Chapter Sixty-Five

Nesta awakens alone in the Blood Rite's western dumping ground and discovers her friends have been separated into other zones. She realizes the magical charms she crafted as Made objects can still function despite the Rite's magic suppression, allowing her to sense that one friend is in grave danger to the north. As she heads uphill toward that signal, she is attacked by an arrow and confronted by an armed warrior. Meanwhile, Cassian searches for the captured Eris near Briallyn's stronghold, unable to help Nesta directly due to laws forbidding rescue, and struggles to maintain focus on his mission.

Nesta wakes to find herself alone among sleeping warriors in the Blood Rite's western dumping ground. She climbs a tree to orient herself using moss and the sun, locating Ramiel to the east and realizing Emerie and Gwyn have been placed in the northern and southern zones. The other warriors begin waking with shouts and screams. As Nesta flees, she notices her woven bracelet—which bears a silver charm she Made herself with the wish for friends to always find their way back to each other—glowing and buzzing. The charm responds differently depending on direction: blazing with intensity when she faces north, suggesting one friend is in critical danger there. Nesta realizes the Rite's magic suppresses wielder powers but apparently not Made objects, a distinction that gives her a moment of profound relief about her own personhood. She begins running north uphill, though she quickly recognizes her precarious situation: she lacks food, water, and adequate clothing for the night, with possible snow incoming. Her progress is interrupted when an arrow whizzes past her head. She retrieves the arrow and climbs back over a hill, only to come face-to-face with a warrior pointing a sharp arrowhead at her. In a parallel scene, Cassian circles high above Briallyn's stronghold searching for the captured Eris, flying with Azriel. Despite the difficulty of maintaining focus, Cassian cannot aid Nesta directly due to laws that would result in both their executions, so he attempts to convince himself that Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie will survive the Rite.