Elise meets with Inquisitrix Faith at the Temple, and learns that the bat she had interrogated died after "injuries sustained". Faith questions Elise as to why she did not wish to inform the Temple on the ransom demand, when she had already quite visibly enlisted the Temple's assistance in trying to find Katherine, and the ransom note only stated that the Temple should not be present at the exchange. Elise apologizes, then defends her position, and requests a fast ship with which to pursue the kidnappers.

Grant de Ayde bursts in, revealing that his attempts to search the dock indicate that a ship known as the Siren's Tail may have left Rephidim with Katherine (in disguise as a Gallah) for Abu Dhabi. Elise changes her plans to go to Gallis, and instead wishes to pursue this ship to Abu Dhabi, requesting that Faith go to Gallis, as her investigative skills may be invaluable there.

Elise boards haut Glas's private yacht, not giving him any clue that he is in fact a suspect in Katherine's kidnapping, and rides it in pursuit of the Siren's Tail. There is a brief distraction as a scrying mage picks up a waashu instead of an airship, and a Gallah crewmember relates that he has friends aboard the Siren's Tail, and doesn't believe that the captain would be willfully cooperating with such a kidnapping scheme.