In which the story closes with forgiveness for some, and death for others, as Osman's reign officially begins.

In which, Radu, Ecaterina and Frank must defeat two armies between them, and their chances of victory depend on Radu's ability to murder his own parents.

In which Constantin and Alaya remove what little masks they had left, and Osman (peace be upon him) goes outside for the first time in his life.

In which Radu is only lightly tortured, before he has a long-overdue change of heart.

In which Zayd captures an abominable gang of traitors, and Radu and Frank are lightly tortured.

In which, having been thwarted in her attempt to murder Radu, Ecaterina accepts his proposal of marriage instead. And also in which Zayd's flying carpet problem suddenly becomes relevant again.

In which, Ecaterina sets out to gain revenge on Radu, while Radu invades the Ottoman Empire with an army of vampires.

In which the shit finally hits the fan in Bucharest. Stefan turns up - very much undead - below Ecaterina's window on the night after he was buried. Ecaterina enlists Radu and Frank to help her stake him and bury him properly, and the confrontation does not go well. Now Ecaterina suspects Radu of being in league with the vampires, Frank has had to stop the pair of them from coming to blows, Constantin - Radu's vampire father - is beginning to think Radu is too much trouble to live, and worse than this, Stefan was not even close to being the only victim. There is a whole plague pit full of vampire fledglings to deal with, and every night the numbers double.

In which, Frank and the Vacarescus arrive in Bucharest and it is widely assumed that Radu is down from the country to find himself a wife. Invited to a sensational party by Prime Minister Sterescu, Radu and Frank are introduced to his daughter, Ecaterina - the foremost enchantress in the country - and his teenage son Stefan, who hates parties and loves horses. Frank is discovered to have a rare magical talent, but Radu, it turns out, has an unusual gift too. Bucharest is welcoming. The society is splendid. They have fascinating things with which to occupy themselves, and many new friends. And then Stefan falls mysteriously ill...

In this chapter, Frank finally remembers the great crime for which he was turned out of his house and exiled from his country. It isn't what he expected. The Vacarescu household, including Mirela, set out on that trip to Bucharest that Radu has been denying his vampire parents all his life. And elsewhere, in the Atlantic, a British ship receives the Turkish declaration of war, in a manner that makes it impossible to refuse.