Chapter Summaries

Iver confronted Ye Zhi about his ties to Vivian and asked him to teach Lily the Deceiver’s skills. Ye Zhi began testing Lily’s bloodthirsty nature, and Iver invited her to bite him.

• Iver deduced that Vivian Mathers was Lady of the Lake Vivian and that Ye Zhi sought a more active position in their relationship.
• Ye Zhi revealed that he was a Deceiver and explained that his lies ultimately had to deceive himself.
• Iver asked Ye Zhi to teach Lily, the Gray Angel’s successor, the skills of a Deceiver.
• Ye Zhi warned Iver about the madness of the Path of Love, but Iver said he trusted Lily.
• Ye Zhi transformed into a monstrous werewolf and told Lily to show her bloodthirsty form.
• Lily placed a hand on Iver’s shoulder, and Iver invited her to suck his blood.

Iver and Lily left Eagle Cape Village by train while Sherlock stayed behind to have a custom staff made. During the journey, Iver indulged the Shadow Fiend with his blood after transforming into No. 14.

• Hai Na and Sherlock saw Iver and Lily off at the train station, while Sherlock remained in the village to work with the Magnetic Hammer Master on his staff.
• Iver settled into the First Class Cabin with Lily and reflected on the Isolde’s Tears necklace Isabel had lent him.
• The Shadow Fiend complained that Iver was wasting his blood, and Iver teased it by offering blood without the power of the Shepherding Method.
• Iver transformed into No. 14 and let Miss Bayard lick his ordinary blood before ordering the Shadow Fiend to become a dog.
• No. 14 formed a holy Blood Pool from her blood and let the Shadow Fiend drink it as a gift of mercy.

On the train, Iver discovered a more effective way to Shepherd the Phantom Demon and learned that she had gained the Great Sin Imprint of Jealousy. He returned to Glass Island with Lily and arrived at Moriarty Manor, where he greeted the old gardener.

• Iver Shepherded the Phantom Demon by biting through his wrist and found that the method strengthened her more effectively than using the Ritual Knife.
• The Phantom Demon told Iver that her Promotion Ritual had restored a Great Sin Imprint, but that it was Jealousy rather than Wrath.
• Iver learned that the Phantom Demon was close to the Sixth Level and decided to devote more resources to her and prepare for her evolution and sealing.
• Iver and Lily arrived at Glass Island without anyone there to meet them and returned to Moriarty Manor in the White Queen District.
• Iver greeted the old gardener, Professor Sorenson, as he and Lily walked up to the manor.

Iver returned to the Moriarty residence and met Captain Camus, who brought classified intelligence about Aleister. The revelation that Aleister might be a Stibnite spy left Iver stunned.

• Old Juan told Iver that Edward was home with a young naval officer who seemed to be his friend.
• Iver learned that Yulia was studying alchemy at the Silver and Tin Palace and suggested that she and Mary stay there with Isabel.
• Iver entered the living room and found Edward speaking with Captain Camus beneath the magic painting Golden Dawn.
• After Lily left to protect the confidential discussion, Camus admitted he had lost an intercepted intelligence letter.
• Camus told Iver that Iris's spies in Stibnite had reported Aleister, Avalon’s Royal Agent, was actually a Stibnite spy.

Iver learned that Stibium intelligence identified the nonexistent Aleister as Aleister Crowley, a spy assigned to monitor Chloe in Iris, and the Inspectorate considered the account credible. The chapter left Iver stunned that the fabricated identity’s supposed history matched real events, including Chloe’s apparent return to the Hawkeye Organization.

• Iver questioned whether the intelligence about Aleister was trustworthy, and Edward said the Inspectorate had verified it and found that all Avalonian records of her were false.
• Captain Camus and Edward described Aleister Crowley as a Stibium demon scholar and spy from a trusted family who had been sent to Iris to watch Chloe.
• Edward explained that Chloe had gone to Avalon for the Hawkeye Organization’s Bleeding Action and that Iris had paid a huge political and economic price to protect her reputation.
• Edward said the Iris response suggested that Aleister had returned Chloe to the Hawkeye Organization, and Iver wondered how that could have happened.
• Iver realized that nearly every detail in the fabricated account matched reality despite Aleister herself never having existed.

