The party, minus Cei, transport the body of the assassin, who died at his own hand by a desiccating poison, into a tent where the other bodies from the assassination attempt are being kept. They note that the particularly inconspicuous "assassin" has been felled by the arrows that Lyra and Cei fletched together.
Cei returns to Abelard and asks for his help in interceding with Baron Tyron to gain custody of the serving girl, knowing that he was friends with his father Tytamon. Cei hopes to do so under the pretext of interrogating her; she also wishes to spare another hapless innocent. Cei and Abelard make haste to Tyron's compound, where Tyron, the Chief Inspector Hagen Duvall, and an unfortunately familiar face-- the Purifier-General, Sosamon Kaine-- greet them.
Cei and Abelard give the new Baron all due honours, and Cei is commended for her role in the investigation, though she demurs and credits Aeo's guidance. Cei senses a number of surprising developments-- Tyron, very subtly, seems surprised to hear of multiple assassins, and Abelard feels nothing but hatred for Kaine. Alas, it is too late for the serving girl to be remanded to Cei's custody-- it seems she too has died at her own hand by poison.
The Chief Inspector politely warns the Purifiers that the case is now in his department's purview, and they are no longer to pursue it. Cei offers to provide them a copy of her (always very thorough) report, as inter-departmental collaboration, and requests a copy of theirs, stating that she is motivated to ensure Tyron's safe and smooth coronation due to her wish to see the Aeo-fearing line of Tytamon assume the baronship unimpeded. Abelard seems most proud of Cei's comportment during the exchange.
They rejoin the companions. Emelius, seemingly acquainted, refers to Abelard as "Lord" Abelard; Cei introduces her companions with no small amount of pride, and refers to Ren and Bartholomew as the brothers of her heart. They decide to ride some distance away so as to be able to discuss without being overheard. They ride some ways into the woods, and make camp.
Cei takes Lyra aside and asks if she wishes to be healed of her scars from her imprisonment and torture at the hands of Calli and her associates. Lyra says she does, but only if the tattoos can be studied and their purpose divined; she says she fears the judgment of any who see them. Cei offers to scribe the tattoos and then ask Sister Aisha's help in healing them, and assures Lyra that none are qualified to pass judgment on her. She then shows her a little-known fact of Purifier practice-- Purifiers ritually perform penance upon themselves in the form of self-injury; Cei's arms are covered in self-inflicted scars, which unlike most Purifiers, she declined to have healed; she wanted the reminder of the pain she paid in exchange for the pain her station requires her to inflict. Lyra asks why Cei carries Abelard's scent. Cei, subtly, observes that her tracking abilities are most unusual-- essentially stating she will keep Lyra's witchbreed abilities secret and protect her from detection by her Purifier colleagues as best as she can. The two, both reserved and guarded by nature, share a moment of friendship.
Many heated discussions transpire very quickly. Cei tells Ren she never forgot his words about Tyron's assassination possibly being fated, but says in her heart Aeo bid her oppose the actions of the clearly evil men orchestrating it. Ren challenges her, saying she needs to dispense with the talk of some higher power and instead take ownership of her own destiny and actions. She, uncharacteristically emotionally, replies that she is nothing without Aeo and the power lent to her through His service.
Sevara attempts to scry/read the assassination scrip in cipher taken from the assassin's body, and is hurled to the ground, badly wounded, by a powerful, malevolent force. Before it repelled her, she glimpsed several people, including the assassin, and a demonic being, unquestionably evil. She commands Bartholomew to surrender the remaining vials of poison (heart's blood, made of vampire blood) so that she may cleanse them.
Abelard is terribly shaken by the burst of demonic power, as it reminds him of the power that turned his wife and children, forcing him to slay them. Cei comforts him and reminds him that he did what he had to do, what they would have wanted him to do, much as Cei and Abelard were forced to do at the monastery on the mission where they met.
Cei convinces Sevara to let her scribe the contents of the scrip before it is destroyed. She does so. But then Reniel puts all the pieces together-- the assassin did not die by suicide when he drank the demonic poison-- he had feigned death then committed the last act required to turn himself into a vampire. They realize that a terrible danger still threatens Tyron. Emelius, likely hoping to protect Cei, takes her transcript of the assassination scrip and rides with all haste back to Kaine. Cei and Abelard, the veteran demon hunters, will brook no further delay, and leave. The others follow behind them.