of the escort. Balthazar grabs the reins without knowing how to drive, while Rikard works the brake. The team crashes through the inn's gate and the wagon hurtles into the building, throwing Balthazar from his seat.

After the crash at the Rolling Bear, Jakob of Thorn takes command of the defense, ordering the gates barred, the wounded treated, and archers onto the walls. Baptiste confirms that their pursuers are numerous and may not be fully human. Jakob draws on long military experience despite his damaged body and prepares the Papal Guards for another assault.

The attackers begin breaching the inn. A fox-faced warrior drops into the yard and nearly kills Alex before Duke Michael runs him through. Michael identifies the creature as one of Eudoxia's cursed experiments and takes Alex into the inn. Other attackers include a hare-legged archer and a huge goat-like warrior, while the gates shake under repeated blows.

Inside, Eusebius tries to lead Alex out a rear door, but a tall sorceress enters through fire, hurls Michael aside, and burns guards and bystanders. Alex is trapped before her. Outside, Brother Diaz, confronted with the hybrid attackers and the collapsing defense, prays with a conviction he realizes he never previously possessed. The chapter ends as the front gates break and Jakob faces the towering goat-creature while the sorceress corners Alex inside.

Balthazar regains consciousness inside the burning inn and finds Alex threatened by a powerful pyromancer from Eudoxia's coven. Pope Benedicta's binding compels him to put himself between the sorceress and Alex despite his desire to avoid the fight. After a crude protective charm fails, he stalls for time and then animates the burned bodies of guards, the innkeeper, and the serving girl. The corpses overwhelm the sorceress, and the undead innkeeper crushes her skull with a beer barrel.

Outside, Jakob fights several of the beast-men at the broken gate. Baptiste helps him kill a ram-headed attacker, but the defenders are collapsing. A hare-eared archer shoots Jakob twice, and Duke Marcian, who identifies himself as Eudoxia's youngest son, later runs him through the chest. Jakob collapses in the mud. Baptiste is no longer visible by the time Marcian takes control of the yard.

Marcian corners Alex and produces a copy of the supposedly secret papal bull confirming her as Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos. Alex first begs for her life by insisting she is only a thief, then finally stands and spits defiance at him. Brother Diaz steps between them long enough for the invisible Sunny to retrieve the fallen wagon key and unlock its four bolts. A growling creature bursts from the wagon and tears apart a bull-headed attacker, abruptly changing the situation.

The creature released from the wagon is Vigga in her werewolf form. Driven by an overwhelming hunger, she tears through the remaining hybrid attackers, killing the bull-headed fighter, the hare-eared archer, and several others. She then attacks Duke Marcian, crushes his helmet and skull in her jaws, and throws his body over the wall.

Still frenzied, Vigga turns toward Brother Diaz and Alex. Jakob of Thorn, despite the sword wound through his chest and two arrows still lodged in his body, stands again and orders her to stop. Vigga gradually shifts back toward human form, becoming a tall, muscular, heavily tattooed woman who complains that she is thirsty, has blood in her nose, and hurt her hand. She then vomits up blood, offal, and pieces of metal from what she ate.

Baron Rikard emerges from the inn looking markedly younger and with blood at the corner of his mouth. He identifies Vigga as a true Norse werewolf and treats the devastation as familiar territory for the Chapel of Holy Expediency. Sunny likewise tells Diaz that, for the chapel, the scene is not especially remarkable. Diaz surveys the burned buildings, dead guards, wounded Jakob, and slaughtered hybrids and learns that such chaos is not untypical for his new congregation.

In the aftermath of the battle at the Rolling Bear, Alex sits among the corpses after changing clothes with a dead girl at Jakob's suggestion, so that later assassins might mistake the body for hers. Baptiste removes arrows from Jakob while he explains the reason he survived being run through: a witch cursed him so that he cannot die. Sunny returns Alex's discarded dagger, while Vigga washes the blood from herself and Brother Diaz struggles with the realities of his congregation.

Balthazar emerges from the ruined inn supporting the injured Duke Michael. Baptiste, who once assisted a mercenary company's barber and also performed surgery, tends Michael's badly broken leg. The group considers how Marcian found them. Michael says someone in the Celestial Palace may have betrayed the mission, and Jakob points to Marcian's possession of a copy of the papal bull declaring Alex the rightful heir as evidence that their secrecy has been compromised.

Michael argues that Troy is now the only place Alex can become safe and proposes returning to the Holy City with the surviving guard and stable boy while the chapel continues without him. Brother Diaz protests that the remaining escort is absurdly inadequate. Alex nevertheless declares that she is going to Troy. Michael tells her that his trusted friend Lady Severa will be waiting there. Privately, Alex immediately doubts her decision but recognizes that she has reduced her choices to becoming Empress or dying in the attempt.

The group travels through relentless rain along back roads to avoid detection after their deadly encounter at the Rolling Bear inn. When Brother Diaz assumes they're heading to Ancona as originally planned, Jakob reveals they must change course due to Marcian's apparent knowledge of their intended route. The group discusses various port options, ruling out Naples, Genoa, and other western ports due to pirates, while the Papal States' ports are deemed too risky due to strict documentation requirements.

After much debate, Jakob announces they will travel to Venice, despite Brother Diaz's protests about the city's strained relationship with the Papacy and its reputation for vice. The decision, though controversial, is deemed the 'least worst choice' as the Serene Republic's opposition to the Church makes it the last place anyone would look for a papal-supported princess. Alex supports this decision, demonstrating growing confidence in her role and effectively shutting down Brother Diaz's attempts to assert his authority as vicar.

The group arrives at a massive pilgrim gathering place near Spoleto, where they plan to blend in with travelers heading to Venice en route to the Holy Land. The site proves to be a chaotic canvas metropolis teeming with both the pious and the profane - featuring everything from zealous preachers to prostitutes. Despite Brother Diaz's horror at the moral degradation on display, the group begins preparations to join a pilgrim band, with Jakob instructing them to sell their horses and Baptiste tasked with finding a suitable group to travel with.

Jakob of Thorn's body bears the accumulated damage of countless battles, his internal monologue revealing the extensive physical toll of his long life of warfare. His thoughts detail injuries from crushed feet to lance wounds, while reflecting on a particularly harrowing retreat from Ryazan that shaped his understanding of human nature. Despite constant pain, Jakob maintains his grim determination to keep moving forward, guided by the mantra 'keep the steps coming.'

The group has joined a pilgrim company led by Bishop Apollonia of Acci, a renowned theologian rumored to be destined for sainthood. The company consists of roughly two hundred souls, ranging from wealthy merchants who sent portraits in their stead to poor penitents in fetters, complete with a portable pulpit at the front and a mobile brothel bringing up the rear. When questioned by the bishop about their presence, Alex quickly fabricates a cover story, presenting Brother Diaz as having a special papal commission to guide convicted sinners and providing plausible backstories for their unusual companions.

The chapter reveals new dimensions to the group's dynamics as they maintain their disguises among the pilgrims. Alex demonstrates quick thinking by crafting believable cover stories, presenting Balthazar as a Sicilian merchant who dealt with pirates, Vigga as a reformed Viking shield-maiden, and herself as a repentant thief. Brother Diaz, meanwhile, appears to be developing an admiring relationship with Bishop Apollonia, though the group cynically discusses this development. The chapter ends with Jakob's characteristically grim observation that 'everything ends in tears,' highlighting the continued tension between their holy disguise and their true nature.

Around the evening campfire, Alex deliberately sits between Baptiste and Vigga despite being afraid of the werewolf, reminding herself that everyone is frightened by something. The group discusses the other pilgrims' destination, the Basilica of Saint Justine the Optimist in Cyprus, where devotees climb 414 steps to touch bells cast from First Crusade armor and may, on a clear day, see the Holy Land.

The conversation turns to why the pilgrims cannot simply continue into the Holy Land. Brother Diaz cites the elven conquest, while Alex questions whether elves are truly as uniformly terrible as Church teaching suggests because Sunny has treated her well. Jakob then recounts his own experience in the Second Crusade. After the crusaders retook Acre, they found its cathedral converted into an orderly slaughterhouse with human carcasses hanging from chains. Jakob says the elves had eaten most of the population and describes their consumption of humanity as a holy duty rather than an act of hatred.

The group concludes that Sunny appears to be an exception to the elves Jakob encountered. Their discussion returns to the pilgrimage itself: the travelers will reach Cyprus, climb the Campanile, touch the bells, and return absolved of their sins. The exchange remains irreverent, but it leaves Alex considering what fears might lie behind even the vampire Rikard's behavior.

Balthazar Sham Ivam Draxi struggles with his reduced circumstances as the pilgrim company trudges through mountain passes in relentless rain, lamenting the loss of his fine magical vestments and dignity. His internal monologue reveals deep resentment at being forced to participate in what he considers a spiritually and intellectually bankrupt pilgrimage, surrounded by common believers and fellow monsters from the Chapel of Holy Expediency. The physical discomfort of the journey, combined with the constant singing, preaching, and poor conditions, only serves to heighten his sense of humiliation.

The chapter reveals evolving dynamics between the chapel's members, particularly through Balthazar's interactions with Baron Rikard, who appears notably younger and more vigorous due to feeding on pilgrims during their journey. Their conversation exposes both the vampire's casual attitude toward exploiting the 'cattle' and Balthazar's grudging acceptance of such behavior, provided it doesn't affect him personally. This exchange provides insight into the moral compromises and pragmatic alliances forming within the group.

Baptiste's appearance leads to a complex interaction that reveals Balthazar's conflicted feelings toward her, mixing antagonism with unexpected attraction. Meanwhile, his continued attempts to break the Pope's binding spell prove futile, though he maintains his determination to eventually overcome it once he has access to proper magical tools. The chapter ends with Baron Rikard drawing pointed parallels between magic and religion, much to Balthazar's irritation, as the group approaches yet another shrine where pilgrims queue to view relics.

