Somewhere in the Mycelium. Raelle wakes up in a bucolic setting with a picnic. She notices Willa. Willa tells her that she is healed. Raelle wants to leave. Willa tells her that it's her choice: she can stay and have Sunday picnics with Willa, or return to the real Crapsack World. But if she chooses the latter option, the Mycelium won't be able to bring her back. Raelle picks the real world, because she wants to help. Willa accepts her daughter's decision. They hug good-bye.
At the Cession Mansion, Thelma tells the other (Anacostia, Adil, Abigail) about reports of troops moving toward the borders. She won't be able to join them to find the Head Marshal and Wade. There is an emergency meeting with the Council. She tells them that all Marshals are linked and to go talk to the one at the Iroquois border. Thelma takes Abigail aside to tell her that there have been some complaints about "the smell". Said smell is coming from the wide array of dead animals in Scylla's room. Abigail and Anacostia go talk to her. Scylla figures she needs to "tweak" the Work the right way to bring Raelle back. Abigail is sympathetic but tells her that she can't stay behind; she's part of the Unit and needs to help with the fight. Raelle will find them.
Lakota Community Center. A very perky Milly offers Thelma some wasnanote . When the Council gathers, Thelma admits to forming the militia, knowing the day would come their borders would be invaded. Milly interrupts, saying they are angry she did this behind the backs of the council.
Tally is getting a ride on the back of a pickup truck and enjoying the fresh air. She is alarmed when she realizes the driver is going off-route and following a bird. The driver pulls over next to a group of people. One of them is Mac, the leader of the group of Dodgers from "Homo Cantus". Scylla tells Tally that there is a lot to catch up on.
Anacostia, Adil and Abigail are skulking around. The former tells the others to stay out of sight. She is going to be doing the talking.
Back to the Council Meeting. Thelma apologizes for gathering the militia without permission. She asks for the other members' support in the fight for the Great River. All of a sudden, all the other Council Members collapse… all except Milly. Thelma can only utter "Shit" before one of Milly's assistants knocks her out.
The Iroquois border. The Iroquois Marshal tells the group that the Head Marshal has been hard to reach but can be located if he is within the Cession borders. All of a sudden, an army convoy approaches the border. The Iroquois Marshal reassures the trio that the wards will hold, and that only the Council can disengage them. While the unit hides, the Marshal and his staff watch as the ward at the border dematerializes. An Oversight Officer by the name of Anderson gets out of his vehicle, accompanied by a coven of witches. Anacostia tells the others to remain out of sight. The Iroquois Marshal orders Anderson to go, because bringing a militarized force is in violation of the U.S. Cession Treaty. Anderson points out that THEY broke the treaty by refusing to hand over the Bellweather unit. While they posture, Abigail notes that the protective wards broke down at the exact moment the troops were coming in. Anacostia deduces that somebody within the Council must be helping them.
Thelma wakes up from being tapped on the head with a collar on. She realizes the traitor is Milly, who has sold them out to the Camarilla after feeling that the Council ignored her when it came to her territory's issues. Milly was the one who turned off the wards so they could recapture the Bellweather Unit. She claims that it's going to be a quick in-and-out operation. Thelma has to remind Milly that with the treaty broken, they are all vulnerable, even Milly, who appears surprised.
Tally is having a Sight moment. In the meantime, Mac and Scylla talk about things. The Dodgers were able to stay in the Cession and their witches protected them. Tally reveals that the Council is in danger. Scylla, Tally and the Dodgers are going to fight.
Y ahora estamos en Madrid, España. At an antiques store, the owner greets a mysterious visitor, who turns out to be Alder. The owner sneaks a knife on his sleeve. Alder is looking for a man named Santos (the owner). He escorts her to a more private area. The camera zooms in on a picture of Santos and one Blanton Silver, current president of the U.S.A.
