In the royal court, witnesses insist a woman is the Great Elder and an omen—'the sky is splitting'—begins to manifest. Jynna is pressed to act: ministers warn the capital and people outside may already be suffering and demand the woman be taken to the High Altar for prayer. A speaker offers one last chance of mercy if she is escorted to the ritual. Opponents call her a bewitched vixen and point to her ears as proof, and one man declares, "Today, I will kill her on behalf of Their Majesties," leaving her fate unresolved.