Alex brings bread and cheese to Sunny in the woods and tries to make the simple food look like a treat. Sunny startles her as usual, then explains only that she holds her breath and "does it" when Alex asks how her unnoticed movement works. The two settle into an increasingly comfortable conversation.

Alex says Balthazar has begun teaching her the history of Troy because Jakob thinks she should know something about the place if she is going to sit on the Serpent Throne. She admits that she misses Duke Michael and remains frightened by what happened at the Rolling Bear. Sunny tells her that Jakob is a good man and would die for Alex if he could. Alex says she hopes no one else has to die on the journey, especially herself.

Most of the pilgrims have gone to evening prayers at a nearby monastery that claims many miracles and displays Saint Bartholomew's foot. Alex and Sunny mock the fees charged to view relics, touch cases, drink from a holy spring, and obtain pilgrim badges. Their conversation then turns to loneliness. Alex admits that, despite distrusting people, she needs them. When she asks whom Sunny would miss, Sunny replies that Alex is already there and asks her to stay.

Vigga and Alex go to fetch water from a nearby river. Along the way, Vigga repeatedly loses track of what she is doing, forgets the bucket already in her hand, and drifts through fragments of memory involving her mother and former companions. Her thoughts show both severe memory problems and her habit of treating the past as something to discard rather than examine.

Vigga becomes increasingly agitated as she thinks about the many people she has killed and feels the wolf stirring inside her. When the warning tattoos on her hands remind her of how she was chained and forced to transform, her claws begin to emerge and Alex becomes frightened. Vigga regains control, apologizes, and gives Alex an explicit warning: the Pope's binding controls Vigga but not the wolf. If Vigga ever tells Alex to run, Alex must immediately flee by horse, tree, well, or any other means available.

Near the river, Vigga becomes distracted by a man repairing a wagon and considers approaching him out of sexual attraction, but Alex catches her wrist and brings her attention back to their task. Vigga then wades fully clothed into the river, drinks and splashes happily, and forgets about the bucket as it floats downstream.

Brother Diaz pauses above Venice while writing an admiring letter to his mother about Bishop Apollonia, omitting the true nature of his mission. Alex joins him, admits that she cannot read or write, and Diaz unexpectedly offers to teach her. He shows her how to form the letter A, the first letter of her name, and takes satisfaction in feeling useful.

When the Blessed Company catches up, Bishop Apollonia reveals that she knows Alex is Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos and demands that Alex remain with her. She has guards and rougher members of the pilgrim company ready to enforce the demand. Apollonia says Duke Constans of Troy has offered a great reward, including major relics from Troy, in exchange for Alex. Brother Diaz denounces her as a hypocrite and defends Pope Benedicta when Apollonia attacks the Child Pope's legitimacy.

Apollonia then turns the wider pilgrim company against the chapel. Balthazar produces the severed hand of the dead pyromancer, Sunny puts a knife to Apollonia's throat, and the confrontation nearly becomes a massacre. Baron Rikard climbs into the portable pulpit and uses glamour to enthrall the crowd with a rambling story about his old Polish estate and dumplings. He orders everyone to forget him, the chapel, Alex, the elf, and the sorcery, and to continue to Cyprus. He separately commands Apollonia to suffer an unreachable itch until the pilgrimage to Cyprus and back is complete. The chapel leaves for Venice while the enthralled pilgrims remain behind.

The Chapel of Holy Expediency enters a former Venetian monastery controlled by Frigo, a baker and crime boss known to Baptiste. Sunny moves through the building unnoticed, scouting armed men in adjoining rooms, the gallery, and the colonnade. She quietly warns Jakob about their positions while reflecting on how her ability works, her mistreatment in the circus, and the small unnoticed favors she performs for the chapel because she has begun to imagine the group as a kind of family.

Baptiste asks Frigo to arrange passage to Troy. Frigo recognizes several members of the group and makes clear that he expects payment in the form of a service rather than money. He wants them to enter a house that once belonged to an illusionist and recover a white box marked with a star. His own people entered the house but never returned, and local stories call the place cursed.

Balthazar asks about the magical protections, but Frigo offers little useful detail. Jakob accepts the bargain: if the chapel retrieves the box, Frigo will arrange passage to Troy. Frigo's associate Marangon is tasked with obtaining whatever specialized equipment Balthazar needs, and the group leaves to begin the job.

Venice reveals itself as a half-drowned city where every building has become its own island due to the catastrophic failure of an ancient dam. During a boat ride through the flooded streets, Balthazar uses the opportunity to educate Alex about the city's history, revealing Venice's origins as a northern capital of the Carthaginian Empire and explaining how the collapse of that empire, coupled with the elven invasion, led to the city's decline. The historical lesson culminates in the revelation that fifty-two years ago, the ancient dam across the Po River burst, permanently flooding much of the city's wealthy districts.

The group's immediate mission focuses on infiltrating a mysterious illusionist's house to retrieve a white box with a star on its lid for Frigo. Through his magical lenses, Balthazar identifies multiple powerful enchantments woven into the building's structure, including traces of a bound entity and peculiar materials in the walls. The house's ominous reputation is evident in how locals avoid it entirely, with not even birds perching on its roof.

In preparation for the mission, Jakob provides Alex with crucial knife-fighting instruction, teaching her to use her small size and perceived weakness to her advantage. Rather than attempting to match strength with larger opponents, he advises her to rely on deception, encouraging her to act vulnerable and draw enemies close before striking decisively. Meanwhile, Balthazar meticulously plans the operation, demanding specific magical supplies from Marangon, including conjurer's circles, specialized lenses, and even requesting recently deceased twins for some unexplained ritual purpose.

Balthazar meticulously prepares for the infiltration of the illusionist's house, setting up elaborate magical apparatus including conjurer's circles, Eritrean myrrh candles, and inscriptions in both Punic and ancient Greek. While working, he secretly plots to break the Pope's binding, though the very thought causes him physical distress due to the spell's effects. His internal monologue reveals both his disdain for his companions and his excitement at finally having the necessary components for both missions - entering the cursed house and potentially freeing himself.

The chapter's focus shifts to an impromptu deportment lesson as Baron Rikard takes it upon himself to teach Alex how to carry herself like royalty. Through detailed instruction on posture, movement, and facial expressions, he transforms her bearing from street urchin to princess, teaching her to walk with grace and smile with calculated charm. The vampire's expertise in court manners reveals a new dimension to his character, while Alex demonstrates surprising aptitude for the performance of royalty, even modulating her voice to sound more refined.

The lesson is interrupted by the arrival of Jakob and Marangon carrying shrouded corpses - the Visentin twins that Balthazar had requested. The necromancer's excitement at examining the bodies contrasts sharply with the others' disgust, particularly Baptiste's revulsion. The chapter ends with Balthazar requesting Jakob's help in decapitating the corpses, revealing the gruesome practical preparations necessary for their upcoming mission into the cursed house.

The illusionist's house presents its first challenge immediately - the building appears to have no door. To solve this problem, the group uses one of Balthazar's severed heads (prepared with necromantic runes) to communicate with him remotely. After some bickering among the group members, Balthazar manages to dispel the illusion revealing the door, which Vigga then simply opens despite Baptiste's attempts at lockpicking.

Once inside, the group discovers a disturbing scene in a grand dining room: a rotting banquet covered in flies, and two corpses who apparently stabbed each other to death. The situation becomes more complex when they realize they're trapped in a spatial loop - every hallway leads back to the same dining room, complete with identical corpses and decaying food. This revelation forces them to seek Balthazar's guidance once again through the enchanted head, though their inability to properly describe the runes on the walls frustrates him immensely.

Meanwhile, at their base location, Balthazar reveals that the flies are key to the illusion, explaining that they form an 'insect-based warding involving a limited folding of space.' While appearing to help his companions, he secretly begins preparing a ritual that he hopes will break his papal binding rather than actually assist with the current situation. His mounting digestive issues and physical discomfort hint at possible consequences of this attempted deception.

Inside the illusionist's house, the group becomes trapped in a complex magical illusion that separates them and forces each to confront their personal demons. Vigga finds herself shifting between memories of her mother and her traumatic transformation into a werewolf, including the moment she was forcibly tattooed with warning marks. Sunny experiences a disturbing vision of a masked ball where she's completely invisible to the other guests, highlighting her deep-seated fears of isolation and social rejection.

Meanwhile, Jakob becomes trapped in haunting memories of his time with the Templars, particularly a devastating battle where he led his men against elves. His visions blur together multiple conflicts across time, revealing the toll that centuries of warfare have taken on his immortal psyche. The spatial distortions in the house become increasingly severe, with rooms appearing upside down and hallways leading endlessly back to the same fly-infested dining room.

Outside the illusion, Balthazar attempts to use this opportunity to break his papal binding rather than actually help his trapped companions. While pretending to work on dispelling the house's defenses, he secretly performs two simultaneous rituals - one to suppress the binding's nauseating effects and another to break it completely. His ambitious attempt begins to have dangerous physical effects, with the conjurer's circles starting to glow and the risk of a catastrophic magical accident growing ever more likely.

Balthazar conducts his ritual to break the papal binding, but Alex recognizes his deception and warns Brother Diaz. When confronted, Balthazar responds by magically choking Brother Diaz, leading to a tense confrontation where Baron Rikard refuses to help, instead challenging Alex to demonstrate her leadership abilities. The situation escalates as Balthazar's ritual creates dangerous magical effects, with wind and energy threatening to tear apart the room.

