A letter comes from Kit in Sybok, informing the House that Kit’s bodyguard has died and she needs a temporary replacement.  Aden asks Tranns to go for awhile, and she agrees, much to Lucien’s dismay.  The night that Tranns leaves, Aden walks in to his room and finds that Adriana hasn’t left bed all day because she isn’t feeling well.  She has a high fever, but seems to be fine other than that.  However, the signs of the illness begin to rapidly progress from bad to worse, and when she starts having delusions, Aden sends for Valero.

Valero runs some tests on Adriana and concludes that, against all odds, she is dying.  Her organs are liquefying and her skin is hardening, as though she is being made into some sort of shell.  Aden does not take the news well and throws a high-scale temper tantrum, eventually being kicked out of the room by Valero.  A few minutes afterward, Adriana dies in Valero’s arms. Before anyone is given time to grieve, however, Adriana begins to glow and Valero is knocked across the room.  Aden fetches Phil and asks him to kick in the door.  Philip agrees and they both are startled to find Adriana standing in the middle of the room.  However, her skin has turned golden and her hair is white.  She reveals to everyone that she is no longer Adriana, but Rhea, the first queen of Shaldani.

Rhea’s cold, aloof demeanor makes her a target of loathing for the Phoenix Fighters.  Despite her claim that she was not at all responsible for the death of Adriana, many in the House blame her.  Everyone is surprised by how well Aden is coping, until he attempts to perform a black magik spell.  He is stopped by Philip and dragged downstairs into the cage.

Everyone in the House seems to find different ways of coping with the loss of Adriana.  Casey challenges Rhea for leadership of the House, Aden comes up with a plan to go after the Ebene, and Ariadne and Philip find consolation in each other’s arms.  Rhea continues to distance herself from everyone.  Casey’s claim for reign of the House involves winning three challenges.  She beats Phinney in a horse race, and defeats Amorette in a sword duel.  But to everyone’s surprise, she is defeated by Valero in an intellectual challenge.  Rhea speaks to Casey afterward, revealing that she does not want to be alive again, and that she never thought the foretelling of her resurrection would involve another person’s death.  Casey and her ancestor begin to slowly understand each other.

When Kazuo learns of Adriana’s death, he is highly distressed and determines to resurrect her with a spell.  He approaches Aden in the basement and says he needs a bit of Aden’s blood.  Aden willingly gives him more than a bit and almost dies due to the blood loss.  The next day, Aden receives another visit, this time from Joey.  Joey tells Aden that Adriana is now with the PTB, but they are displeased with Rhea and willing to bring Adriana back.  However, she warns him that the PTB do not simply give freely and that a price will have to be paid.  Aden says that he is willing to trade himself for Adriana, but he doesn’t want anyone else to be hurt.  Before Joey can inform the PTB, Ariadne confronts her and tells her that Aden isn’t himself.  She asks Joey to not approach the PTB.  Joey decides to wait and talk to Aden again in a few weeks.  However, Kazuo performs his spell and the PTB interpret it as a request for Adriana to be sent back.  A surprisingly functional Adriana is returned to the House.