When he comes to, Aden finds himself in what appears to be some kind of distorted palace throne room.  The woman identifies herself as Aden's fiance, much to his confusion, and explains that it is Shaldanite tradition that when a young prince seeks marriage into the royal family, he brings his own horse into the royal stables as a gift to his princess.  The woman reveals herself to be Jacqui Dikawa, Casey's dead cousin and a princess who has accepted Aden's gesture as a proposal.  She tells him that they are in the afterlife, a strange sort of holding room for the Shaldanite natives who have been killed by the Ebene.

 

Aden insists that he cannot marry her, but Jacqui persists.  As a stalling tactic, Aden asks her to show him around the strange and warped palace.  As they walk through, he sees the dead and starts to take on an enormous weight of guilt for those that he and the Phoenix Fighters were unable to save.  Jacqui explains to him how she was killed.  Her fiance turned out to be an Ebene spy and when she found out, he murdered her before she could warn her family.  Aden tries to consol her over this, but she mistakes his kindness for love and insists that they throw a ball to welcome him tonight.  Before the ball, however, he is to be taken to the woman who has assumed control of affairs in the underworld, none other than Kit's mother, Hekuba.

 

That night at the wall, Aden finds himself socializing with many familiar faces including Bobby and Gerard.  Things get complicated when Warren pays a visit.  He is amused to find Aden there, but after learning his identity, Aden punches Warren out and he leaves in a huff.  Hekuba arrives and at Jacqui's behest, tries to learn why Aden does not wish to marry her.  Meanwhile, Warren returns to the Phoenix House where Adriana, Tranns, Kate, and Valero are holding vigil, hoping for Aden to return.  Krieg arrives at the stables and traps the four of them in, unable to get help from the rest of the Phoenix Fighters.

 

Back in the underworld, Hekuba sympathizes with Aden, but his depression has gotten so pronounced from seeing familiar faces that he no longer cares about living.  Warren returns to tell Hekuba what's happening.  Jacqui, realizing that Aden has a life and family waiting for him on the other side reluctantly asks Hekuba to send him back to the world above.  Warren further tells Aden that this underworld is only temporary.  Once the souls of the dead Shaldanites have been avenged, they will finally cross over into the real afterlife.  Aden promises to help save them and returns to Shaldani, rescuing the Phoenix Fighters in the stables.