This chapter opens with a soliloquy by a "rose-smered-finch" , who tells us that he's not going anywhere near the house where the witches are hiding. He's afraid that they're going to kill him and his family if they don't get rid of the witches. He doesn't want to go to the witches' house, he says, because he thinks they'll kill him if they do. He also says that the witches have killed his mother and his village, and burned it to the ground. He tells her that she's a "pretty lil' thing like you belong in the kitchen, not a swingin' sword" . He says that he knows that he has magical powers, but he'd like to teach her how to use them. So he tells her to find her khat , and he'll teach her to use his magic powers. This is a journey she must make alone, and she must trust herself and her "khat." She's going to show the witches that she has the power to destroy all magic. She says she'll show them that she can rule the land and destroy all the rebels. She'll also show them how she can use her magic powers to destroy the rebels and the witches who use it. She tells him that if he takes her to Queen Drucilla, she will kill him. He promises that if she takes him to the queen, he will kill her. He reminds her that he hasn't been able to find a guardian in a long time, so he