In the warren, Curtis and his friends search for Brendan. They find him hanging upside down in the interrogation chamber. Once freed, Brendan explains that the coyotes wanted him to reveal the location of the bandit hideout, which he refused to give. He tells his group that they must stop Alexandra from sacrificing Mac to the ivy.

When the escapees arrive back at the bandit camp, Brendan discovers that their numbers have been decimated by a coyote attack. Even though they know the situation is hopeless, the remaining bandits all agree to fight the Dowager’s army before she can perform her blood sacrifice.

Meanwhile, in North Wood, the hare and the fox take Prue to the place where the mystics gather. She’s overwhelmed by the sight of the Council Tree:

Exploding from the center of the meadow, its massive, gnarled trunk twisting upward to burst into a joyous eruption of vast arteries of leafy branches, a canopy that spanned nearly the entirety of the meadow’s breadth. (377)

Prue is greeted by the Elder Mystic whose name is Iphigenia. When she asks for help to save her brother, Iphigenia says the mystics must meditate on the problem to see if destiny will allow their intervention.