Kel is now officially a page but she has still to get through the next three years if she ever wants to fulfill her dream of becoming Tortall's first female knight. These three years are not going to be easy as she continues to deal with relationships, training, hormonal changes, and an unshakeable fear of heights while the public page examinations loom which will determine her future ever closer in the horizon. At the outset of the book Joren, her archenemy, appears to have stopped tormenting her. While initially Kel is distrustful of this apparent reversal, eventually she lets go of her animosity. While Joren has backed away, another antagonist in the form of Vinson comes to the fore. Vinson is one of Joren's gang and also a squire. Kel catches him attacking her timid maid Lalasa Isran who Kel recently hired with the aim of protecting her from such incidents. While Kel successfully stops the assault she is torn between her responsibility to report Vinson or stay silent to protect Lalasa's reputation. While she chooses silence, this decision weighs heavily upon her. Despite these internal personal struggles Kel's aptitude with weaponry and her skills as a leader continues to grow. Over the course of the book Kel's prowess with the lance, staff and bow is refined, and her knowledge of battle strategy is developed through mock fights. Her expertise serves her well when she and her friends are attacked by bandits whilst camping in the Royal Forest. Despite the overwhelming odds Kel keeps a cool head and calmly orders her friends, leading them to safety until Lord Wyldon and his troops can arrive. While Kel makes extraordinary progress throughout the book, her fear of heights torments her throughout her time as a page. Though Lord Wyldon attempts to force her to face her fears by assigning height related chores/punishments, she remains terrified until the day of her page examinations. An hour before the exam she gets an anonymous message that Lalasa has been kidnapped and left atop Balor's Needle – the highest tower in Tortall. While Kel is determined to save her she knows this mean both potentially missing the exams – the punishment for which is repeating the last four years of study – and confronting her own shortcomings. Despite these challenges Kel climbs the rickety, rusty, spiral staircase on the outside of Balor's Needle and successfully rescues Lalasa. For her bravery, and because of the extenuating circumstances, Kel is allowed to retake the examinations alone; she passes with flying colors and officially becomes a Squire.