Jynx, still disguised as Prince Shiahd bu-Ahlmarahat (a leonine Khatta heir from the Khattan Emirate), travels with the retinue that has been assigned him by the Society of Cinders, ostensibly on a quest to retrieve the Artifact of Calderas – though Jynx's private mission is to find his grandmother before any of the others on this "Great Hunt" manage to abduct her.

On the way, the caravan is ambushed by brigands. Sensing something amiss, Jynx orders his retainers to try to defeat the enemy without taking any lives, and he captures an old feline in the process. Later, they journey through a village, and Jynx pieces together that the brigands must have been the men of this village – and drops off his prisoners there. He notices a strange old mutt who stares at him, and questions him. The mutt believes him to be a "hunter" seeking the Lady of the Tower, and indicates that another had gone this way before. The mutt warns of the "Curse of Calderas", and that the "Prince" should leave this forsaken land while he has a chance.

Jynx tries to hurry on, but is stopped again by a desperate widow who offers her children for sale as slaves. Jynx takes all three of them along, despite a protest from one of his retainers, hoping to save them from the fate that surely befalls them in this snow-covered territory. At last, the caravan reaches Falcon's Watch, where they set up camp, and Jynx camps in a tent, while the small family he has "bought" is granted his carriage to stay the night.