Chapter Summaries

Earl Hall and Hibbert faced the Hall family's financial and political collapse and considered seeking Viscount Scott's help. They decided to bring Audrey back to Backlund, hoping her relationship with the viscount might persuade him to support the family.

• Earl Hall reviewed the military's seizures of Hall family properties and feared the family had almost no cash or reliable allies left.
• Earl Hall considered retaliation against his political enemies but hesitated to sacrifice the family's servants or give up hope of a reprieve.
• Hibbert brought Earl Hall news of James Scott's treasure and argued that the wealthy, popular viscount might be able to protect the Hall family.
• Earl Hall doubted Scott would help because supporting the family would cost him, but Hibbert suggested Scott's closeness to Audrey could be their remaining leverage.
• Earl Hall and Hibbert accepted that they might have to rely on Audrey and agreed to have her return to Backlund.

Hibbert and Earl Hall considered asking Viscount Scott to help save the Hall Family, while Earl Hall weighed the risks of Audrey’s possible marriage alliance and Scott’s growing political and religious importance. The chapter left Earl Hall wondering whether Scott might replace him as the Church of Evernight’s representative in the secular world.

• Hibbert felt conflicted about relying on Audrey’s feelings to secure Viscount Scott’s help, then comforted himself by imagining they had been secretly involved for years.
• Earl Hall reasoned that Scott was an exceptionally desirable marriage prospect and considered spreading rumors that Scott and Audrey were already a couple.
• Earl Hall told Hibbert he hoped Scott would help the Hall Family despite the Church of Evernight’s apparent abandonment of them.
• Earl Hall wondered whether Scott might become the Church of Evernight’s new secular representative, replacing him because Scott had greater fame and could gain political standing.
• Earl Hall considered how the Church, the royal family, and the other churches might compete for Scott’s loyalty and influence, then worried about what the young man would decide.

Lorne traveled back to Backlund aboard a navy train, uneasy about his dreams and the consequences of donating the Laurel’s treasure. Audrey left her family’s manor expecting a marriage alliance to save the Hall Family, but learned that her brother wanted her to ask Viscount Scott for help, believing they were lovers.

• Lorne woke from another dream of angelic figures, worried that Antigonus had misjudged his condition and that the Mind Dragon had been shaken by his Trojan Horse of Destiny characteristic.
• Lorne reflected on his agreement to donate the Laurel’s treasure and anticipated trouble in Backlund as he traveled on a luxury train arranged by the navy.
• Audrey learned from servants that the Hall Family was near collapse and accepted that she might have to marry for an alliance; she left for Backlund with Susie.
• Audrey read newspaper reports about Viscount Scott’s victory over Vice Admiral Dusk and discovery of the Laurel’s treasure, briefly finding comfort in thoughts of him.
• Hibbert met Audrey at the station and explained that the Hall Family hoped she would ask Viscount Scott for help, revealing that he believed they were lovers.
• Audrey was shocked by Hibbert’s misunderstanding but stayed silent when she saw how desperately he hoped she could save the family.

Audrey agreed to ask Viscount Scott to help the Hall Family, while keeping quiet about Hibbert’s mistaken belief that they were lovers. Hazel returned from exhausting charity work and learned that Councilman Macht wanted her support as he pursued a Cabinet post.

• Hibbert took Audrey’s silence as evidence that she and Viscount Scott were lovers, and Audrey agreed to ask Scott for help without correcting him.
• Hazel returned to the Macht villa after working overtime for the Charitable Fund and complained inwardly about Scott’s fame and the rumors linking them.
• Liana told Hazel that Councilman Macht wanted to speak with her, and Hazel went to his study expecting a request for help.
• Councilman Macht offered food to the Foundation, and Hazel recognized that he wanted something in return.
• Councilman Macht explained that the government was likely to change and that he hoped to secure a ministerial post, leaving Hazel to anticipate his request for support.

Hazel agreed to put in a word with Viscount Scott to help Councilman Macht secure a more prominent government position, while Macht considered sharing gossip about the Church of Evernight’s interest in Scott’s marriage. On the train to Backlund, Lorne received Sherlock’s demand for compensation and decided to give him shares in Platinum Shipping Company’s Bayam branch, tying his income to Danitz’s performance as a captain.

