Chapter 4

The protagonist, a veiled assassin, kills her target Tarik in a wind tunnel and disposes of his body. She discovers a Crown proclamation offering rewards for stealing children, then encounters a mysterious northern male who witnessed the aftermath but offers an unexpected alliance rather than confrontation.

The chapter opens with the protagonist having just killed Tarik, whose blood spatters across snow in a wind tunnel carved into a cliff wall. She puts on an iron ring to mute the elemental song of Clode, the Air Goddess, whose noise would otherwise overwhelm her senses. After surveying the surrounding area to confirm no witnesses are present, she retrieves her blade and disposes of Tarik's body by pushing it over the cliff edge, where it impales on jagged stone below. She tears away the bloodied outer layer of her gown, revealing an identical clean one beneath, and discards the soiled fabric down a rubbish chute. While leaving the tunnel, she discovers a parchment proclamation from The Crown offering substantial rewards for information about her and rewards for those who steal children and exploit their elemental gifts for political gain. Furious at this development, she crumples the notice. Rounding a corner, she collides with a tall, striking male from the Hungry Hollow who has been watching her—the same mysterious observer who has been following her. He wears a black ear cuff suggesting he presents as null but radiates considerable elemental power. When he reaches toward her veil, she produces an iron dagger and threatens him. Rather than escalate, he backs away and mentions seeing a dead male fae impaled below. The protagonist denies seeing anyone and calls the corpse a monster. The male agrees with her assessment, establishing an unexpected understanding. She allows him to live and departs, warning him not to follow her.