Meanwhile, inside the illusionist's house, the trapped companions experience powerful hallucinations forcing them to confront their deepest traumas. Vigga relives her transformation into a werewolf and faces accusations from the shipmates she killed, including her mother's devastating judgment of her nature. Jakob encounters his younger self as the Grandmaster of the Order, forcing him to confront his violent past and the atrocities he committed in the name of righteousness, culminating in a sword fight with his former self.

The illusions break when Balthazar's ritual fails spectacularly, leaving him violently ill and still bound by the Pope's magic. Alex demonstrates her growing authority by punching Balthazar and forcing him to help their companions, while Brother Diaz reasserts control through the binding. Once freed from the illusions, Vigga and Jakob find themselves having attacked each other, though both were seeing different visions. In a stroke of luck, they discover the white box with the star on its lid that they were sent to retrieve, though Vigga's immediate forgetting of her traumatic vision suggests an unusual gift for selective memory.

The chapel returns Frigo's white box. Jakob refuses to release it until he asks what assurance Frigo can give that he will honor the bargain, but Frigo offers only his reputation and the fact that the group has little choice. Jakob hands over the box, and Frigo confirms that their boat is waiting. Neither Frigo nor the chapel knows how to open the box.

After the others leave, Frigo addresses Sunny, who has remained behind while unnoticed. He explains that he detected her because gathering information is his real business; the gangs, gambling, and other enterprises are ways to learn things. His granddaughter is startled when Sunny becomes visible, but Frigo is not.

Frigo offers Sunny future work if she ever tires of the chapel. When she says she may be happy where she is, he tells her that he thinks she is lonely. Asked how he knows, he answers that no one is really happy where they are and everyone is lonely. Sunny then leaves with the offer unresolved.

Aboard the ship from Venice, Alex practices writing "The Empress of Troy" with Brother Diaz and admits to Jakob that she is beginning to think she might actually become Empress. Rikard reminds her that inheriting a crown is easier than ruling well. Below deck, Baptiste changes the dressing on Balthazar's burned wrist. Their usual hostility softens briefly as Balthazar thanks her and privately acknowledges his attraction to her.

The calm ends when a Trojan warship attacks. Its ram smashes into their smaller vessel below the waterline. Duke Constans, Eudoxia's third son, identifies himself from the enemy ship and reads from a copy of the papal bull naming Alexia Pyrogennetos as the Church-backed heir. When the chapel asks how their route was discovered, Baptiste raises the possibility that Frigo betrayed them, and Jakob says he would be surprised if Frigo had not.

Constans demands Alex. He is pleased to learn that Marcian is dead and argues that the chapel is hopelessly outmatched. Jakob instead prepares a defense using smoke and chaos while sailors begin abandoning ship. As the two vessels remain locked together and the chapel readies for battle, a woman with a fishlike head, scales, gills, and sharp teeth climbs aboard, revealing another of Eudoxia's altered soldiers.

Duke Constans' warship has rammed their vessel, and now the group faces a desperate battle against his forces, which include horrifying hybrid creatures from Empress Eudoxia's experiments. As water floods the lower decks through the breach, the companions split up to face different threats. Alex and Sunny climb the rigging to escape, pursued by crab-men and other hybrid creatures, while Vigga protects Brother Diaz on the main deck, showcasing her incredible combat abilities against various fish-human hybrids including a particularly grotesque octopus-headed soldier.

In the flooding hold, Balthazar and Baptiste encounter a phrenomancer from Empress Eudoxia's coven who uses mind control magic to turn Baptiste against Balthazar. The sorcerer's ability to control Baptiste's actions reveals another aspect of Eudoxia's magical arsenal, while also highlighting the precarious position Balthazar finds himself in, trapped in a flooding hold with a mind-controlled assassin.

Meanwhile, Jakob faces off against Duke Constans himself on the aftcastle, where Constans reveals important information about his family dynamics. He explains that the hybrid creatures were originally Empress Eudoxia's experiments in soul manipulation, which Marcian later repurposed for military use. The confrontation builds to a climactic duel between Jakob and Constans, while above them, Sunny helps Alex evade a persistent crab-man in the rigging. The chapter ends with Sunny accidentally dropping a whale oil lantern toward the burning deck below, promising further chaos to come.

The whale oil lantern's crash onto the deck ignites chaos across the sinking ship as multiple battles unfold simultaneously. Brother Diaz and Vigga engage in a deadly dance against Constans' soldiers, with Vigga demanding weapons from Diaz in rapid succession as she dispatches enemies with brutal efficiency. Their partnership demonstrates both Vigga's incredible combat abilities and Brother Diaz's growing adaptation to violence, though he remains horrified by the bloodshed.

Meanwhile, in the flooding hold, Balthazar faces a mind-controlled Baptiste wielding multiple daggers. Their desperate struggle reveals both Baptiste's formidable combat skills and Balthazar's limitations in physical confrontations. After nearly drowning, Balthazar manages to remove the controlling needle from Baptiste's forehead, only to feel a mysterious stabbing sensation in his own head. Above deck, Jakob engages in a losing duel with Duke Constans, whose seemingly effortless mastery of swordplay proves overwhelming despite Jakob's extensive combat experience.

As the situation grows increasingly dire, Alex and Sunny find themselves trapped at the top of the mast, contemplating a desperate plan to cross between ships using the yard arm. Their predicament is complicated by pursuing crab-men and the increasing angle of the sinking vessel. The chapter culminates in Brother Diaz making the fateful decision to unleash Vigga's wolf form, leading to a terrifyingly violent transformation and rampage across both ships. The Vigga-Wolf's perspective reveals a simplified, primal consciousness focused primarily on finding 'good meat' and protecting her 'monk,' demonstrating both the horror and effectiveness of this last-resort option.

In the flooding hold, the phrenomancer transfers his control from Baptiste to Balthazar through the rune-marked needle. Balthazar tries to push back through the mental connection and nearly gains the advantage, but the sorcerer seizes control of his breathing and body. Baptiste, now free of the control that had held her, recovers in time to stab the phrenomancer through the throat and then between the eyes, releasing Balthazar.

Elsewhere, Constans continues to dominate his duel with Jakob, while Alex and Sunny cross high through the rigging between the burning ships. Alex makes a desperate jump to the enemy galley's forward spar and barely holds on. The transformed Vigga-Wolf tears through the galley's oarsmen and attacks its mast. Brother Diaz tries to stop her when he realizes Alex is above, but succeeds only in drawing the wolf's attention and finally jumps into the sea to escape.

The damaged mast collapses, carrying Alex down into the water. Constans then drives his sword through Jakob from behind. Jakob, unable to match Constans in a conventional duel but unable to die, pulls the duke against him and deliberately falls backward onto the sword's hilt. The blade is driven through Constans as well, killing him while leaving Jakob impaled beneath his body. As the galley sinks, seawater sweeps Jakob and Constans from the aftcastle.

Brother Diaz drags himself onto a desolate beach, his body battered by the Adriatic's fury after the catastrophic naval battle with Duke Constans. Despite his exhaustion and despair, he discovers Vigga unconscious in a tidal pool and, overcoming his instinctive fear of the werewolf, manages to rescue her from drowning. This act of compassion marks a significant shift in their relationship, as Brother Diaz finds himself providing comfort to the distraught werewolf rather than fleeing from her.

The two survivors scavenge clothes from drowned oarsmen and attempt to regroup, though Vigga initially resists continuing on, consumed by guilt over her actions during her wolf transformation. Brother Diaz, showing unexpected leadership qualities, manages to console her by acknowledging both her dangerous nature and her magnificence in battle. Their interaction reveals a new dynamic between them, with Brother Diaz discovering an unfamiliar sense of pride in his ability to provide guidance and support.

The chapter ends with a crucial revelation that Alex must still be alive, as Vigga can feel Pope Benedicta's binding spell still pulling at her wrist. This discovery prompts them to begin searching the coastline for other survivors, though Vigga's ominous speculation about Alex's possible condition - whether wounded, burned, or captured - suggests continued dangers ahead. The scene establishes Brother Diaz and Vigga as unlikely allies who must work together despite their mutual wariness, with Brother Diaz particularly having to balance his fear of Vigga's wolf nature against their shared mission to protect Alex.

Alex wakes on a beach after Sunny rescues her from the sea and drags her ashore. She is battered, scraped, and convinced at first that her nose may be broken, but Sunny checks it and says it is only badly bumped. Alex thanks her and remarks that, despite what people say about elves, the only elf she has actually met has been good to her.

The two survivors scavenge wreckage along the high-water mark. They break open an inlaid chest and find Duke Constans's clothes. Alex puts on his oversized red military jacket and tries to carry herself with the royal bearing Baron Rikard taught her. When she asks about Constans, Sunny says that fighting Jakob to the death was probably fatal for the duke. Jakob is different: because he cannot die, he could instead be trapped in the wreck, crushed, burned, or otherwise stranded at the bottom of the Adriatic.

Their brief calm ends when eight armed strangers appear on the beach. Sunny overhears them discussing the arrival of someone called the Dane, whose approach seems to worry them. The strangers ignore much of the wreckage and follow Alex and Sunny's tracks instead, suggesting that they are searching for the survivors themselves. Sunny and Alex retreat over the dunes and then run as the searchers begin following their trail.

Balthazar and Baptiste struggle to reach shore using a makeshift raft constructed from ship's oars and their belts. After a grueling effort against the waves, they manage to reach the rocky Dalmatian coast, though Balthazar emerges from the ordeal without trousers and thoroughly humiliated. Their bickering continues on shore, revealing both their growing familiarity with each other and the tensions that define their relationship.