• Councilman Macht told Hazel he wanted Viscount Scott’s help advancing his political career, and Hazel agreed to speak on his behalf while urging him to deliver the promised grain.
• Councilman Macht considered telling Hazel that the Church of Evernight was interested in Viscount Scott’s marriage prospects and recalled Bishop Elektra asking whether Hazel and Scott had romantic feelings for each other.
• A messenger dragon brought Lorne a letter from Sherlock, who demanded compensation for the harm Tracy had caused him.
• Lorne guessed Danitz had told Sherlock about the voyage’s treasure and Lorne’s embarrassing secrets, then decided to compensate Sherlock with shares in Platinum Shipping Company’s Bayam branch.
• Lorne expected the shares to give Sherlock dividends while making him Danitz’s nominal superior and linking Sherlock’s income to Danitz’s work as a captain.

Lorne returned to Backlund discreetly, then met with Ian and Sharron at the Brave One bar. Sharron announced that she planned to advance soon and left Lorne with a bite mark, while Dela Negan and Hibbert Hall competed to visit him at his villa.

• Lorne avoided a public arrival in Backlund, visited a factory, and secretly made his way toward Bridge Borough.
• Dela Negan waited at Lorne's villa, where Hibbert Hall arrived with Audrey, and both men suspected the other was a rival for Lorne's favor.
• Lorne praised Ian's work in East Borough, asked him for information on price-gougers, and promised to prepare a Sequence 8 potion for him.
• Sharron appeared unexpectedly at the Brave One bar, told Lorne she intended to advance to demigod soon, and agreed to contact him through Maric or her messenger.
• As Lorne was leaving, Sharron kissed and bit his neck before turning into a Wraith and disappearing, leaving him to wonder whether she was warning him.

Sharron told Maric that Lorne had returned and warned them to be careful, then prepared for her advancement while privately reflecting on her growing feelings for him. As newspaper gossip about Lorne’s fame and possible marriage alliances unsettled her, Maric wondered whether her protectiveness had become possessiveness.

• Sharron returned to the safe house, told Maric that Lorne had advised caution, and said she would attempt her advancement in a couple of days.
• Sharron said Lorne would bring her documents and a Good Fortune charm, while Maric reflected on how generously Lorne had treated her and wondered about Xio’s feelings for Scott.
• Sharron resolved to advance so she could help Lorne and keep a closer eye on him, then agreed with Maric that the newspaper’s account of his sea adventure was exaggerated.
• Maric read gossip about performers declaring their love for Viscount Scott and mentioned that prominent people hoped to arrange marriages between their daughters and Lorne.
• Sharron warned that Lorne might have no choice but to enter a marriage alliance, and Maric sensed her growing possessiveness as she became cold and silent.

Lorne returned to Backlund and found the Hall Family in such dire straits that Audrey came to ask him for help through a proposed marriage alliance. He agreed to help her, leaving the marriage question unresolved.

• Lorne wandered through Backlund, visited Mrs. Griffin and Orange Cat, ate at an Intis restaurant, and considered buying a shuttered Southern Continent restaurant.
• Audrey, Hibbert, and Dela waited for Lorne at his villa while Dela and Hibbert each suspected the other had come to seek Lorne's support.
• Lorne revealed himself after Dela and the Hall siblings prepared to leave, and Audrey asked to speak with him alone.
• Audrey told Lorne that her father and Hibbert hoped she would enter a marriage alliance with him in exchange for his help, though she had tried to explain they were only friends.
• Lorne asked whether Audrey wanted him to help the Hall Family, and promised that he would because she had asked.

Audrey asked Lorne to help save the Hall Family, and he promised to do everything he could to keep them alive. After learning that the family’s scandals were largely true, Lorne agreed to meet with Earl Hall and involve Audrey in finding a way forward.

• Audrey told Lorne that her family hoped he could preserve their noble standing, but she only wanted her family to survive the crisis.
• Lorne promised to protect Audrey and her family, even if he had to give up his title and take them away.
• Lorne asked whether the Hall Family could survive with a large cash infusion, and Audrey admitted the newspaper reports about her family were true.
• Lorne asked Audrey to tell Earl Hall that he had agreed to help and that they needed to discuss the situation in person.
• Audrey asked to be involved and offered to atone for her family’s wrongdoing, and Lorne agreed to use her as an intermediary.
• Lorne teased Audrey about being his payment, then clarified that they would explain their relationship to her family after the crisis eased.

