Darrow reunites with the members of House Mars and proceeds on his stolen horse, carrying Minerva’s standard. They arrive at Mars’s castle to find it burning, overtaken by House Minerva. Sevro, Antonia, and others from Mars besiege Mustang and her friends as Proctors arrive to watch. Darrow surges forward, and the large Minervan Pax unsaddles him. The fighting continues. Pax picks Darrow up and nearly crushes him, but Darrow knees his crotch and flees. 

Darrow negotiates with Mustang again. He offers their captured Minervans back in exchange for control of Mars’s castle. Mustang chastises them for allowing the rape of female slaves and their other ruthless tactics. Mustang demands keeping Titus or Mars’s slaves from Ceres. Darrow refuses and explains that everyone in the war game is like a Red until they ascend the ranks. Mustang mentions a brutish player called the Jackal, whose domination surpasses that of Darrow. 

House Mars eats a feast in their derelict castle with tension in the air. Roque and Darrow discuss how to exact justice upon Titus for his wrongdoing. Roque explains why