Violet’s squad cheers Liam on as he wrestles during the Squad Battle. After he wins, Commandant Panchek announces that the third and final stage of the Squad Battle is to take place now, disrupting the tradition of holding it on the following day. He commands the squads to find and acquire “the one thing that would be most advantage to [their] enemies regarding the war effort” (399) and to present it to leadership within the next three hours. Their leading cadets have been sequestered, making each squad responsible for its own planning.

Imogen takes command of their squad, and they brainstorm what to steal. When Liam suggests information, Violet gets the idea to break into her mother’s office. Two hours later, the squad creeps up the staircase to General Sorrengail’s office. One cadet astral-projects to distract the guard while another unweaves the wards surrounding the office. Violet enters with the others while Liam serves as lookout. Violet reads some of her mother’s letters and realizes that they need to steal the map on her wall, which shows detailed information about outposts and supply routes. As they take it, Liam signals that the guard has returned; Rhiannon teleports the map away and another cadet uses air to restrain the guard.