Nikolai and Alina announces their engagement, and Alina leading the Second Army, to the court. David makes it to the Spinning Wheel bearing Morozova's journal and appeals to Alina, informing her that Kirigan is alive, controls creatures of shadow called nichevo'ya, and that Genya sacrificed herself for him. Alina is reluctant to trust David, but consults him about merzost usage.
The Crows begin their plan to take down Pekka Rollins. During the Feast of Sankt Emerens, where much of Ketterdam is costumed, the Dregs hit Pekka's properties with a drug that causes brief firepox. Nina pretends to betray Kaz, who receives a beating from Pekka before Kaz tells him that he has Pekka's son Alby. This gets Pekka to agree to confess to the murders and free Inej. Afterwards, Pekka is arrested by the Stadwatch, while Jesper and Wylan kiss and fall into bed together. Inej returns, having freed the indentures trapped on the ship, but Kaz is angry at her for it. He says he has secured not only her freedom from the Menagerie, but also from the Crows.
Mal asks Tolya and Nikolai about a mythical blade that could cut shadow, the Neshyenyer, and suggests recruiting the Crows. Zoya and Tolya are sent to retrieve it, but Mal is kidnapped on Vasily's command and sent for a court-martial.
The celebration for Alina and Nikolai's engagement is interrupted by nichevo'ya , which kill Vasily. Adrik, Nadia, and Tamar try to get Alina to safety, but Alina briefly sees Kirigan and is unsure that he's real. The group escapes into the underground tunnels, but Adrik's arm is mangled by a nichevo'ya. Alina confronts the Darkling and is able to hold him off as the structure crumbles around them. Meanwhile, Baghra frees herself and Genya.
Tropes:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Proud crime lord Pekka kneels to Kaz in an attempt to get him to spare his son.
- Anger Born of Worry: Kaz is furious with Inej's disobedience not only because she disobeyed instructions, but because he was worried. He says he had no idea where she was or if she had been killed.
- Buried Alive: Kaz tricks Pekka into believing that he has done this to Pekka's young son, in order to bargain the boys supposed location in exchange for a confession and freedom for Inej. Pekka only finds out the ruse when the Stadwatch drag him away from desperately digging at the grave with his bare hands, and sees his son standing in the cemetery.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Kaz reminds Pekka of his betrayal of him and Kaz's brother, which led to the latter's death. Kaz says he'll spare Pekka's son if Pekka can remember Kaz's brother's name, but Pekka has plucked "too many pigeons to remember".
- Collapsing Lair: When Alina unleashing her variant of the Cut against Kirigan's shadow monster, it causes the tunnels beneath the royal palace to start crumbling.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Pekka Rollins' love for his son Alby proves to be his downfall. When Kaz has tricked Pekka that he has buried Alby alive, Pekka is prepared to sacrifice everything to get Kaz to tell him where Alby is buried, even getting down on his knees to beg in front of all his men.
- Half the Man He Used to Be:
- While training her aim with her powers, Alina attempts to experiment in trying to develop her own version of the Cut. After some advice from Tamar, Alina is able to make a large hole in the training dummy.
- One of Kirigan's shadow monsters attacking the engagement party picks Crown Prince Vasily up and rips him in half at the waist.
- Heirloom Engagement Ring: Invoked. Nikolai gives Alina the Lantsov emerald ring, one of his family's crown jewels, to make their engagement look more legitimate.Nikolai: Console yourself knowing that, should you ever punch me while wearing it, you'll probably take my eye out.
- I Have Your Wife: Pekka has Kaz at gunpoint, but Kaz tells him that if he dies, his son Alby will also die as Kaz buried him alive.
- Logical Weakness: Adrik rationalizes that the wispy shadow monsters need to be solid to consume — ergo, if they're not solid, they're useless. He and Nadia use wind powers to immobilize them.
- Love Is a Weakness: Kaz tells Pekka Rollins this, when he begins telling (a lie) that he has buried Pekka's son alive.Pekka Rollins: I will kill everything you love, Brekker.
Kaz: The trick is not to love anything. - Machiavelli Was Wrong: Nadia encourages Alina to lead the Second Army with her heart and not with fear, as Kirigan had. Tamar counters that a little fear is good.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Nikolai and Alina briefly discuss the rumors of him actually being fathered by a commoner. Nikolai says he doesn't care if he has royal blood or not.
- Make an Example of Them:
- Baghra calls Aleksander out for scarring Genya and turning her into an example of disloyalty, reminding him that Genya endured years of abuse at his command. He is not swayed.
- Pekka beats up Kaz as an example of to anyone who would cross him. Though Kaz turns the tables on him in the end.
- Royal Inbreeding: Nikolai makes a joke about it when telling Alina he doesn't care if he has royal blood. He says that with all the inbreeding in the royal family he's better off not being a blood relation.
- Too Dumb to Live: Vasily is warned that telling his circle of "friends" of a huge celebration calls for the Darkling but brushes it off as just his half-brother being paranoid. He pays for it with his life.
- We Can Rule Together: Big Bad Kirigan once again invites Alina to rule alongside him. She rejects him and he sends one of his shadow monster sidekicks after her.
- Your Favorite: Aleksander brings Baghra some stewed figs, her favorite. It falls flat because he's locked her in a cage.Baghra: You think you could win me over with a bit of warmed fruit?