Iver learned that a missing letter could expose Aleister as a Stibnite spy and threaten his appointment as Minister of Everything. He volunteered to help Captain Camus recover it, preparing to use the scheme against his political enemies.

• Edward told Iver that an Iris spy's letter identifying Aleister as a Stibnite spy had disappeared from Captain Camus's possession.
• Iver suspected Earl Leipzig had arranged the scheme to undermine Iris's Hawkeye Organization and weaken Iver's position.
• Iver realized that the Round Table Hall could use the letter to drive Aleister out and challenge the Moriarty Family.
• Iver offered to help Captain Camus retrieve the letter while Edward agreed to let him investigate.

Queen Sofia recognized the missing-letter crisis as an opportunity to draw her political opponents into a premature attack on Iver, hoping his response would strengthen his position before she died. Iver returned to the palace and, after telling Isabel about his journey, heard her ask whether his Path alignment had noticeably deviated.

• Ligeia asked why Sofia would not reveal that Miss Aleister was Lily Drost, and Yanis explained that keeping Minister Drost officially alive preserved leverage for Iver.
• Sofia recalled her earlier plan to use weakness as bait and decided the crisis could expose her opponents’ flaws and let Iver retaliate.
• Ligeia offered to warn Iver, but Yanis said he had already returned and was speaking with Isabel.
• Iver postponed investigating the missing letter until the next morning and went to the palace to see Isabel.
• After hearing about Iver’s journey, Isabel worried that his Path alignment had noticeably deviated.

Isabel noticed that Iver’s Path of Transcendence had become dangerously dominant and took him to Queen Sofia’s bedchamber to consult Ligeia. Sofia gave Iver a handmade sweater, and as he accepted her affection, the imbalance in his soul began to recede.

• Isabel saw that Iver’s soul was overwhelmingly purple and warned him that his Path of Transcendence might be unbalanced.
• Iver realized his recent indulgence of Lily and his unusual treatment of the shadow demon might have been caused by the Path of Transcendence’s influence after contact with a Sacred Entity.
• Isabel pulled Iver to Queen Sofia’s bedchamber to seek Ligeia’s advice, and Iver noticed that Sofia’s health was near its end.
• Iver picked up Sofia’s knitting and learned that she had finished a handmade sweater for him, which moved him deeply.
• Ligeia watched Iver’s eyes as the purple glow in his soul visibly shrank and his purple and red aspects returned toward balance.

Isabel watched Iver share a warm, quiet visit with Queen Sofia, whose energy briefly seemed restored. After Sofia went to sleep, Iver realized her vitality was nearly gone, while he and Isabel were left wondering why she had summoned them and said nothing about what lay ahead.

• Isabel reflected on Iver’s lonely past and noticed how relaxed he seemed while keeping Queen Sofia company.
• Iver and Isabel stayed with Sofia for nearly two hours as she chatted, ate a meal, and then went to bed.
• Iver used his holy vision and sensed that Sofia’s vitality was exhausted and that ordinary treatment could not sustain her.
• Yanis led Iver and Isabel to the study, where Ligeia spoke about Sofia’s habit of quietly shaping Avalon to her wishes.
• Iver recalled how Sofia’s sweater had made him want to preserve Avalon, but Sofia fell asleep without making him any request.

After Queen Sofia fell unconscious, Iver rejected a gentler response to the plot against him and explained his plan to Ligeia and the others. Reflecting on Sofia’s kindness, he understood more deeply the Path of Dedication and the love that had helped steady him.

• Yanis wondered whether Sofia had spent her final clear moments chatting with Iver because she felt sorry for him.
• Iver refused to go easy on those targeting him and asked Ligeia to help purge them and change Avalon.
• Iver outlined a plan to expose the supposed Miss Aleister as having colluded with the knights by producing evidence that he could verify himself.
• Iver recalled considering a takeover that would let him control Avalon, but rejected it because it would betray Sofia and amount to stealing the country.
• Iver realized that his Path of Transcendence had briefly pushed him toward extreme thoughts, while Sofia’s kindness helped him regain balance.
• Iver understood that the Path of Dedication required accepting love as well as giving it, and saw Sofia’s warmth as a gift he had never received before.

Iver investigated the disappearance of Captain Camus's confidential documents and letter, questioning Camus and his wife and examining the study. After learning that the documents vanished while Camus was alone and that Lord Shelton had ordered the letter copied, Iver offered to try a ritual.

