The rest of the night passes with Viv in a stupor. The town looks on, and students from Ackers cast a spell to keep the shop’s flames away from other buildings. Tandri offers Viv a place to stay. Viv thinks about Arcane Reciprocity, and the pair watches as the fire burns itself out by dawn; nothing is left of the shop. Viv borrows a bucket from Laney so she can cool a path of ashes and enter the shop. This task is tedious, as she is burned and weak, but she manages to get into the shop and check under the flagstone: The Scalvert’s Stone is gone.

Lack delivers fresh clothing for the women, and Viv catches a glimpse of the Madrigal in the crowd of onlookers. Viv begins to fade, not noticing that she’s sitting, then slowly losing consciousness. She spots Thimble watching as she blacks out. When she wakes, Cal has arrived with a pony-drawn cart. Cal, Thimble, and Tandri get Viv into the cart and take her to Tandri’s place. Tandri cleans Viv and gets her into the fresh clothes before tucking her into bed.