If the Milago do not meet the required supply of glaze which changes each day, one of them is killed by being pushed into an abandoned mine shaft.

Saint Dane controls a homeless man to jump in front of a subway train, and says this is to "Give the boy a taste of what he's in for,".

They manage to live through the situation by using the dog whistle and the spears, but the sled crashes, and Press is kidnapped by Bedoowan knights.

Bobby is rescued by a Traveler warrior named Osa, a wise woman whose daughter, Loor, is disgusted by him for most of the book.

During this time, Bobby realizes that the Bedoowan live a luxurious and lazy life, as they listen to music, relax on pillows, and eat, attended by the pallid, taciturn Novans.

Also, technologically speaking, the Bedoowan are years ahead of the Milago with inventions and devices including dumbwaiters, running water, and artificial light.

When Bobby, Loor, Alder, and the newly rescued Press return to the Milago village, they discover that Figgis, the native merchant, had been selling tak, an unstable explosive that is to be used as a weapon to free themselves from Bedoowan rule.

At this point, Figgis the merchant lures Bobby and Loor into the mines, where they find an immense supply of tak.

At the same time, Saint Dane has disguised himself as Mallos, Queen Kagan's chief adviser, and had turned Bedoowan minds further against their neighbors.

By sending a high speed wave of water and a giant shark back through the flume, Bobby can't follow.

Bobby just manages to escape the explosion by pushing a mine cart that held the unconscious Loor into the ocean through a ventilation shaft.

When Bobby swims back to the shore and surveys the damage, they find that although the explosion had effected much destruction, most of the people are still alive, including Uncle Press and Alder.

Bobby travels back to Second Earth with Uncle Press, hoping to find his family and carry on with his former life.

Following the advice of Osa, Bobby and Loor are using their spare time to write logs of their journeys, which are sent to their respective home territories via the Traveler rings.