Captured by rucks, the consortes make an escape attempt: Ruik fakes sick, and St. James is able to untie himself and several companions. The party wins their freedom, but Sir Waleran and Sir Garnfellow remain captured. The rucks do not pursue.

Late in the day, the consortes return to the ice cave. They are lost, tired, and hurt, and ready for some rest.

Noxumbra spots some smoke a few miles southeast and the party investigates, only to discover a large Black-blade encampment: a complex set in a clear-cut and surrounded by a palisade, complete with several barracks, smithies, and storage buildings. The party also notes that the rucks are engaged in building a new road that heads southeast. The party leaves, intent on finding Garnfellow and the Tower of the Scarlet Banner.

A Black-blade patrol discovers our heroes, and they are unable to avoid a confrontation. Fortunately, Friar Sidrach had taken pains to sew for his fellows a set of special badges—counterfeits of the badges worn by Sir John the Bastard's men when travelling in the occupied lands. When questioned, the badges allow the consortes to convince the rucks that they are Sir John's men, and are lost. Unfortunately, the Black-blades are far too eager to help their allies. Despite repeated pleas to the contrary, the rucks generously insist on bringing the entire party safely back to the same Black-blade camp that had been reconnoitered the day before. The lads put a brave face on the situation, and follow the patrol back. After an insufferably long time waiting for the ruckish bureaucracy to process the patrol's report, the consortes are eventually brought before the leader of the camp, who is none other than Prince Nestor, one of Tereus's sons!

Nestor and his captains are found carousing in a great hall; they are dressed much like human nobility. Nestor himself is a huge Black-blade ruck, with some strangely mannish features and an imposing demeanor. Nestor is deep in his cups when he interrogates the group, and the Ruck Prince indicates his great displeasure with Lownell and a figure he calls "The Bitch." Evidently, Lownell and this other person refuse to put aside their hostilities, despite a common allegiance to King Tereus.

The party then hatches a devious plan to undermine John: they tell Nestor that Lord John has been a less than loyal ally to Tereus, and has even withheld tribute from the coffers of the Ruck-King. This news infuriates Prince Nestor, who insists that the party relay this intelligence directly to King Tereus himself in the Yron Citie. The consortes are unable to weasel out of this command and are then forced to endure the company of Nestor, who proves a crude, drunken, and violent host. At one point Nestor challenges Hamral to a test of fighting ability: obviously, an extremely hazardous proposition! Vandoren, however, thinks quickly and offers up some raucous songs of blood and mayhem, which so delight Nestor that he forgets all about Hamral—instead, Nestor makes Vandoren enter a drinking contest with him!

Although the poor minstrel is quickly cast into a stupor by the foul ruckish drink, the party escapes from this banquet in one piece, more-or-less.

The party is dispatched from the camp, bound for the Yron Citie and escorted by a score of Black-blades. While a few mad consortes actually relish the chance to visit Tereus, wiser heads perceive that such an encounter would prove fatal, and that the party must escape before reaching this destination, several weeks off. Also, Valerius hears some Black-blades complain about having to escort so many humans, when only one is needed to report to the King.

Realizing their imminent danger, the consortes wait only until the train is a reasonable distance from the camp—then Valerius conjures up a dozen or more hideous creatures: yellow-skinned, gnarled monsters with large pointed ears and swords; tall, thin things with bat heads and staves; and small, hedgehog like beings that walk on two legs. While the Black-blades fight these strange sendings, the consortes escape.

After a few more days of travel in the wilderness, avoiding ogres and Black-blades, the consortes reach the Tower of the Scarlet Banner. The entire party is brought within the Tower and given some measure of hospitality.

The consortes are granted an audience with the Knights of the Scarlet Banner. The consortes apologize for destroying Godwin, express goodwill toward the Knights and to Godwin's Master, and suggest an alliance against Sir John the Bastard.

The consortes then learn some strange information. The Knights, it seems, serve a figure known only as the Lady, who is evidently also Godwin's Master. The Lady is another vassal of King Tereus, and is probably a powerful enchantress: she, it is said, commands Grimall Keep! Another one of her servants, known only as the Consort, was the magician who had helped defeat our heroes when they had been traveling with Garnfellow and Waleran. Although Lownell and this Lady of the Keep are bitter rivals, evidently King Tereus has forbidden direct hostilities between his two subjects. And although the Knights promise to inform the Lady of the Keep of the consortes' sentiments, the Knights hold out no promise of assistance against Lownell.

The consortes, a little puzzled, leave the Tower of the Scarlet Banner and make for Heremac.

The party skirts through the Barony of Lownell and notes, with satisfaction, the presence of new Black-blade patrols in those lands. The party then makes for Heremac, moving through wilderness to avoid Black-blades.

The party happens upon a curiosity: in the midst of a stand of ancient, overgrown oaks sits a small stone castle. Altogether out of place, the castle is in good condition and of an unfamiliar design. The main doors are thrown open and inside there is warmth, the smell of baking bread, and the strains of merry music. The consortes debate what to do: obviously some powerful magic is involved here! The castle seems real enough to all tests and eventually the Friar takes it upon himself to investigate. Friar Sidrach wanders through many large and beautiful chambers, all empty. He comes to a great hall in the center of the place, and beholds a wondrous banquet, set for many people. A huge, roaring fire blazes in the great hearth, and on the mantle hangs a sword, with some writing underneath. The Friar leaves the castle to report his findings, and now Vandoren enters, soon returning to explain that the writing reads thus:

WHOSO TENDS THE FIRE
THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT ENTIRE
SHALL THIS SWORD WIELD.

The consortes, after some debate, decide to take up this adventure. They enter the castle, and it soon becomes apparent that only one champion may actually tend the hearth. Mendelor and Hamral draw lots for the honor, and Mendelor wins. After the rest of the consortes have withdrawn from the great hall, the massive doors to the hall clap shut, leaving Mendelor inside and alone. The rest of the consortes retire to sleep in the castle of marvels.

Mendelor finds that the fire consumes fuel at a rapid rate, and that he is hard pressed to remain awake. Four times throughout the night he is sorely tempted to fall asleep, but each time he steels himself and remains awake.

When dawn breaks, Mendelor has won the challenge, and the sword is his. He rejoins his fellows, who have had a very pleasant rest. Outside the castle, the consortes examine the sword: it is finely made and has a golden hilt; Mendelor says that the sword seems to guide his hand true. When the consortes look up, the castle no longer stands: a heap of ancient, moss-encrusted ruins lie where once the castle stood.