Summary

Isaak waits on the throne as the delegates from every country arrive. Princess Ehri of Shu arrives with her royal guard. Isaak struggles with Nikolai’s extreme knowledge of the people around him. After giving a small speech, he almost ruins his cover by standing guard at the door instead of walking through it first. Genya takes control of the conversation at dinner when a Fjerdan asks them to extradite Nina. After dinner, they find a poison trap hidden on the door of the king’s quarters.

In the Fold, Nikolai hopes to survive the ritual and return in time to save the festival and find a bride. His thoughts are interrupted by Golgori and Nikolai asks about Golgori’s story. In it, he was a healer who was accused of black magic by a noble doctor...