In their conversation, Tarsil reveals his facial injures, received from fighting dragons, to Briar, who responds by making her face an image of his former appearance and cuts him into two halves (possibly a reference to the manner of her own death), and declares the attack.

At the wall, Gran'ma Ben oppose the invading hordes of Pawa soldiers and Rat Creatures when the Venu warn her of an attack on the weaker left flank, whereupon she orders them there as reinforcements.

When they have gone, Taneal, her brother, Phoney, and Smiley find Thorn comatose as a result of overwhelming visions.

As Smiley tries to break the bars, Taneal tells the others that Tarsil was killed and Gran'ma Ben is getting overwhelmed by the Pawa soldiers.

They watch as the attacking army retreats, and Thorn reveals that ghost circles are surrounding the city.

Thorn perceives Roque Ja in the hills, and then has sudden visions of the valley exploding, and of the Lord of the Locusts.

Thorn's visions tell her that the Lord of the Locusts has re-inhabited Mim, Queen of the Dragons, in whose form he is approaching the city.

When Fone Bone looks for Thorn on Bartleby's back, they see her as she hides from the invaders in ghost circles.

To find Thorn while themselves hidden from the Rat Creatures, Fone hides underneath Bartleby, clinging to his stomach fur (suggesting the trick used by Odysseus to conceal his men from Polyphemus).

Thorn alone faces an army of their enemies and flies over them, forcing Fone Bone to hide under Bartleby again.

Smiley has the idea that if he bakes large quantities of quiche for the two Rat Creatures, they will think that the siege will fail.

Fone Bone attempts to touch the Crown of Horns himself, but because Thorn took the piece of the locust out from him earlier, nothing happens.

With Briar and the Lord of the Locust dead and the opposing army slowly being decimated, the capital declares victory.

As the Bone cousins, Thorn, and Gran'ma Ben leave for Barrelhaven to bury Lucius, Phoney is given the hay wagon he lost earlier in the volume, with all of the hidden treasure still in it.

As they dance and play instruments, Fone presents the two stupid Rat Creatures with a quiche made by himself.