Kaela makes her way, alone, to the City of Hands, stopping by the ancient monastery to find her hidden cache and change her attire to look more the part of Princess Emerald-Eyes. When she approaches the Palace grounds, she finds that there is already a ritual underway. She arrives in time to witness the release of the Twelve-Times-Twelve.

Jezebel tries to get Abana to give her blessing, so that Jezebel may claim the right to rule the "Empire", such as it is, but Abana is reluctant. Kaela, somehow ignored in all this, at last announces herself, and challenges Jezebel. Abana, rather than giving her blessing to Jezebel – or even to Kaela – defers to each of them to make their case before the Mage-Priests. They do so … and the Mage-Priests decide to have "testers" accompany each of the daughters to determine more about which is fit … and about what the world is like beyond the City ruins.

Kaela chooses the Mage-Priest, Icelight, who appeared in one of her dreams with the elder Emerald-Eyes, as a dance instructor. She also receives a boon from the Twelve-Times-Twelve … that her mother be healed. Icelight leads Kaela to Eye-to-Star point, where they witness the apparent "destruction" of the city – an elaborate illusion to conceal the City's whereabouts, so that only Jezebel and Kaela have the keys to allowing anyone else to enter. Envoy meets up with them at this point, and Kaela has to consider the implications of returning to Rephidim