Faces from the past bring both pleasure and pain as Essex, Pax, and rookie Black Cloak Alden II make big moves to uncover the secrets behind the killings. But what they unearth suggests more than just a monster. Sometimes monsters are easier.

Phaedra, Pax, and Sashenka swim towards a crime scene when they hear another Dragyern behind them. After some harrowing moments they squeeze through a small passage and emerge in the house where they most recent murder took place.

It comes in after them. A light appears behind them—Valorie, a bunch of Taka, and a stranger teleport in. The new person casts a spell that knocks out the Dragyern. Then she passes out as well.

Valorie says this woman is named Dagmar. She just showed up to help with no explanation.

Valorie says she can take them home but needs to recharge from the Taka first. She says they give off magical energy. In fact the Queen could have used this natural power discharge to save the city instead of fully draining them, she was just too greedy.

They go back to Valorie’s place. Pax discovers that Dagmar is the daughter of one of the Kiros Three, the three most powerful humans in Kiros.

Pax and Phaedra talk over the patterns of deaths and can’t figure out what’s going on except that someone is trying to cover something up.

Valorie is glad to know that Phaedra’s brother, Devaki, is coming to watch over her shop. She has a crush on him.

Phaedra puts her old set of mech-wings in a bag.

They hear of yet another attack, this time at the prison—and Lysanthir was the target. When they get there, a giant explosion erupts around them.