• Iver met Captain Camus at Moriarty Manor and accompanied him to his home to investigate the missing letter.
• Iver questioned Mrs. Camus, who confirmed that she had traveled to Bagpipe Town with Vivian and Maya Mathers.
• Iver inspected Camus's study and learned that the letter, confidential documents, identification, pistol, wallet, and other desk items had all disappeared.
• Camus said he had left the study briefly to prepare tea and snacks, but had seen nobody enter or leave the house during that time.
• Iver learned that Lord Shelton had ordered Camus to copy the letter, though Camus had not yet opened his case or made the copy.
• After Camus said he had avoided rituals to preserve the clues, Iver offered to try one himself.

Iver recognized that the Minister of the Navy was behind the effort to undermine him and used the Centipede's Gait ritual to fabricate a divinatory trail. He told Captain Camus that the letter was with the Minister, who seemed familiar with Miss Aleister.

• Iver deduced that the knightly lords of the Path of Authority were manipulating events to discredit him and the Sofia Policy.
• Iver prepared ritual materials in Captain Camus's study and performed the Centipede's Gait ritual, which hid his true movements from prophecy and divination.
• Iver wove a false account in which Aleister attacked and abducted him after he left Captain Camus's study.
• Iver told Captain Camus that he had found the letter with the Minister of the Navy, who seemed familiar with Miss Aleister.

Iver revealed that the Minister of the Navy had framed Captain Camus and used the Silver Crowned Dragon’s acknowledgment to rally him against the oathbreakers. He left Camus ready to fight and planned to be taken to the Minister’s residence so Ligeia could rescue him and remind the conspirators that Meg was still present.

• Iver explained that Camus had been framed because of his habit of taking documents home, while warning that divination could not serve as courtroom evidence.
• Camus worried that the letter could be destroyed, but Iver challenged him to fight for the Queen and justice rather than surrender.
• Iver showed Camus the Silver Scale, and Camus swore under the Crown Lord’s gaze to fight the oathbreakers.
• Iver promised to recommend Camus for a vacant ministerial position if he fought bravely, and Camus pledged to give his all for the Queen.
• Iver concluded that the ministers had acted before Sofia’s funeral because they believed Meg was dead and Isabel could not punish them through the Path of Authority.
• Iver planned to let Aleister take him to the Minister of the Navy’s residence, where Ligeia would rescue him and make the conspirators remember Meg.

Minister of the Navy Dewis Ramos weighed his past dealings with the Stibnite People and the danger of being exposed after Charles Drost’s arrest. He considered abandoning his allies and giving Iver Moriarty their intelligence, but remained uneasy about what would happen next.

• Dewis Ramos told Sheldon that he regretted looking down on Tommy and Charles Drost, and explained that he had kept Charles’s recruitment attempt secret as a way to change sides if needed.
• Dewis reasoned that Charles’s capture and cooperation had forced the Stibnite People to improve their diplomacy and might expose their intelligence network, putting Dewis and other collaborators at risk.
• Dewis explained that he could neither safely surrender power nor let another general take over the Navy, since he feared the Ramos Family would lose its military influence.
• Dewis said the ministers planned to publish evidence identifying Aleister as a Stibnite spy during the mourning period to weaken Iver Moriarty, but he doubted the plan would stop Iver.
• Dewis proposed giving Iver the intelligence directly while keeping one copy and betraying the other ministers involved in the scheme, then asked Sheldon what he thought.

Minister Ramos considered destroying evidence of his dealings with Stibnite, but Aleister confronted him and exposed his plans before reporters and the Grand Arbitrator. Ligeia’s scepter confirmed Aleister’s claims as true, leaving Ramos unable to deny his betrayal.

• Minister Ramos decided it was too late to betray his allies and agreed to see their plan through after Sheldon advised him to destroy the evidence.
• Aleister appeared in the garden, revealed she had Minister Moriarty’s blood, and gave Ramos a bloodstained letter.
• Ligeia arrived with the Silver Scepter and used its authority to silence Ramos while reporters gathered.
• Court Ritualist Ibn declared that the ritual had tracked the culprit who attacked Minister Moriarty to the garden and that Iver had disappeared there.
• Aleister claimed responsibility for attacking and abducting Iver, declared herself an Imperial noble, and asked Ligeia to judge her statements.
• Ligeia declared Aleister’s words true, and Minister Ramos lowered his head in resignation.