Back to the Iroquois border. The Marshal orders Anderson and the troops to get out, but Anderson only recognizes the authority of the US President. They start fighting. The Iroquois Marshal attempts to do Work by whistling, but Anderson's body armor makes it ricochet and knock out the Marshal. Still watching and still hiding, Anacostia orders Adil and Abigail to stand down to avoid a bloodbath. But Abigail is not a follower and she is going to do what she has to do.
Scylla and Tally are by the community center. Tally horrifies Scylla by sharing her vision of Raelle destroying the world with her Witchbomb.
Back in Madrid, in the inner sanctum of the antiques shop, Alder tells Santos to cut the crap; he has been the pontifex for the Camarilla for decades. He claims to have left his life of witch-hunting behind to start his little store. She probes him for information on the First Song (there are still two pieces missing).
The Iroquois border. Anderson orders his invasion force to move in. Adil plants himself right in front of Anderson, who orders his troops to spread out and steps off so that the convoy can run over Adil. But Adil makes the ground shake, flipping over the Jeep. Anderson, calling Adil "Bellweather's little Tarim plaything" orders the troops to Wind Strike on his command. His count is interrupted by an unseen force breaking his neck. The unseen force is the now visible Abigail. One of the Invasion force members, Lupe, tells Abigail to run and that they will cover for her as long as they can. Abigail asks for the Border guards to be released. And then Abigail climbs on top of the overturned jeep and gives them a speech telling them to undermine Jarrett's orders while looking like they are following them.
Back to the Lakota Community Center. Milly tells the other members of the Council that they will be treated well. As she speaks, Scylla and Tally sneak over and knock out Milly's people. Scylla tends to the tranquilized members while Tally and the newly freed Thelma apprehend Milly.
Madrid. Santos is checking books from the Inquisition times. Apparently, there are no modern living Stewards. The Abyssinian line has been lost and the Barbicarum line was snuffed out before the steward could pass it down. He does have her voice box. Santos confesses that to his shame, he taught one of his students about the custom to remove voice boxes and the possibilities. He swears that's all he knows. Alder walks by an exhibit: the noose used to hang her sister back in 1632. Except it is a fake. He tries to stab her but fails to kill her. He begs for mercy, claiming to be different. But Alder is different too. She leaves the store, leaving his corpse hanging from the ceiling and dripping blood.
Back at the Community Center, Scylla tells the Dodgers to get the Council to safety and to use non-lethal Work only, because the soldiers (who have no idea what's waiting for them) have no choice in the matter. Scylla then tells Mac to get his people to safety after the Council is safe. Two trucks full of soldiers arrive, led by Officers. The Officers instruct the soldiers to take the Council into custody and use deadly force if they encounter resistance. He orders them to move in, but they walk at a snail's pace as fog starts forming. We hear the sound of glass bottles breaking. The Work makes the soldiers go in a trance and recite their oath, "I do solemnly pledge to protect and defend the United States of America against all enemies, foreign or domestic." The officer calls out to an underling to bring in the auxiliaries.
Scylla and Tally are leading the council members, even Milly, to safety. Tally is seeing another civilian officer, with Special Forces officers. Scylla has an alternative to lethal Work. They create a distraction: Scylla, wearing Thelma's face, runs off and allows herself to get caught and collared, revealing her face. As for the civilian officer, Tally tries to knock him out, but his armor knocks her out, to his delight. The soldiers with him tell him that's Tally Craven and that's she's secure, but he is all set to stab her to death. In the knick of time, he is turned to dust by the Witchbomb courtesy of Raelle, back from the Mycelium and in the real world. Tally and Raelle embrace tearfully and Raelle explains that she was walking through the darkness and heard Scylla. Thelma comes up and helps Tally with the weakened Raelle.
At some diner, Anacostia is drinking coffee when Nicte (in her season 3 face) plops down next to her, pretending to be a stranger. They chat in code, and Anacostia leaves. Nicte gets up and leaves as well, followed by all the other clients at the diner.