The binding spell's effects on Balthazar confirm that Alex must have survived the shipwreck, prompting them to devise a plan to find her. Balthazar suggests using a stone circle near Niksic for a divination ritual, despite his admitted weakness in that particular magical discipline. Their journey inland, however, leads them into the aftermath of a significant battle, with hundreds of corpses scattered across a valley and a burned hamlet nearby.

While scavenging for supplies among the dead, Baptiste demonstrates her expertise at corpse-robbing, quickly outfitting herself in fine military attire while Balthazar struggles with simple boot laces. Their scavenging is interrupted by hostile local looters who claim ownership of the battlefield. When confronted by these threatening scavengers, Balthazar finally reaches his breaking point and demonstrates his necromantic powers by raising multiple corpses, using this display to intimidate the looters and acquire a properly fitting pair of boots.

Vigga and Brother Diaz make their way along the Dalmatian coast, with Vigga savoring the sensory experience of walking through the sandy dunes. Their journey reveals a new dynamic between them as they discuss their respective life paths, with Vigga's scattered thoughts and fragmentary memories contrasting with Brother Diaz's more focused perspective. The conversation demonstrates how their unlikely partnership has evolved since they were first thrown together.

In a significant moment of vulnerability, Brother Diaz reveals the true reason he became a monk - not through divine calling but because he got 'the wrong girl' pregnant, and his mother insisted on the monk's vows as the only solution for redemption and family protection. This confession provides new context for his character, while Vigga's dismissive reaction to what she considers a minor transgression highlights the vast differences in their moral perspectives. Their exchange is punctuated by Vigga's characteristic memory lapses and physical expressions of camaraderie that Brother Diaz barely tolerates.

Their conversation is interrupted by the discovery of scattered wreckage on the beach, including a chest of fancy clothes that bears Alex and Sunny's scents. Using her heightened werewolf senses, Vigga tracks their companions' movements, detecting that they were accompanied by several unwashed men. The chapter ends with a tense revelation as Vigga picks up the scent of another werewolf in the area, suggesting a new threat to their already precarious situation.

Sunny conducts covert surveillance on a group of mercenaries hunting Alex, discovering that Duke Sabbas has joined the pursuit with a contingent that includes a dangerous werewolf called the Dane, who can smell Sunny's elven presence even when she's invisible. The hunting party consists of four men, a woman, twin sorceresses, and several other groups searching the coastline, significantly increasing the threat to Alex's safety.

Using her stealth abilities, Sunny manages to sabotage the hunters' pursuit by cutting the hobbles on their horses and causing chaos in their camp. During the ensuing confusion, she poisons their stew with Nun's Worries mushrooms and evades the Dane's attempts to capture her, despite his keen ability to track her scent. The confrontation culminates in Sunny pushing one of the sorceresses into the fire and leading the Dane on a confusing chase through the woods before escaping.

After escaping the hunters, Sunny reunites with Alex, who has been gathering information from local travelers about an ongoing war between the Count of Niksic and a local Countess. Their conversation reveals Alex's growing understanding of politics and her ironic position as a future empress who disdains the ruling class. The chapter ends with a touching moment of friendship between Sunny and Alex, providing a rare moment of connection for the typically isolated elf, while emphasizing the continued danger they face from Alex's murderous cousins.

Jakob wakes in a corpse cart after the sea battle, badly wounded but still alive because of his curse. Baron Rikard is with him at a field hospital and has already told their rescuers about Jakob's long military career and the chapel's mission. Count Radosav of Niksic and Mother Vincenza, Vicar General to the Archbishop of Ragusa, arrive to meet him and confirm that they know the group is searching for a missing princess.

Radosav and Vincenza explain that they are engaged in a border war against Countess Jovanka of Pec, who is backed by the Eastern Church, while their own side is aligned with the Western Church. Jakob immediately recognizes the conflict as another proxy struggle between the two rival Churches, the same kind of division the mission to Troy is meant to reduce.

Count Radosav proposes an exchange: Jakob should help him humble Countess Jovanka on the battlefield, and Radosav will then help locate Alex. Jakob does not accept the bargain in this chapter. He says that he now tries to avoid battlefields, while Rikard points out how rarely he succeeds. Mother Vincenza frames the situation as a heavenly calling, leaving Jakob faced with another unwanted military entanglement.

Alex and Sunny continue fleeing multiple search parties after the naval battle. Their pursuers are closing, and Sunny reports that other parties are also looking for them. At the crest of a hill they find a town below being sacked and burned. With no safe route back and little confidence in the alternatives, they decide to enter the chaos in hopes of losing the people tracking them.

Inside the town, they pass hanged bodies, burning buildings, looted homes, and soldiers brutalizing civilians. Sunny repeatedly creates distractions by making herself conspicuous on rooftops, then disappearing, while Alex slips through the gaps. Their progress depends on increasingly risky improvisation and on Alex trusting Sunny's directions.

Trying to reach the river, Alex takes a bloodstained cloak and helmet from a dead soldier and walks through the occupied square as if she belongs there. When the Dane and his companions arrive, Alex loudly identifies them as suspicious outsiders, provoking the local soldiers into confronting them. The resulting disorder gives Alex time to reach the quay, where Sunny is already waiting in a rowing boat. They escape downstream, but once clear of the town Sunny reveals that she was kicked by a horse during the flight and is hurt.

Balthazar and Baptiste continue their journey through war-torn territory, with Balthazar constantly complaining about his stolen boots, lice-ridden clothes, and their general state of deprivation. Their conversation reveals new dimensions to their relationship as Baptiste shares a rare glimpse of her past experiences with torture, though without her usual elaborate storytelling. Their dynamic shifts between antagonism and unexpected moments of connection, with Balthazar struggling against an unfamiliar attraction to his captor even as he maintains his desire for revenge.

Their journey is interrupted when they're captured by soldiers and brought before Countess Jovanka of Pec, a diminutive but commanding figure accompanied by Father Ignatios of the Eastern Church. Balthazar's attempts to talk his way out of trouble through elaborate explanations only make things worse, especially when he accidentally mentions Troy. The situation takes an unexpected turn when Baptiste recognizes the Countess as an old friend from their days as ladies-in-waiting to the Queen of Sicily, leading to a warm reunion that saves them from imprisonment.

The chapter culminates with the revelation that their destination, the standing stones near Niksic where Balthazar hopes to perform a divination ritual, lies directly between two opposing armies. Countess Jovanka's forces and Count Radosav's army are positioned on either side of the valley where the stones stand, with both camps preparing for an imminent battle. This development presents yet another obstacle in their mission to locate Alex, as accessing the stones would require crossing an active battlefield.

At Count Radosav's camp, Jakob and Baron Rikard assess the battle that Radosav hopes to fight against Countess Jovanka's army. The standing stones needed by Balthazar lie between the two camps, but Jakob also concludes that a battle itself would jeopardize the search for Alex whether Radosav won, lost, died, or became consumed by the aftermath.

Mother Vincenza urges Radosav toward battle, invoking Church sanction and holy relics as guarantees of victory. Jakob counters with blunt military facts. Radosav's troops are tired and depleted, Jovanka's camp appears orderly, the opposing army holds better ground, the slope and stream would disrupt an attack, the wind favors Jovanka's archers, and she has an advantage in cavalry. Rikard draws Vincenza aside with his vampiric glamour, distracting her with a discussion of Polish dumplings and his former chapel.

Jakob deliberately appeals to Radosav's pride as well as his judgment. He reminds the count that battles are gambles and asks him to consider the humiliation of being defeated by Jovanka. Radosav begins repeating the unfavorable factors himself and allows that every battle ultimately ends at a negotiating table. Jakob recommends trying to humble Jovanka there instead, concluding from his long experience that peace usually offers more to gain than war.

Brother Diaz and Vigga follow Alex and Sunny's trail into the devastated town. Vigga tracks them through the carnage to the river, where the scent trail ends at a pier. She concludes that Alex and Sunny escaped by boat, which would also make them harder to follow over water.

When voices and torchlight approach from the town square, Diaz persuades Vigga not to meet the newcomers with violence. They hide in an abandoned warehouse until the danger passes. In the darkness, Vigga admits that she needs help keeping the wolf under control, while Diaz reflects on how much he has changed since his earlier life as an ambitious monastery bureaucrat. He also recognizes qualities in Vigga, including bravery, honesty, loyalty, and generosity, that complicate his old assumptions about virtue.

Their conversation turns to Diaz's vow of celibacy and whether a werewolf falls inside the rule against sleeping with women. Vigga jokingly proposes a theological loophole. Diaz initially refuses and physically pushes her away, insisting that acting on his attraction would be wrong. He then reverses himself, pulls her back, and kisses her passionately. The chapter ends at that point, with Diaz choosing desire over the restraint he had just tried to maintain.

Alex helps the badly injured Sunny into an abandoned barn after their escape from the sacked town. Sunny's ribs hurt so badly that breathing and standing are difficult. When Sunny urges Alex to leave her and continue toward Troy, Alex refuses, saying Sunny has saved her too many times. Alex then unexpectedly kisses Sunny before going back toward a farm to steal a horse.

Alex returns with the horse, but three of Duke Sabbas's hired killers enter the barn before the pair can leave. Sunny cannot hold her breath well enough to disappear because of her injured ribs. Alex tries to keep the killers talking and places herself between them and Sunny. Vigga then slips in behind the attackers, silently strangles the woman, and uses Alex and Sunny's improvised distraction about hidden jewels to get close enough to kill a second mercenary.

Brother Diaz arrives as Vigga breaks both arms of the last man. The captive says Sabbas is approaching with sorcerers and the Dane-Wolf and offers to carry a message. Diaz orders Vigga to let him go so they can use him. Vigga obeys the literal command by releasing him, then immediately punches him hard enough to kill him. Her response exposes a loophole in Diaz's wording rather than simple refusal to obey the binding-backed order.

