The morning after the defeat of the Imperial army by the newly united Taeghan army, Cuinn calls a council of the heads of the other houses to discuss their next move. Tychon, unsurprisingly, wishes to attack the remainder of the Avanese and drive them out by force; Ukko and the others feel they need to save their strength for the siege of Stormpoint. Some tensions arise as Corliss Isilvaere feels House Valmyrri were disloyal to Islien, and questions are raised about the loyalty of Athelan, the Haelynite priest who-- after what was undoubtedly a memorable night with Aerona-- joined the Taeghans. Cuinn decides they need to negotiate, and sends a messenger to the Avanese to arrange a parley. She also sends a message to Blaede Sloere, as nothing has been heard from Brosien for some time.
Cuinn, Mara, and Aerona meet the Imperial envoy to negotiate. The Avanese want twenty gold bars to leave Taeghas without further raids in order to resupply, and state they will only relinquish the Taeghan soldiers if the estates loyal to the Empire continue to give tribute to it. The latter is an unbearable compromise, as the Fulcairns cannot abide a patchwork Taeghas of conflicting allegiances; Aerona cunningly points out that mercenary units would be cheaper, and Cuinn notes that she pities them, for she has seen how Avan treats those who fail him. They manage to negotiate down to twelve gold bars, and the Taeghans are released from Imperial service without further cost.
Cuinn thanks Corliss for her unfailing bravery and loyalty to House Fulcairn, and vows to aid Corliss and House Isilvaere however she can in the days to come; wishing to dispel the tension between Corliss and the Valmyrris, both who purport to speak for Islien, she speaks with Moerel Valmyrri privately. She offers them the regency of Seamist as reward for their bravery, and promises to either exile or make a vassal of Caron Duene. Moerel's heirloom sword is still vibrating mysteriously; he discloses that it vibrates in the presence of those with Valmyrri blood. Cuinn, made suddenly uncomfortable, departs.
Cuinn signs the agreement letting the Imperial army leave in peace, and they depart. The Taeghans who remained loyal to the Empire return with great apprehension. Cuinn and Aerona reassure them, and Cuinn vows that they will be safe from harm if they renew their allegiance to Taeghas.
A messenger comes back from Brosien bearing a letter not from Sloere, but from the Duchess of Brosengae. She claims that, at Sloere's request, Brosengae has taken over Brosien as a "protectorate", and she invites Cuinn to visit to discuss the situation.
Cuinn and the other heads of the houses are outraged. Cuinn decides that they cannot ignore this direct attack against Taeghan sovereignty, even with the impending siege of Stormpoint, nor can they ignore the plight of Sloere, who they doubt is complicit of his own free will. Cuinn, Mara, Aerona, and a dozen men-at-arms ride south for Brosien.
They find Brosengae military here and there, but not enough to be called an outright occupation; they notice that the servants in the Keep appear genuinely terrified. The Fulcairns immediately suspect not all is as it seems. They are greeted warmly by a beautiful and well-dressed woman calling herself the Duchess, and at her side is Xander the Arcanist-- the wizard who served the Imperial army under Thaliere, who evidently escaped and made straight for his home of Brosengae. Sloere is present, unharmed, but his wooden demeanor makes it clear that something is amiss. Stiff pleasantries are exchanged, and dinner is served. The Duchess claims she came at the behest of Blaede Sloere to "protect" Brosien while a three-front war rages in Taeghas; she makes it clear her forces are going nowhere.
The Fulcairns silently deliberate what to do. They are certain that Sloere is being blackmailed or otherwise manipulated, and worry that the consequences of a military assault on Brosien may fall squarely on his house, and also sense that Xander may be constructing a magical trap for them of some kind. They consider playing along and attempting to gather information or at least speak to Sloere. However, Cuinn decides that this insult to Taeghan sovereignty, and her newly-fledged rule of Taeghas, cannot be suffered, and her actions here will send a clear message to both allies and enemies. She draws her bow at the dinner table and, before anyone can blink, puts two arrows into Xander at close range, killing him instantly.
However, the "Duchess" is not taken off guard-- she moves just as fast as Cuinn, and as soon as Xander falls, she is on Cuinn, rapier at the ready. Both parties of men-at-arms leap into action. Aerona attempts to hold them off with her spectral warriors, and Mara tries to help Cuinn, who is locked in a duel of blinding speed with the "Duchess". She savagely wounds Cuinn using techniques that are decidedly familiar to her, and only by sheer luck does Cuinn manage to best her. Her death does not demoralize her men in the slightest, and the Fulcairns quickly realize the truth-- she was not the Duchess of Brosengae but an assassin, and this was indeed a trap laid for them. However, without the wizard and the assassin, they are at a disadvantage, and the Fulcairns and their men finish them off.
Blaede Sloere is also gravely wounded, but the gratitude is plain on his face; he confirms this was a trap and they are holding his wife and child hostage upstairs. Aerona moves to the keep door to hold off any further attack; Cuinn and Mara quickly move upstairs, where three men are holding Lady Sloere and their two children at knifepoint. Mara casts a sleep spell and it lands with perfect precision; Cuinn dispassionately slits the captors' throats, and they go to reunite Blaede Sloere with his family.
He explains that he had been fighting a sustained war with Brosengae through a long and convoluted web of deceit, sabotage, skirmishes, and treachery, perpetrated in part by his own vassal houses, culminating in this attempt to assassinate Cuinn and consolidate Brosengae's ownership of Brosien. He expresses his gratitude and vows undying loyalty to the Fulcairns, and commits both gold and a unit of siege engineers to aid with the war in Stormpoint. Cuinn embraces him and expresses regret that the previous rulership of Taeghas had done so little to aid Brosien; she vows that this will not happen again.
The Fulcairns return triumphant to rendezvous with their army in Seamist.
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