Alder assigns Tally to the team sent after Nicte Batan. Tally refuses unless her unit goes with her. Alder gives in. She does inform Tally that it's a kill mission. Petra, waiting in Tally's room, countermands that order and tells Tally to bring Nicte back alive. Raelle intercedes when Abigail and Scylla get into it. Raelle is still reeling from her mother's death a second time. Adil remains shaken by his violence at the Camarilla compound. Scylla tells Raelle her only enemy now is the Camarilla. Scylla refuses to run when the Army arrives for the unit. Tally and Raelle convince Abigail that Scylla should come on the mission. Raelle hallucinates that she's home in the Cession and a twisted version of Willa is still alive. Scylla overrides that spell and pulls out Raelle. Tally hallucinates that Alder is forcing her to become a Biddy again. Raelle and Scylla rescue her. In her hallucination, Abigail is summoning waterspouts, cheered on by her family. Tally and Raelle get through to her. They find the rest of the strike team dead by their own hands thanks to Nicte's spell. They locate Nicte's cabin. It's empty. But the quartet starts fighting with each other. Tally stalks away into the forest, where she comes face to face with Nicte. Tally determines Nicte is using bats to deliver her spells. Tally realizes that a weakened Nicte can't attack her unless she releases the unit, which she does. By the time the trio catches up with Tally, she has knocked out Nicte with a rock. They put the binding gag on her. Scylla is leaving to find Tiffany a new family. Raelle and Scylla kiss goodbye. Raelle and Abigail figure out that Nicte had disguised herself as Tally and capture her when she goes after Alder.