Byx and her companions travel north, more secure than they’d been on their own but uneasy to have the Pale Guard following behind them. On the third day, Byx questions Gambler about a smell on the air. They aren’t sure what it might be, and Gambler decides to do a patrol of the area while the others set up camp. Byx asks to go along. After a brief time, they hear a human call out. Gambler and Byx investigate the sound and recognize the smell of fire in the air.

They approach a small village that has been attacked. As they approach, they see the Knight of the Fire standing over a young boy who has been tied over a fire. Gambler guesses that the knight is searching for Byx out of a need for revenge because Byx outsmarted him at their last meeting. They listen to the tied boy beg to be freed, insisting he doesn’t know the whereabouts of the person the knight is trying to find. Byx and Gambler decide to save the boy. Byx comes up with a plan that requires the knight to be unharmed; therefore, they wait for the knight to fall asleep.