Silas has promised Eralynd that he would take her home and protect her, and that is precisely what he is doing. Jericho, Loen and Isabelle are waiting in Amon Veil for Silas and Eralynd to join them on the journey.
Back in Rebma, Gerhard is conducting experiments. He goes to speak with Vialle and finds her ill and bedridden. No one knows what is killing her; there are no symptoms other than weakness.
Eralynd seems to be taking them the long way to their destination. As they meander along, Silas discusses how to smooth over relations with the Fae. Marriage? No. The problem is that Oberon promised the Queen of the Fae that she would be Queen of Amber. That is what must be resolved.
Silas realizes there is no need to go through Amon Veil, and it would expedite their travels to bypass it. To that end, Silas trumps Isabelle and asks her to bring the whole group into his carriage. She readily agrees, wanting nothing more than to avoid the current conversation between Jericho and her mother about dowries.
Now all together in the carriage, the heroes arrive in the Faery Realm. Silvery branches rest below a bright pink sky. Azure waters glisten in splendor. Ahead, guards and The Black Knight await. Despite Silas's best efforts to talk his way out of it, a large battle ensues.
Jericho becomes entangled with The Black Knight, fighting ferociously. The knight drops its sword so it can grab Jericho and bash his face in — which he does quite thoroughly. With a caved-in face, Jericho strategically waits for his opportunity. For a brief moment, an opening in crotch of The Black Knight's armor is exposed and Jericho lunges with his sword. The knight is now reeling and gushing blood.
Loen engages the guards, killing one of the five.
Isabelle remains a useless 30 feet away, but brings in Natasha by Trump to help. Natasha goes in to attack, but The Black Knight summons his sword back to him, and he is fully healed. She manages to make contact, but it is only a flesh wound.
There is movement in the trees, and Isabelle spots a bowman in them. She sends her kitten, Antonio, to latch onto the man. He does this, and Isabelle makes psychic contact via her pet. She tweaks his mind and convinces him he is a mouse. The bowman thus scurries away, abandoning his post.
Jericho laughs in the face of death and demonstrates his prowess of being the protege of Benedict. He stabs and rips his sword upward, splitting his nemesis wide open, revealing nothing inside. Jericho takes his enemy's sword as trophy of his success.
A goblin horde closes in, viciously confused. "Kill him!", they scream. "He has the sword! He is our new King!", scream others. "Chew his nose off!" Silas summons a swarm of shadow bees and takes out the nearest goblins. Jericho, now bearing the sword of The Black Knight, commands the minions to go kill and main.
Loen sees the empty black armor and can't resist. While in dragon form, he dons the armor. It conforms to his strange figure, and now he, too, has command of the goblin horde. He commands them to guard this kingdom with their lives. One goblin remains to explain that there must be a hunt led by the summoner to recruit more goblins. How do you make more goblins? Children. Loen and Natasha venture into Shadow to find mindless rabbit children to sacrifice.
In his lab, Gerhardt is working on a Localized Reality Distortion Detector (LRDD). He goes to Erewhon and uses the device to study the shadow cracks there. They appear to have been setup long ago.
With the battle behind them, Silas, Eralynd and Isabelle continue out of the realm to take Eralynd home. Jericho summons a white horse and chases after them. When they arrive at her home, the castle is gearing up for war. Eralynd demands they stop the carriage. She steps out and as she does so, her clothes and hair unfurl around her. She makes sure that Silas and Isabelle can enter the castle, but Jericho is another story. The Master of Protocol arrives in a flurry, trying to make sense of it all.
Jericho was The White King, but now he bears the sword of The Black Knight of the Winter Court, the Court of Shadow. One can only be of one court. Which side will Jericho choose? The price to be The Black Knight is that he is at the service of the King and Queen of the Winter Court. Refusing their command means losing the title and tools, but also direct punishment. At the moment, however, Jericho doesn't know how to lose the sword. Despite his wishes, he renounces his kingship.
Suddenly an army of the Winter Court made of crystalline monsters heads toward the castle. Jericho heads towards the other land, greeting the pale-skinned Queen Mab of the Winter Courts. She summons the dragon Loen as Jericho's steed. Instead, Jericho gives the sword to Loen, who is now The Black Knight.
Silas goes to negotiate with Queen Mab. Jericho stays as Mab's guest, with some unknown requirements. Mab thinks this is all very amusing. She wants Queen Titania to surrender Nevervale. She would also take Eralynd instead. Silas is quick to explain that is not acceptable. Those in the castle would be glad to satisfy Mab with the second option, but definitely not the first. Mab gives Silas an icy rose so he may contact her at a later time.
Eralynd listens in when he does call her back. She is very concerned about her "pet" (Silas). Queen Mab offers to free him from Eralynd's grasp, and he lets her do it. Eralynd breaks down, but Silas is no longer interested in helping. He says he owes her one, and she agrees.
Jericho trumps to his bedroom in Amber. Silas and Isabelle go to the yacht (Silas' ship the Envoy). (She is in dire need of a spa treatment.) Loen is with QueenMab, serving as The Black Knight. Gerhardt is in Rebma in the Queen's quarters.