Peace negotiations commence between Count Radosav and Countess Jovanka at an ancient stone circle, drawing together the various factions that have converged in the region. The location proves significant not only politically but magically, as Balthazar notes the convergence of mystical energies that could aid in tracking Alex, though the Pope's binding continues to plague him. The gathering is marked by excessive pomp and ceremony, with both sides attempting to outdo each other in displays of wealth and importance.

The negotiations take an unexpected turn when it's revealed that Count Radosav and Countess Jovanka are actually husband and wife, their war essentially being an escalated marital dispute. As the day progresses, the formal atmosphere gradually relaxes, with wine flowing freely and soldiers from opposing sides beginning to mingle. Meanwhile, the reunited members of the Chapel of Holy Expediency - Jakob, Baron Rikard, Baptiste, and Balthazar - discuss their mission to locate Alex, confirmed to be alive by the continued effect of the binding spell on Balthazar.

The peace talks nearly collapse into violence when discussion turns to a particular piece of pasture land with sentimental value to both parties. However, just as tension reaches its peak and both armies prepare for battle, the count and countess's mutual hatred transforms into passionate reconciliation, much to everyone's surprise except Baron Rikard, who claims to be 'sensitive to romance.' The chapter ends with the religious representatives retiring to finalize details while Baptiste calculates the immense cost of the couple's marital spat turned war, highlighting the destructive nature of their personal conflict against the backdrop of wider political and religious tensions.

After Count Radosav and Countess Jovanka's reconciliation ends the immediate war, Balthazar remains at the standing stones with Jakob, Baptiste, and Baron Rikard. He is supposed to use the site's magical power to help locate Alex, but his despair over the papal binding overwhelms that purpose. He asks what will happen even if they find Alex and dwells on the prospect of endless danger, humiliation, and servitude.

Instead of performing the tracking ritual, Balthazar uses the stone circle to summon Shaxep, Duke of Beneath. Her arrival terrifies the others. Balthazar asks the demon to free him from Pope Benedicta's binding, offering himself to an eternal debt of his own choosing. Shaxep examines the binding but says she cannot break it. She can offer extraordinary wealth or destruction and expresses interest in Balthazar's soul, but the papal binding lies beyond what she can undo.

Balthazar desperately searches for another explanation, suggesting deception or some hidden bargain. Jakob rejects the idea that there must be a trick. Baron Rikard says Balthazar's escalating attempts to prove the binding breakable have instead convinced him of the opposite: even Shaxep could not overcome it. Balthazar sarcastically suggests that Benedicta must therefore be the Saviour returned and that the Last Judgment is near. No one laughs, and Jakob responds that Balthazar has finally understood the implication.

Alex trudges wearily along the road with blistered feet, stubbornly refusing offers to ride the horse as the group escapes Duke Sabbas's killers. The strained atmosphere between Alex and Sunny suggests lingering awkwardness from their recent kiss, with Alex internally berating herself for potentially ruining their friendship through her actions.

Their journey brings them to a boundary marked by strange posts decorated with sheep skulls and metal ornaments, which Brother Diaz identifies as the border of the Barony of Kalyatta. He explains that the region was devastated by multiple plagues, including the Long Pox and the Sighing Sickness, leading to both the Eastern and Western Churches declaring it cursed and off-limits until divine intervention occurs. The revelation of mass graves and abandoned holy sites prompts a discussion about whether they're living in the End Times, though Vigga dismisses such talk as typical priestly fearmongering.

Despite concerns about their safety and Vigga's unpredictable nature, the group discovers a village in the valley below, complete with promising signs of civilization including cooking smells and music. Though Alex and Brother Diaz express reservations about entering the settlement, particularly with Vigga in tow, their exhaustion and hunger - especially Vigga's enthusiastic desire for lamb chops - leads them to consider risking a visit despite the potential dangers.

Alex, Sunny, Brother Diaz, and Vigga stop in a village within the interdicted Barony of Kalyatta and watch a traveling company perform a morality play. In this version a sinful Pope is condemned while a righteous Patriarch resists temptation; the actors explain afterward that they reverse the roles when performing in the West and stay vague when they are unsure of an audience's allegiance. Alex enjoys the players because their performances once offered both escape and opportunities for theft.

Sunny remains preoccupied with Alex's earlier kiss. She wants to tell Alex that she liked it and would like it repeated, but repeatedly loses her nerve and worries that Alex may kiss people casually. Alex occasionally looks toward her, but the source presents Sunny's interpretation of those looks rather than establishing Alex's feelings directly. Brother Diaz, meanwhile, asks the actors about fornication, repentance, and forgiveness. The players answer that the condemned character's deeper fault is hypocrisy: preaching one standard while living by another.

The players then mention a recent generous visitor named Sabbas who was searching for a particular girl, Princess Alexia Pyrogennetos, and offering a large reward for information. The group realizes Sabbas remains close behind them. Their conversation with the actors ends without the players recognizing Alex or any evidence that Alex's own generous contribution has exposed her identity.

The group continues through the rain-soaked Barony of Kalyatta while Vigga struggles with the approaching full moon and the pressure of keeping her wolf contained. From Vigga's point of view, Brother Diaz has become pricklier again since they reunited with Alex and Sunny, as though the presence of witnesses has made him newly conscious of what happened between them.

Vigga argues that they should stop running from their pursuers and instead choose the ground, ambush them, and kill their strongest fighter. Diaz refuses, insisting that Alex's safety comes first and that the surviving chapel members must continue toward Troy. Their argument becomes increasingly charged, mixing strategic disagreement, religious contempt, and lingering attraction.

Alex finally intervenes, ordering Diaz to stop provoking Vigga and reminding Vigga that they are going to Troy rather than Valhalla. She points out that Sunny is still injured and Vigga is the only real fighter among them. Sunny then spots what appears to be a bell tower through the rain. The group heads toward the ruin in hopes that it may still provide shelter, while Vigga remains convinced that the werewolf hunting them can continue following their scent.

The group shelters in the abandoned Abbey of Saint Demetrius, a monastery sealed after the plagues under the authority of both Pope and Patriarch. Sunny reveals to Brother Diaz that people who called her an enemy of God once cut the tip from one of her ears with sheep shears. Elsewhere in the abbey, Diaz retreats to the ruined chapel and tries to reconcile his monastic vows with his attraction to Vigga.

Vigga finds him there. Diaz admits that she has broken no vows and has treated him better than he has treated her. He tells her that if she is a monster, she is at least an honest one. Although Vigga invites him to stay with her, Diaz says that what happened between them cannot happen again.

The next morning Alex finds Diaz naked beneath a blanket with Vigga, establishing that his resolve did not last. Diaz cannot offer a convincing explanation. Alex is angry at first, then tells him that absolving his sins is not really her role. She admits she may simply be jealous that he seized a scrap of comfort she has not had the courage to seize herself. Diaz, in turn, tells Alex that the journey has changed her and praises her courage, commitment, humor, leadership, and new literacy.

Alex briefly experiences a moment of optimism about her situation at the Abbey of Saint Demetrius, only to have it shattered by Duke Sabbas's arrival. Displaying overwhelming pride and contempt, Sabbas confronts Alex with yet another copy of the papal bull confirming her identity while dismissing her claim to the throne based on her common appearance. The confrontation quickly escalates as his forces surround the abbey, including twin sorceresses with metal and glass chains, the Dane, and numerous armed hunters.

The situation deteriorates into chaos when Vigga challenges the Dane to combat, leading to a savage fight between the two werewolves that unexpectedly transforms into a primal mating ritual. Their violent coupling provides a brief distraction as they tear off into the woods, leaving Alex and Brother Diaz seemingly defenseless against the remaining forces. Meanwhile, Sunny, though still injured from her previous encounter with a horse, manages to secretly sabotage several weapons and Sabbas's saddle while invisible.

Just as Sabbas orders his men to kill the remaining group members, the situation dramatically shifts with Balthazar and Jakob's timely arrival. Balthazar announces himself as 'one of the three best necromancers in Europe' and raises an army of corpses from the abbey's graveyard to attack the forces. The twin sorceresses demonstrate their own considerable powers by crushing and dismembering the animated corpses, but the chapter ends with Jakob charging into battle on horseback while Balthazar continues to raise more undead, suggesting a major confrontation is imminent.

Jakob leads a dramatic cavalry charge into the monastery's graveyard, where Balthazar raises an army of corpses to fight Duke Sabbas's forces. The initial assault creates chaos among the hunters, with Jakob demonstrating his centuries of battle experience while Balthazar's undead provide an unsettling distraction. The twin sorceresses prove particularly formidable, using their combined powers of geomancy and aeromancy to create devastating storms of earth and stone that destroy the raised corpses.

The battle moves into the monastery's courtyard, where Sunny, despite her injuries, provides invisible support by sabotaging weapons and creating confusion among the hunters. The group finds themselves cornered and retreats into the monastery's infirmary, where Balthazar attempts to raise more corpses from plague victims, though these prove too deteriorated to be effective. The twin sorceresses begin using their powers to literally tear the building apart, forcing the group to flee deeper into the monastery.

The chase culminates in the ruined church, where the group finds themselves trapped between Sabbas's forces and a sheer cliff drop where part of the building has collapsed. A tense moment occurs when Alex nearly falls to her death, saved only by a human chain formed by Brother Diaz, Baptiste, and Balthazar. The chapter ends with the group cornered at the altar, caught between the cliff and Sabbas's approaching forces, including the twin sorceresses, with seemingly no escape route remaining.

