Rudeus's sisters arrive with an unexpected chaperone. After catching up with an old friend, Rudeus decides it's time to send the girls to school. But convincing Norn and Aisha turns out to be more trouble than he bargained for.

Norn shuts herself in her dorm room and refuses to attend classes. Haunted by the specter of his past life, Rudeus sets out to solve his sister's problems, only to discover that he is the cause.

Rudeus and Elinalise reach Rapan and soon reunite with Paul, only to learn that a deadly labyrinth has claimed both Zenith and Roxy. The fruits of Rudeus's studies offer a last, faint hope to reach his mother and his mentor in time.