Grady apologizes for what Bronte put Sophie through and, after Keefe and Sophie both press him, he admits that Bronte thinks Sophie is “malfunctioning.” Grady and Keefe both insist that Bronte is wrong, but Sophie feels angry, embarrassed, and scared. She knew that she was an anomaly, but the Black Swan may have made a mistake, leading to her brown eyes and allergy. Keefe tries to calm her, as does Silveny when Sophie approaches her enclosure.

Grady instructs Sophie to demonstrate Silveny’s flying, taking her beyond the enclosure but not too far. Once in the air, Silveny is exhilarated to be free and wants to keep going but obeys Sophie’s command to return. However, as they approach, Sophie’s dread at facing the Councillors prompts Silveny to intuit that she wants to be free and teleports them away.

Silveny takes them to a beautiful mountainside meadow. Realizing that convincing Silveny to return will be difficult but knowing that they must, Sophie leaps them back to find everyone screaming at each other, except for Keefe. Sophie collapses, and Grady takes her to her room, noting she has faded again.