Thelma is discussing getting people out through the Algonquian ports, when Abigail and Adil come in. Bad news: the Iroquois marshal did die at Anerdon's hands. The good news: Abigail got his killer. Abigail volunteers to be in Thelma's resistance force. Thelma accepts, and points her to Raelle and Tally.
After the happy reunion (they assume Scylla's been captured and vow to find her), Tally goes to her room and finds Alder. Tally figures Alder needs her help and declines because she has enough already with figuring out how to stop the Witchbomb from ending the world. Alder thinks only the First Song is powerful enough to stop the Witchbomb. She wants Tally to look into the past.
Inside an army truck, a handcuffed and collared Scylla overhears two soldiers talking about seeing Raelle Collar and smiles. The two wonder why, as Scylla is going to be taken to an "Interrogation Center". Scylla brags about having been sent to one already, but stops smiling when she learns she will be sent to one nicknamed "The Slaughterhouse" because none of the witches that go in come out.
Tropes
- Call-Back: When Tally is brought to the group of Dodgers, Mac announces she is all right, and to just keep her off rooftops. In "Homo Cantus", Tally accidentally gave away the location of the Dodger hideout when someone saw her training on the roof.
- Creepy Souvenir: A section of Santos's shop holds items that qualify, such as a box keeping the vocal chords of one of the stewards of the First Song and the rope noose used to hang Sarah Alder's sister. Alder denounces the latter item as a fake; she was there for her sister's execution and knows that the actual noose was made of braided leather.
- Did You Actually Believe...?: Invoked by Thelma in Milly being an idiot for thinking the Camarilla are simply going to come in, arrest the fugitives and leave while honoring their deal for Milly.
- Gratuitous Spanish: Santos, when begging Alder for mercy after trying to stab her:Santos: Please, I beg you. I'm a fool. A sinful fool. ¡Dios perdóname! I'm not the same man I was. I am different now!
- Heroic Sacrifice: Scylla disguises herself as Thelma to distract one of the units of witches, leading them away from the group knowing that she'll get caught.
- I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: The Slaughterhouse. Witches go in for interrogation, but they don't come out.
- Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: Milly justifies selling out the Council to the Camarila due to Council decisions that were unfavorable to her territory (leaving them out of mining contracts, etc.)Milly: They knew all about how my territory was kept out of the big mining contracts, how we had no good land on the water, all the issues I'd brought to the Council year after year. But, uh, unlike the Council, they were ready to help.
- Neck Snap: Abigail does one to Officer Anderson after he has the troops invade the border.
- No-Sell: When Santos sees Alder come into his shop, he sneaks a knife into his sleeve. Later on he tries to stab her but it has no effect on the Mycelium-enhanced Alder.
- Rousing Speech: Abigail to the troops, right after they cross the Iroquois border. It gets the stomp of approval.Abigail: I know you're scared. I know it's too soon. It's always too soon. And what's ahead will be difficult. But you must protect the innocent at any cost. That is our greatest calling. It always has been. Never forget who you are and whose army you fight for. Employ every bit of Work you have to complicate, obfuscate, subvert, and undermine Jarrett's objectives while maintaining the semblance of following orders. Is that clear, soldiers? (the soldiers stomp three times in unison'). Good. You are General Petra Bellweather's soldiers. Make her proud.
- Tampering with Food and Drink: Milly offers wasna to the Council members laced with something that causes Instant Sedation. Thelma Bearkiller was the only one to decline, so she gets a tap on the head instead.
- Tap on the Head: Thelma gets one from one of Milly's assistants. When she comes to, she is bound to a chair and collared. Milly laments that Thelma didn't try her cooking, because then she wouldn't have a headache now.
- Wham Episode: The US Army has invaded the Cession. The Council traitor is revealed to be Milly Longhorse. And Raelle is back, but Scylla is caught and faces a trip to a place called the Slaughterhouse.
