Mido's fragmented memories contrast present captivity with a childhood spent among Jack and Etty, two human actors and confidence artists who raised her as their daughter. Their scams and nights at the theatre end when Mido's birth mother violently takes her away.
Mido guards the unconscious, chained paladin Geitz while Dawnblade prepares a punishing list of chores for their captive. They arrange near-continuous watches and plan to confine him except during his forced labor.
Mido hides a recurring seizure and black vomit behind a bolted door, then confronts a taunting half-ermine apparition in her mirror. After the vision needles her about loneliness and an old bargain with the shadows, she cleans the room and ventures back outside.