During an interrogation, Aleister answered Grand Guardian George’s questions about her ties to Iver Moriarty and the Stibnite People. The chapter ended with George asking whether Aleister harbored any malice or dangerous intentions toward Avalon and its people.

• Grand Guardian George told Aleister he believed her and explained that he had recommended her as a Royal Secret Agent because her actions against Drost showed she opposed Noble Red.
• Aleister explained how the Shadow Demon had stayed hidden with Iver and how she had used its power to provide his shadow-damage bullets.
• Aleister said she had first met Iver three years earlier after a screenwriter friend recommended him, and George noticed a brief tremble in the Truth Fire when she answered.
• George asked Aleister whether she held any malice toward Avalon, Queen Sophia, Princess Isabel, Iver Moriarty, or their friends and family.

Aleister swore to the Grand Guardian that she meant Avalon no harm and would protect Iver, then admitted she believed Iver would become one of the Nine Pillar Gods. The Grand Guardian ended the interrogation, let her remain free in Avalon, and asked her to meet his son, a request she accepted.

• Aleister swore that she opposed Avalon’s corrupt knights and ministers, would defend Avalon in a war, respected the Queen, and would protect Iver and those he cared about.
• After the Grand Guardian extinguished the Truth Fire, Aleister said she believed Iver would become one of the Nine Pillar Gods, then claimed she had been joking.
• The Grand Guardian warned Aleister not to repeat her claim because it could offend followers of the Pillar Gods and endanger Iver.
• Aleister told the Grand Guardian that Iver would not go hungry and might arrive in time for the Queen’s funeral.
• The Grand Guardian approved the interrogation record, allowed Aleister to move freely in Avalon, and asked her to meet his son, David; Aleister agreed.

David visited the bound Aleister in the interrogation room and apologized for failing to keep his promise to free her if she was arrested. Aleister recalled how seriously David had taken their earlier dream conversation and was moved by his sincerity.

• David knocked hesitantly and entered the dark interrogation room, where Aleister waited in silvery restraints.
• Aleister teased David for arriving late and invited him to sit with her.
• David apologized for failing to arrange Aleister's release and said he would plead with Ligeia afterward.
• Aleister remembered that David had promised during the Promotion Ritual to help her if she was arrested.
• Aleister realized David had carefully remembered their brief conversation and decided not to tease him too harshly.

Aleister drew out David’s worries about the Path of Transcendence, his ideals, and his desire for a heroic death, then decided he might be suited to become a Moulting Warlock. She told him how to seek the Moulting Rebirth’s Secret from Ligeia, and Ligeia ended the interrogation.

• Aleister promised David she would not tell Iver about his interest in the Path of Transcendence without his permission.
• David explained that he believed he could meet two of the Path’s principles, then confided his frustrations with school, his unspoken feelings, and his wish to sacrifice himself for Avalon.
• Aleister recognized that David yearned for a spectacular death and considered him suitable for the Moulting Warlock profession.
• Aleister instructed David to seek Ligeia after advancing again, using Iver’s permission and asking for the Moulting Rebirth’s Secret and seven ritual memories.
• Ligeia listened outside the Interrogation Room, then entered and told Aleister the interrogation was over.

David left after Ligeia ordered him out, and Iver revealed that he had disguised himself as Aleister to carry out a plan involving the Minister of the Navy. As Iver helped the Shadow Fiend’s unusual new belongings into storage and considered its recent behavior, he suspected it was nearing an evolution.

• David panicked when Ligeia entered, then left after she told him to stand outside and stop watching Aleister change.
• After David departed, Iver dropped the Aleister disguise and told Ligeia he had introduced David to her because David might suit the path of the Moulting Warlock.
• Ligeia said her next evolution had to begin within three to six months, and Iver told her not to rush because another solution might emerge.
• Ligeia reported that the Minister of the Navy had confessed and condemned Avalon’s poor military performance in the Ten Day War.
• Iver explained that his letter had disrupted divination by making its predictions technically true but misleading, while Ligeia helped him put on the complicated dress Twin Mirrors had provided.
• Iver recalled that the Shadow Fiend had grown quiet and sleepy, and sensed that its behavior might foretell an evolution.