Kvothe decides to spend the next morning at the Fishery, working on making blue emitters to sell. He points out some frost on the bone-tar canister to an experienced artificer, then gets to work. Two hours later, someone noticing that the canister is leaking breaks his concentration. The corrosive substance is beginning to boil, collapsing the table the container is standing upon. There’s about to be a horrific fire.

Kvothe sees Fela between spilled bone-tar arms on the floor and knows she is in danger. He acts and uses sympathy to open a nearby drench—a safety precaution with twice-tough glass holding 500 gallons of water—so that the water bursts over him and protects him while he runs to Fela. He jumps over the fog the bone-tar has formed and puts her in a cloak to carry her out over his shoulder. He enters a wall of flame and tastes ammonia before he blacks out.

He wakes up in the Medica, with Mola tending him. He asks about Fela, who has some bruises and singed ankles but is doing better than him. He has missed his lunch appointment with Denna. Although he still hurts, he walks to the Eolian.