Members of Queen Lia of Venda’s Rahtan, her premier guard, ride through the ruins of the Great Battle in the Sentinel Valley. The 17-year-old Kazimyrah, called "Kazi," senses the ghosts of the war from six years before. Natiya piles stones and leaves a white linen shirt in remembrance of her friend Jeb’s sacrifice. Riding away, Natiya tells Wren, Kazi, and Synové to remember the 20,000 soldiers that died there because their mission is to prevent future battles. Griz’s task is to deliver a message to the King of Morrighan, the Queen of Venda’s brother. Griz worries about Kazi in the flat territory on the way to Hell’s Mouth, where she is headed as her part of the mission. To stop his worries, Kazi steals Griz's dagger. He calls her Ten, her previous alias as a thief, and this reminds her of when she became a Rahtan.

Before he leaves, Griz tells Kazi, Wren, and Synové to watch for labor hunters, who kidnap people for others to enslave. Eben and Natiya, who are also romantic partners, depart to inform the king of Eislandia that the Rahtan are investigating treaty violations on his land. Kazi thinks of Eben and Natiya’s devotion to each other and decides she doesn’t want to risk her future for love.