The battle at the Abbey of Saint Demetrius reaches its climax. Sunny, still badly battered, is trapped in a weighted net by the hunter who calls himself the Man-Catcher. Baron Rikard offers to trade the hunter his life for Sunny's freedom. When the hunter attacks instead, Rikard turns to black vapour, re-forms behind him, kills and feeds on him, and emerges visibly younger before freeing Sunny.

In the ruined church, Jakob challenges Duke Sabbas to single combat, counting on Sabbas's pride to make him accept. Sabbas discards his cloak and reveals enormous white wings, proclaiming himself the Angel of Troy. He uses the wings to maneuver through the fight and eventually drives a spear through Jakob's chest, but Jakob rises again and continues fighting.

When Sabbas abandons the duel and orders the others killed, Baptiste shoots the aeromancer through the head. Her geomancer twin responds by shaking the church apart. Brother Diaz realizes that the abbey stands over mass plague graves and points this out to Balthazar. Alex goads the magician's pride, and Balthazar reaches deep beneath the monastery to raise a vast, fragmented mass of plague dead. The collapsing floor and undead horde engulf the geomancer, Sabbas's valet, several hunters, and finally Sabbas himself. At least one surviving hunter flees as the dead fall still and the battered chapel members remain alive among the ruins.

The survivors gather around a fire in Duke Sabbas's abandoned camp, drinking his wine and tending their wounds after the battle at the Abbey of Saint Demetrius. Baptiste stitches Jakob's injuries while the group considers the route onward to Troy. Sunny drinks enough wine to become unusually relaxed, and the companions enjoy a rare interval in which everyone is alive, reunited, and temporarily beyond immediate pursuit.

Vigga returns from her encounter with the Dane and proudly explains that their fight turned into sex rather than death. Her arrival also leads to the public revelation that she and Brother Diaz have slept together four times. Diaz, drunk and embarrassed but increasingly unwilling to deny what happened, declares that he has no regrets and praises Vigga as a lover, to the astonishment and amusement of the rest of the chapel.

Later Alex helps the intoxicated Sunny into Sabbas's tent. Sunny kisses Alex, then tells her she can leave if she wants. Alex repeats Sunny's earlier claim that the world is bitter and they should grasp whatever joy they can. They kiss again and become more physically intimate before Sunny's overindulgence interrupts the moment when she vomits onto the floor.

The group's ship enters Troy's harbor, giving Alex her first glimpse of the legendary Pillar - a colossal structure built by the Witch Engineers of Carthage that dominates the city's skyline. The ancient fortress-city features the famous Hanging Gardens, intricate waterworks, and countless dwellings carved into its massive walls. As their vessel approaches the dock, Alex grows increasingly anxious about her role as future Empress, while her companions attempt to reassure her with varying degrees of success.

Upon docking, Alex is greeted by an enormous crowd and a formal welcoming party led by Lady Severa, who demonstrates both authority and subtle humor in their interaction. Jakob helps break the initial tension by leading the crowd in cheers for Alex, transforming the uncomfortable silence into enthusiastic acclaim. The subsequent parade through Troy reveals a dazzling city of colors, markets, and religious symbols, with Alex maintaining her royal bearing despite her internal doubts.

The procession culminates at the Grand Lift of Heraclius, where Alex reunites with Duke Michael and meets Grand Patriarch Methodius. The formal verification of Alex's identity involves examining the matching halves of the copper coin and the papal bull confirming her status. Despite Alex's private acknowledgment that she has run better cons for fewer rewards, the Patriarch publicly declares her the rightful heir to the Serpent Throne, with both religious and secular authorities seeming eager to accept her claim. The chapter ends with Alex marveling at how readily the powerful accept what they want to believe, even as she continues to doubt her own legitimacy.

The group ascends the Pillar of Troy on an ancient mechanical lift restored during Empress Eudoxia's reign. As the city drops away beneath them, Balthazar is struck by both the Carthaginian machinery and Alex's transformation into an increasingly convincing Empress-to-be. He privately acknowledges a flicker of pride in her and in his own role in getting her safely to Troy.

Lady Severa joins him during the ascent. Their conversation ranges from Balthazar's new doubts about the traditional opposition of earth and air to Eudoxia's history. Severa explains that Eudoxia suffered from a wasting illness and first sought ways to preserve her own weak body before becoming fascinated with locating, releasing, and capturing the soul. She also explains that Eudoxia restored long-dormant machinery inside the Pillar, including its three lifts.

Severa then asks whether Pope Benedicta could truly be the Second Coming of the Saviour. Balthazar says that a few months earlier he would have laughed at the idea, but recent events have forced him to reconsider his former certainty. He does not claim to know the answer. Their exchange leaves him reflecting on intellectual humility while also becoming visibly interested in Severa herself.

Brother Diaz and the group reach the top of the Pillar, where they discover a stark contrast to the dusty city below. The legendary Hanging Gardens reveal themselves as a paradise of emerald lawns, soaring trees, and flowing water, protected by rows of guards with gilded halberds. Alex, despite her formal welcome, remains nervous about the numerous armed guards, while Brother Diaz marvels at the garden's divine perfection, finding it closer to paradise than anything he's encountered.

Duke Michael provides detailed information about Troy's infrastructure, particularly the complex water system restored by Empress Eudoxia. The ancient aqueduct brings water from mountain springs through hidden pipes, cascading down the Pillar's sides to power the lifts and supply the city below. The scale of the architecture proves impressive, from the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation with its geometric carvings to the palace crowned by Saint Natalia's Flame, a beacon that has guided Troy's children home for centuries.

The tour reveals the darker aspects of Troy's recent history, particularly at the Athenaeum. Once a celebrated center of learning housing over a hundred thousand volumes, it was transformed under Empress Eudoxia into a center for Black Art and forbidden experiments. Lady Severa explains that the building's vaults still contain dangerous remnants of Eudoxia's work, including the facilities where hybrid creatures were created and where Sabbas received his wings. The chapter ends with Lady Severa expressing regret over her inability to prevent the royal brothers' destructive squabbling, hinting at her own complex relationship with Troy's recent troubled history.

Alex is escorted to her opulent Imperial Bedchamber, a cavernous room that combines the aesthetics of a high-end brothel with a dark cathedral. Lady Severa introduces Alex to her four handmaidens - Athenais, Cleofa, Zenonis, and Placidia - all selected from 'unimpeachable families.' The contrast between these polished noblewomen and Alex's rough background becomes immediately apparent, especially when a stolen dagger falls from her dress during their attempt to help her bathe.

The scene in the bath chamber reveals both Alex's ongoing trauma and her gradual adaptation to her new status. When one of the handmaidens produces a knife to cut a tangle from her hair, Alex reacts with instinctive terror, causing the girl to burst into tears. Lady Severa smoothly manages the situation, assuring Alex of her safety and revealing that Duke Michael has informed her of Alex's ordeals. The interaction demonstrates the vast gulf between Alex's survival-focused past and the refined court life she must now navigate.

After the servants depart, Alex experiences a moment of tentative peace, testing out her new role and the concept of being truly safe. This private moment is enhanced by Sunny's emergence from invisibility, leading to an intimate scene between them in the bath. Their interaction shows both their growing comfort with each other and their ability to find moments of normalcy amid the overwhelming grandeur of their new surroundings. The chapter ends with them sharing a tender moment, suggesting a pocket of genuine connection within the artificial world of court life.

Jakob makes a painful ascent to the top of the Pharos, where Saint Natalia's Flame burns eternally in a great bronze dish, tended by a silent nun. The beacon provides spectacular views of the surrounding lands, including the sea, mountains, and the distant Hellespont. During this visit, Jakob and Duke Michael engage in a profound discussion about destiny and purpose, with Jakob revealing his disillusionment with grand destinies after his experiences in the Second Crusade, preferring now to be 'an arrow shot from another's bow' rather than the one doing the aiming.

The conversation turns to practical matters of securing Alex's position as empress, with Duke Michael reporting on various political factions. While he has secured his position as Commander of the Palace Guard and gained some support, challenges remain from the Eastern Church's fears of papal influence and the nobles' demands for concessions. Though Marcian, Constans, and Sabbas are confirmed dead, Arcadius emerges as the greatest remaining threat due to his control of the Imperial Fleet and popularity among sailors.

The chapter provides significant historical context through Jakob's recognition of names carved into the Pharos's parapet, including his own from over a century ago, alongside those of legendary crusaders. The presence of a special chain that can turn Saint Natalia's Flame blue as a warning against elven attacks adds to the mounting tension about potential future conflicts. The chapter ends ominously with Jakob's assessment that the elves are 'no worse than men' - making them terrible indeed - while Brother Diaz departs to research records in the Athenaeum, specifically warned about dangerous 'leftovers' from Empress Eudoxia's experiments sealed beneath the building.

Brother Diaz accompanies Lady Severa into the Athenaeum and is overwhelmed by its central rotunda, where shelves rise through multiple levels beneath a dome depicting scenes from ancient Trojan history. Severa explains that the collections extend well beyond the visible hall into specialized wings for subjects including herbalism, physic, theology, scripture, and maps.

The rotunda floor is covered with dense magical markings that remind Diaz of Balthazar's apparatus in Venice. At its center stands Eudoxia's final experimental apparatus: a blackened copper rod wrapped in wires, two strapped benches, and two jars attached to the rod. Looking into one jar, Diaz sees what appears to be a large black feather.

Severa says Eudoxia was born sickly, lived in the shadow of Irene and Michael, and later became embittered by husbands and sons who disappointed or betrayed her. She describes Eudoxia as a savage, vindictive, paranoid tyrant whose attempts to protect Troy and pursue perfection instead helped ruin it. Diaz concludes that a new Empress offers a new chance to do better, and Severa leads him onward to the archives so he can research the nobles' demands.