Hibbert learned that Viscount Scott had agreed to help the Hall Family and immediately fixated on arranging Audrey’s engagement to him. Back at the Hall residence, Earl Hall prepared the family treasury as a possible offering and grew anxious about how long Audrey and Scott had been alone.

• Hibbert paced while waiting for Audrey, worried both about the Hall Family’s fate and about her being alone with Scott.
• Audrey returned and told Hibbert that Scott had agreed to help, but Hibbert eagerly pressed her about their engagement and wedding plans.
• Hibbert enthusiastically imagined the political benefits of announcing an engagement, and Audrey used Dragon’s Might to silence him before leading him out of the villa.
• At the Hall residence, Earl Hall supervised servants packing the family treasury, intending to send the valuables away or offer them to Scott.
• Earl Hall worried that Audrey and Scott had been gone too long and speculated that their relationship might already have become physical.

Lorne considered how to help Audrey and the Hall Family as their political situation worsened, while realizing Earl Hall might be willing to use Audrey as a bargaining chip. After returning to Backlund, Lorne learned that his growing fame had drawn marriage proposals, rumors about Audrey, and a drawer full of love letters.

• Lorne wondered whether the Fool had played a role in the churches abandoning the Hall Family and decided he might ask Audrey about the Fool later.
• Lorne suspected Earl Hall might offer Audrey as a mistress rather than arrange an honorable marriage if that would save the family.
• Lorne apologized to Asnia for failing to keep him informed about his travels, then heard that prominent figures had sent invitations to the villa.
• Asnia told Lorne that many noble families wanted marriage alliances with him and that rumors claimed he and Audrey were secretly lovers.
• Asnia showed Lorne a drawer filled with love letters from young ladies, society beauties, and noblewomen, leaving Lorne uneasy about his new popularity.

Earl Hall learned that Lorne had promised to protect the Hall Family and help improve its circumstances, and he planned to meet with him to discuss what the family could offer in return. Audrey insisted on joining the effort and demanded to hear everything the family had done over the years.

• Hibbert told Earl Hall that Viscount Scott had agreed to help the Hall Family.
• Earl Hall concluded that Lorne’s support showed his deep affection for Audrey and agreed that the family should secure his protection.
• Audrey told Earl Hall that Lorne had promised to shelter the whole family and discuss the details with him in person.
• Earl Hall told Hibbert to help organize the family’s assets and planned to visit Lorne together with him.
• Audrey stopped Earl Hall and Hibbert from leaving, insisted on taking part in the family’s rescue plan, and demanded that her father reveal everything the family had done.

Audrey demanded that Earl Hall reveal the family’s wrongdoings, while Earl Hall and Hibbert struggled to respond to her new seriousness. Meanwhile, Lorne learned the Glory had been sabotaged and met Bishop Elektra, who invited him to a church charity gala that sounded like a matchmaking event.

• Audrey demanded that Earl Hall tell her about the Hall Family’s dirty dealings, and Earl Hall worried that she would learn the truth about him and resent him.
• Hibbert considered stopping Audrey but held back because she had helped secure Viscount Scott’s support for the family.
• Lorne learned that explosives had damaged the Glory during its journey, delaying its schedule while the military inspected the ship and increased security.
• Bishop Elektra visited Lorne, discussed the treasure and Church publicity, then steered their conversation toward Lorne’s romantic prospects.
• Bishop Elektra invited Lorne to a charity gala attended by devout young women, leaving Lorne suspecting that the event was a matchmaking scheme.

Lorne weighed the Church of Evernight’s plans for his marriage while discussing political support and charity work with Hazel, who conveyed Councilman Macht’s request for a cabinet position. Meanwhile, Katarina worried that Lorne’s fame and treasure had attracted the attention of others in her sect.

• Bishop Elektra urged Lorne to marry a devout believer, while privately worrying that the Church of Evernight might lose him as its political representative.
• Hazel reported on the foundation’s work, and Lorne promised to help with its shortages and obtain the materials for her Sequence 7 potion.
• Hazel told Lorne that Councilman Macht wanted his support for a cabinet position in exchange for helping donate food to the poor.
• Lorne approved of Macht’s proposal and saw the councilman as a potential ally in government.
• Katarina read a report about Lorne’s fame and treasure and feared that her fellow sect members would try to claim him.