Baghra, Mal, and Alina set out for Morozova's workshop in hopes of tracking the Firebird. Baghra cautions Alina against using Aleksander's tactics. She admits that Morozova was her father, and that the third amplifier was not the Firebird but the younger sister Baghra had accidentally killed with her shadow powers. The sister passed down her amplifier powers through the generations... to Mal. Baghra sacrifices herself to cut off Alexander's hand and destroy his link with Alina, destroying Morozova's workshop with her.
The Crows lay dying of the poison gas, but Wylan is able to break the door and pass on an antidote. The group tries to take on the returning Disciple, but are hopelessly outclassed until Kaz brings out her elderly husband. The Disciple reveals herself to be Sankta Neyar herself. She agrees to lend them the blade, and bequeaths it to Jesper.
Meanwhile, Nikolai brings the rest of the refugees to another sanctuary led by a friend of his, Vertov. Mal and Alina arrive to this camp, where Nikolai tells them Kirigan has destroyed the camp at Keramzin. Mal tells Alina that he is the final amplifier. Alina refuses to kill him and the two sleep together. Kirigan consumes the amplifier made from Baghra's finger and sees her final moments: telling Mal he's the Firebird.
Tropes:
- Accidental Murder: Baghra admits to Alina and Mal that she had accidentally used the Cut to kill her younger sister in a fit of anger.
- Affectionate Nickname: Jesper was "little rabbit" to his mother.
- Black Comedy: Neyar essentially uses her first husband's coffin as a coffee table.Neyar: Terrible marriage. Adequate table.
- Blood Magic:
- The door to the Morozova home requires a drop of Morozova blood, which Baghra provides. And Mal, being Baghra's many-times-removed nephew, can do it too.
- The Disciple is such a powerful Durast that she can take advantage of trace metals in her opponents' blood and puppet them around.
- Deceased Parents Are the Best: Jesper's kind, supportive mother was his Grisha teacher. After she died, his father made him hide his powers, and it got so bad that he eventually ran away to Ketterdam.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Kirigan may have locked his mother in a cage and cut off her finger for use as an amplifier, and tells her that it's too late for threats when she confronts him, but he's genuinely distressed when she summons a nichevo'ya to crush herself to death and cradles her in his arms as she dies. As her body fades away, he chokes out between sobs that he is sorry, looking for all the world like a little boy.
- Helpful Hallucination: Jesper's conversation with the hallucination of his dead mom and Neyar's encouragement motivate him to start using his Durast powers more openly.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Baghra's death straddles the line between this and Heroic Suicide - she intervenes in Kirigan's choking of Alina, tells him that she loved him but it wasn't enough, and summons a nichevo'ya to crush her to death. With her dying breath, she uses the Cut to sever the hand he implanted the Stag's amplifier in, removing his ability to connect with Alina.
- Love Is a Weakness: Defied. Kaz thinks that threatening Neyar's elderly husband will bring her to heel because he's the only thing she loves. Neyar rebuts this, saying that as an immortal she believed that solitary living was the way and closed off her own heart for a time, but she has instead decided to make her loved ones the focus of her world, not her weakness.
- Magic Antidote: The Crows are dying of poison gas. Wylan figures out that the butterflies pollinating the floral source contain an antidote and manages to get it to the group. As soon as they swallow the butterflies they are up and about, though a little out of breath.
- Matricide: Baghra confronts Kirigan, knowing her son will probably kill her. He does.
- Playing Possum: The Crows play dead, hoping to ambush the Disciple. It does not work.
