It is revealed that Empress Alixana was the woman who approached Crispin at the end of the first novel. She again comes to Crispin as he finishes his wife's image in the mosaic and is about to begin that of his daughters. She takes him on a boat ride under the premise of showing him dolphins, which she wishes him to put in a mosaic for her private chambers. This depiction is a dangerous one for the Empress to request due to dolphins' association with the god Heladikos, who some worship as the son of Jad but has been declared paganistic and heretical by the Patriarchs of the faith. The boat arrives at an island where Lecanus Daleinus, the oldest son of the assassinated Flavius Daleinus, is imprisoned; he was hideously burned and blinded by Sarantine Fire during the assassination. Alixana impersonates Styliane's voice to try get information from him. Crispin hears the thoughts of yet another mechanical bird talking to Lecanus in his head and realises that although Lecanus cannot see the Empress, he is not deceived. After they leave, he confesses what he heard to Alixana, who quickly deduces that an assassination attempt is being made on her husband. They return to Lecanus's hut only to find him gone and his guards killed. A guard attempts to assassinate Alixana but is stopped by Crispin. Alixana tells Crispin to return to the boat with one of her two remaining loyal guards and asks him how he found a reason to live after having lost his family. She returns to Sarantium on a small boat with her remaining guard, discarding her royal robes, cutting her hair, and changing her appearance. Upon arriving in the docks, she disappears into the crowds, disguised as a whore.