Vigga awakens naked in a stable with a mysterious man, having no memory of the previous night's events. After a chaotic attempt to dress herself and clean up, she emerges onto the Grand Aqueduct of Troy, where Baron Rikard awaits her at a tavern. Their interaction reveals Rikard's continued struggles with his nature, as demonstrated by his effect on the serving girl and his glass of blood, while Vigga devours raw meat while trying to maintain dignity.

The conversation between Vigga and Baron Rikard on the aqueduct provides new insights into their complex relationship and individual struggles with their monstrous natures. Vigga's fear of heights and discomfort with crowds emphasizes her displacement in Troy's urban environment, while Rikard's casual mention of Alex's potential coronation suggests their mission is nearing completion. Their verbal sparring reveals both mutual disdain and a grudging acknowledgment of each other's roles in their unusual group.

The chapter delves deeply into Vigga's relationship with her wolf nature, as she insists she has gained control over her transformations, citing specific instances from their journey where she chose when to let the wolf emerge. Her declaration of being 'clean inside' despite her outward appearance contrasts sharply with Baron Rikard's admission of his ongoing struggle with his vampiric urges, demonstrated by his near-loss of control with a passing woman. This interaction highlights the different ways these two monsters cope with their supernatural conditions, with Vigga claiming mastery over her beast while Rikard continues to wrestle with his hunger.

The group gathers in the opulent Throne Room atop the Pharos for Alex's first meeting with the empire's nobility. The grand chamber, designed to inspire awe through its height, wealth, and the magnificent Serpent Throne, serves as the backdrop for crucial negotiations with various dukes, duchesses, and counts who arrive bearing grievances and demands that must be settled before they'll support Alex's claim to the throne.

Brother Diaz unexpectedly emerges as the hero of the negotiations, using his librarian's expertise and recent research in the Athenaeum to systematically dismantle each noble's claims. Through careful legal argument and documentation, he not only defeats their demands but in many cases reveals that they owe significant debts to the crown instead. His performance, backed by Jakob's subtle threat of violence, successfully convinces many nobles to pledge their support to Alex.

The triumph is short-lived, however, as Duke Arcadius reveals the existence of a pre-arranged political marriage between himself and Alex. The plan, orchestrated by Duke Michael and Cardinal Zizka before leaving the Holy City, would secure Alex's position through alliance with her most powerful remaining cousin. Despite the practical advantages of uniting their claims and securing the support of the fleet, Alex reacts with horror to the proposal, feeling betrayed by her uncle and advisors who all seem to support the match as a necessary compromise for securing her throne.

Alex rages in her bedchamber while Sunny attempts to comfort her after the devastating news of her arranged marriage to Arcadius. Their conversation leads to Sunny revealing a secret passage she discovered within the palace walls, complete with hidden chambers and escape routes throughout the tower. This moment of discovery briefly lifts Alex's spirits before the weight of her situation returns.

In a devastating confession, Alex reveals the truth about her identity - she is not the real Princess Alexia at all, but rather a cheese merchant's daughter who stole the identity of the real princess after her death from the Long Pox. She explains how she acquired the copper coin, burned herself to replicate the birthmark, and assumed the identity of the dead princess, driven by a desperate desire to be 'not nothing.' The revelation recontextualizes all previous events, from the Oracles' prophecies to Cardinal Bock's acceptance of her claim.

The chapter culminates in two parallel scenes of heartbreak and duty. Sunny, despite her feelings for Alex, forces herself to reject Alex's plea to run away together, insisting that Alex must embrace her role as empress regardless of its fraudulent origins. The chapter ends with Sunny seeking comfort from Jakob, who finds her in his chambers through a secret passage. Their conversation about the impermanence of all things, including love, reinforces the chapter's themes of sacrifice and duty, as both Sunny and Alex must abandon their personal desires for what they believe serves a greater purpose.

The Chapel of Holy Expediency gathers in the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation for Alex's coronation and wedding. Before the ceremony, Jakob and Brother Diaz stand among the basilica's relics and tombs and discuss Jakob's history of crusades, his self-condemnation, redemption, and the different work done by "men of the sword" and "men of the book." Jakob tells Diaz that the monk impressed him in the throne room and suggests that building something worthwhile may matter more than winning battles.

Balthazar, Baptiste, Vigga, and Rikard join them, and their banter turns to the question of who might deserve a grand tomb in the basilica and to Vigga's accidental prior baptisms. Alex then arrives in imperial regalia with Duke Michael and Lady Severa. Michael and Severa announce that they intend to marry, and Alex gives her approval.

Michael tells the chapel that a ship is waiting to return them to the Holy City once Alex is crowned. Alex asks Jakob to tell Sunny that she is sorry, and Jakob answers that Sunny knows. At Alex's request, Brother Diaz gives a blessing before the formal service, reflecting on the group's journey and saying that he began by seeing his companions as monsters but has learned that they are people who, on this occasion, have done God's work.

Alex's coronation proceeds through a long series of religious rites in the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation, viewed largely through Vigga's impatient and irreverent perspective. Alex is given a purple cloak, a sheaf of wheat, and a gilded spear before the Patriarch anoints her and places the crown on her head.

When the crown settles on Alex, Vigga, Balthazar, Rikard, and the others feel the papal binding change direction and begin pulling them back toward the sea and the return journey to the Holy City. Four noblemen lift Alex on a golden shield while the congregation kneels, bells ring, and the chapel quietly leaves before the later wedding.

Outside, the group prepares to depart Troy together. Balthazar bitterly frames the return as a return to captivity, while Baptiste again postpones her recurring talk of retirement and Jakob notes that she always stays for one more mission. The chapter closes with Vigga remembering what the return means and the group facing continued service in the Chapel of Holy Expediency.

After the coronation, Alex and Arcadius spend their wedding night talking rather than immediately consummating the marriage. Arcadius says he never wanted to be Emperor and wants to help restore Troy rather than repeat his family's destructive struggles for power. He and Alex recognize that neither is eager for intimacy with the other and discuss a pragmatic arrangement for eventually producing heirs, including assistance from partners they find more personally appealing.

At the docks, the Chapel of Holy Expediency waits for its ship to finish loading for the return to the Holy City. The group jokes about future assignments while Sunny remains withdrawn. Back in the palace, Alex and Arcadius begin drinking together and Alex finds herself enjoying his company.

The mood collapses when Placidia and Zenonis reveal themselves as surviving students of Eudoxia. Placidia freezes Arcadius and shatters his body while Zenonis attacks Alex with fire. Alex escapes into the secret passages and climbs to Saint Natalia's Flame, where she pulls the warning chain and turns the beacon blue.

The chapel sees the blue flame from the departing ship. Although the papal binding is compelling them to leave Alex and return toward the Holy City, Sunny, Jakob, Diaz, Vigga, Baptiste, and then Rikard choose to go back to help her. Rikard reveals that Benedicta's binding never controlled him because it works on the soul and, as a vampire, he says he has none; his entire participation was voluntary. Balthazar alone remains on the ship, insisting that he has already done enough even though no one is asking him to return.

Trapped at the top of the Pharos after witnessing Placidia and Zenonis brutally murder Arcadius and the Sister of the Flame, Alex faces a desperate situation. With Eudoxia's apprentices closing in, she makes a harrowing escape down the exterior of the lighthouse, navigating treacherous ledges and gargoyles while battling vertigo and the elements. Her perilous climb is complicated by nesting birds and the constant threat of discovery by her pursuers.

Meanwhile, Jakob, Brother Diaz, Baptiste, Vigga, and Sunny return to Troy after seeing Saint Natalia's Flame turn blue. They encounter resistance at the lift from the Palace Guard, leading to a violent confrontation where Jakob's expertise in combat proves decisive. The group successfully fights their way up, with Sunny's invisible assistance helping to overcome the guards, though Brother Diaz continues to struggle with Vigga's brutal methods.

Alex manages to reach Duke Michael's chambers through the exterior climb, only to discover a devastating letter revealing that both he and Cardinal Zizka had orchestrated everything from the beginning. The letter exposes their plan to use Alex as bait to eliminate her cousins before disposing of her, ultimately placing Michael on the Serpent Throne to unite the Eastern and Western churches against the elves. When confronted, Michael admits to manipulating events and attempts to kill Alex, but Sunny's timely intervention allows them to escape, though their situation remains dire.

Multiple battles rage throughout the palace as Jakob, Vigga, Baptiste, and Brother Diaz fight their way through guards to reach Alex. The violence forces Brother Diaz far from his original bureaucratic nature, while Vigga experiences moments of reflection about her destructive past, questioning whether she was always violent even before becoming a werewolf. Jakob struggles with his aging body as he climbs the palace's numerous stairs.

Alex and Sunny flee through secret passages, pursued by the murderous handmaidens who have revealed themselves as practitioners of dark magic. Their desperate escape leads them through kitchens and wine cellars, where they encounter Cleofa, Athenais, and Zenonis demonstrating terrifying abilities including fog manipulation and fire magic. Both Alex and Sunny suffer injuries as they navigate the palace's hidden tunnel network.

Lady Severa appears to offer help, only to reveal herself as another traitor by using a magical needle to control Vigga, similar to how the phrenomancer had previously controlled Baptiste. Meanwhile, Alex and Sunny discover Arcadius's gruesome remains in the Imperial Bedchamber. The chapter ends with Duke Michael and the handmaidens herding them upward toward the throne room, their escape routes rapidly diminishing.

Brother Diaz and Baptiste barricade themselves inside the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation as the mind-controlled Vigga, Lady Severa, and Palace Guards approach. Patriarch Methodius reveals that he has long known Severa was one of Eudoxia's apprentices and that he is willing to cooperate with her because she has given assurances protecting the Eastern Church. When he orders the basilica doors opened, Diaz finally snaps and punches the Patriarch unconscious.

Vigga and Severa break through the doors, but Balthazar unexpectedly returns after swimming back from the departing ship. Using the insight about waves and matter that he developed during the journey, he removes Severa's control needle from Vigga. Balthazar and Vigga then fight together through the Hanging Gardens, with Vigga creating corpses that Balthazar animates against the remaining guards.

At the same time, Rikard confronts Eudoxia's four surviving apprentices atop the Pharos, while Jakob faces Duke Michael in the throne room. In the Hanging Gardens, Severa attacks Balthazar with fire, but his prepared counterspell absorbs and returns the flames with greater force. Driven back to the Athenaeum, Severa orders Eudoxia's failed experiments, the "leftovers," released from their cages. As the gates rise and something enormous begins emerging, another gate drops across the Athenaeum entrance. Balthazar rolls underneath it at the last moment, leaving him trapped inside while the others face the released creatures outside.

Three simultaneous battles unfold across the palace complex as chaos erupts in the aftermath of the coronation. In the throne room, Jakob engages in a chess-like duel with Duke Michael that quickly devolves into a brutal struggle after Michael's deceptive feint leads to Jakob being impaled. Despite being run through with a sword and later an elf-dagger, Jakob's immortal curse keeps him fighting, though the confrontation ends with him pinned beneath a toppled statue while Michael escapes.

In the Hanging Gardens, Vigga confronts the horrific 'leftovers' of Empress Eudoxia's experiments - a monstrous amalgamation of mismatched limbs, multiple mouths, and various animal parts. The encounter forces Vigga to fully embrace her wolf nature as she battles the creature in a savage fight. Though she initially gains the upper hand by trapping it between trees, the creature splits in half and manages to swallow her whole, suggesting a dire fate for the werewolf.

Meanwhile, in the Athenaeum, Balthazar discovers the true nature of Empress Eudoxia's final experiment - an elaborate apparatus designed to transfer souls between bodies. His examination of the device, complete with demon and angel feathers, leads to a confrontation with Lady Severa, who reveals herself to be Empress Eudoxia inhabiting her servant's body, proving the experiment's success. Their battle demonstrates both Severa/Eudoxia's mastery of lightning magic and Balthazar's growing power as he manages to split her attack.

Atop the Pharos, Baron Rikard uses his vampiric glamour to turn Eudoxia's apprentices against each other, though the effort visibly ages him. His manipulation results in Cleofa being burned alive by Zenonis, but his control eventually falters. In the ensuing chaos, Alex manages to kill Zenonis with a stone block while Rikard sacrifices his remaining strength to throw Placidia into Saint Natalia's Flame, leaving the vampire severely wounded but eliminating the last of the sorceresses.

In the Athenaeum, Balthazar confronts the truth that Lady Severa is actually Empress Eudoxia inhabiting Severa's stolen body. Eudoxia explains that Severa died in Eudoxia's failing body and proposes that she and Balthazar stop fighting. She then offers him an alliance, arguing that their combined magical ability could make them formidable. Balthazar refuses. He says that, after reviewing the evidence, he now believes he serves the Second Coming of the Saviour and no longer wants freedom from Benedicta's binding.

Outside, Brother Diaz and Baptiste face the surviving front half of Eudoxia's grotesque "leftovers" after it has swallowed Vigga. Diaz prays desperately while clutching Saint Beatrix's vial. The creature then bursts apart and the Vigga-Wolf tears free, but she remains in wolf form and advances on Diaz and Baptiste. Baptiste steps in front of Diaz and tries to command Vigga back to herself.

At the top of the Pharos, Duke Michael finds Alex and Sunny after the defeat of the handmaidens. He tells Alex that he poisoned Irene, blamed Eudoxia, and thereby helped start the civil war. Alex fights back, biting his nose and attacking his eye, but Michael nearly strangles her. Jakob then emerges through Saint Natalia's Flame, still carrying Michael's sword through his body and another dagger wound, and tackles Michael through the broken parapet. Both plunge from the top of the Pillar into the darkness below.

When Balthazar later leaves the Athenaeum, he finds Diaz, a badly injured Vigga returned to human form, and Baptiste's mangled body. Vigga is vomiting blood, offal, hair, and a gold tooth, making clear the catastrophic result of her wolf rampage.

Alex receives Cardinal Zizka and a delegation from the Western Church in the throne room. Father Diaz, now Alex's personal chaplain and a priest of the Eastern Church, presents Zizka with the surviving letter that proves her conspiracy with Duke Michael. Zizka does not deny it. She treats the attempted murder as an expedient political choice and apologizes only when Alex explicitly demands one.

Alex asks for the chapel's supernatural members to be released from Benedicta's binding and transferred to her service. Zizka refuses. She argues that Vigga is uncontrollable and pointedly invokes what happened to Baptiste, that Rikard can be catastrophically dangerous, that Balthazar is a demon-bargaining grave robber, and that keeping Sunny in Troy could provoke public violence and create a future loyalty problem if the elves return. Jakob is treated differently because he has been convicted of no crime and, if he survives his fall, may choose to remain, though Zizka warns that he may be the most dangerous of them all.

Zizka then gives Alex a blunt assessment of her growth. She says she initially saw an uneducated, desperate child wholly unsuited to rule but now believes Alex may grow into the role if she listens and chooses well. With Troy politically vulnerable and the threat of the elves looming, Zizka presses the case for cooperation with the Western Church. After a glance to Diaz, Alex agrees to consider reunification of the Eastern and Western Churches and work toward ending the schism, but warns that the Pope's support will come at a price. Zizka answers that God has deep pockets.

Jakob is discovered alive by fishermen after being pulled from the sea in their nets, having survived his plunge with Duke Michael due to his immortal curse. Upon learning that Alex rules as Empress, he makes his way back to Troy, where he encounters Baron Rikard in the Hanging Gardens. Both men are physically devastated - Jakob from his injuries and near-drowning, Rikard from using his powers to defeat the sorceresses, appearing as a withered ancient version of his former self.

During their conversation, Jakob learns of Baptiste's death at Vigga's hands, adding another name to his long list of lost companions. The weight of his immortality bears heavily on him as he reflects that he always expects to die before others but never does. Making his way to the Basilica of the Angelic Visitation, he finds Baptiste has been given a tomb among the heroes of the Second Crusade, where Alex plans to commission a statue of her.

In a pivotal scene, Alex attempts to appoint Jakob as her general for the inevitable future conflict with the elves, offering him the legendary sword of John of Antioch. Despite the temptation and his own history with Troy dating back to his time as a squire, Jakob declines, explaining that he inevitably becomes a 'devil' in prolonged conflicts and must maintain his oath to the Pope. The chapter ends with Alex giving him an icon of Saint Stephen instead, and promising to keep the last empty tomb beside Baptiste's free for him, while Jakob departs with a bittersweet farewell to the empress he helped create.

Alex and Sunny say goodbye in the gardens before Cardinal Zizka takes the chapel back to the Holy City. Alex worries about her false identity and wishes Sunny could remain, while Sunny insists that Alex is now the real thing in the only sense that matters and should use her position to do good. Sunny refuses a final gift or kiss because she sees no future for them, but Alex tells her she is the best person she has ever met, prompting a rare smile.

Vigga lies voluntarily in a cage, devastated by having killed Baptiste while transformed. Cardinal Zizka tells Father Diaz that Vigga was violent even before the bite and is tolerated because the Church can use her as a weapon. Diaz tries to comfort Vigga, but she says she cannot save herself and no longer believes she is safe or clean.

On the departing ship, Balthazar mourns Baptiste and tells Zizka that he now believes Benedicta is the Second Coming and will serve her willingly. Zizka nevertheless orders him shackled with anti-magic fetters and placed in the cages because he remains a convicted heretic, demon summoner, and necromancer. In the hold he finds Rikard, Sunny, and Vigga confined as well. Rather than abandoning his old obsession, Balthazar begins considering whether Eudoxia's soul-transfer knowledge might help him break the binding after all.

Jakob challenges Zizka over the treatment of the chapel members and learns that her preferred outcome had been to install Michael as a dependable ruler who would reunite the Churches. Back in Troy, Alex and Father Diaz discuss the companions who actually saved her. Diaz suggests that perhaps Saint Beatrix worked through a werewolf, a necromancer, a cursed knight, and a supposed enemy of God, so that a set of devils became the instruments that turned a thief into an Empress.

The narrative shifts back to the Holy City on Saint Tabitha's Day, where Mother Beckert, a stern former missionary, is heading to an audience at the Celestial Palace. During her carriage ride, she encounters a mysterious young man calling himself Caruso, who claims to be from Alexandria but speaks with an affected accent that hints at German origins. Their tense conversation reveals that both have been summoned by Cardinal Zizka to the Celestial Palace as replacements.

Mother Beckert, who shares a complex history with Cardinal Zizka dating back to their seminary days, describes their relationship as one of mutual despise and admiration. She characterizes Zizka as being 'like the sea' - adaptable and treacherous, while describing herself as 'the rock on which the water breaks.' Their philosophical opposition appears central to the Church's functioning, with Mother Beckert representing inflexible principle against Zizka's political pragmatism.

The chapter culminates in the revelation that both Mother Beckert and Caruso are being summoned to the Chapel of Holy Expediency, though Caruso is unaware of its existence as the mysterious thirteenth chapel. Mother Beckert's previous experience with this chapel and her stern views on hypocrisy suggest she may be intended as a replacement for Brother Diaz, while Caruso's role remains unclear. The Holy City itself is portrayed as a place of stark contrasts between religious devotion and moral decay, with Mother Beckert particularly noting the proliferation of prostitutes near the holy sites as a symbol of widespread hypocrisy.