A Court of Wings and Ruin

The Bone Carver prefers to remain in the Prison; he fears Stryga and their older brother, another death-god named Koschei. Long ago, he allowed himself to be captured in order to hide from them. Cassian declares they should go; they must travel to the Hewn City that night. Hearing this, the Bone Carver tells Feyre he will take her deal if she brings him Keir’s Ouroboros mirror, which once belonged to the Weaver.

Feyre and Cassian speculate on Nesta’s connection to death and what she took from the Cauldron. Cassian is comfortable with death as a warrior; his feelings about Nesta are unchanged.

Feyre checks on Elain before leaving for the Hewn City. Rhys, Mor, Amren, Azriel, and Nesta are all coming, while Cassian remains to guard Velaris. Elain speaks strangely of a “bird made of fire” in her dreams (246). Feyre invites Elain to tend the gardens at the town house. Nesta and Feyre speculate about whether Elain is improving and whether she has powers as Nesta does.

Lucien arrives, and Feyre enters his mind: Lucien alternates between admiration for Velaris and resentment that Feyre found the kind of home at the Night Court that he’d hoped to find at the Spring Court. He loves Elain deeply and is distressed by her preference for her human fiancé. Elain recognizes him as Tamlin’s emissary, part of the contingent who betrayed her to Hybern. Lucien apologizes; Elain says she hears his heartbeat in her sleep. Overwhelmed, Feyre leaves Lucien’s mind.

Feyre decides Lucien, Nesta, and Elain should all move to the town house immediately. Azriel flies Elain down and offers to show her the garden. Nesta, motion sick, is furious with Rhys for flying too rapidly, and her visible anger surprises the others. As she regains composure, she admits that she “made [the Cauldron] give something back” (255). Feyre theorizes Nesta’s power is death.

Feyre watches Azriel and Elain in the garden from the window, wondering why they aren’t mates instead. Rhys confirms that the mating bond “can be rejected” (258) but that a spiritual connection remains. He promises Feyre that, in his realm, Lucien has no inherent claim to Elain. Feyre wonders why no mating bond appeared between Azriel and Mor, despite centuries of feelings between them. She regrets entering Lucien’s mind. Rhys recommends she forgive herself and resolve not to do it again.

Feyre, Rhys, and their friends arrive at the Court of Nightmares in the Hewn City. Rhys orders the festivities to commence, and Amren and Nesta disappear in the crowd to explore Keir’s magical artifacts. Rhys, Feyre, Keir, Mor, and Azriel retreat to a conference room, where Keir insults Rhys by asking if he’d trade Feyre for the Darkbringer Legions. Rhys, furious, announces another attendee’s entrance: Eris Vanserra. Mor is shocked, but Azriel is unsurprised.

Mor appears visibly betrayed that Rhys allied with Eris. In exchange for Keir’s alliance with Rhys, the Autumn Court will entertain their own alliance with the Court of Nightmares—the original purpose of Mor’s betrothal to Eris. Keir demands access to Velaris as well. Rhys agrees but insists on restrictions to be established later. Azriel stops Mor’s protests with a gentle touch. Keir agrees, obviously pleased by her distress.

Feyre demands the Ouroboros mirror as High Lady. Keir says she can have it “[if she] can take it” (272); the Ouroboros mirror can only be claimed by someone who can withstand what they see within it. No one is known to have ever survived the attempt.

Eris shares tense words with Mor and Feyre over his past transgressions; he claims he didn’t contribute to Mor’s torture and that he saved Lucien from Beron’s wrath over Lucien’s relationship with the lesser fae woman. Eris will persuade his father to ally with them if they support Eris’s eventual bid for the Autumn Court throne. Eris found Azriel spying in the Autumn Court, and Rhys was forced to make a deal or risk exposure. Eris tells Mor he regrets what happened after but that he only intended to give her the freedom she wanted in breaking their engagement. Mor dismisses his poor apology.

At the Velaris town house, Mor confronts Rhys for opening Velaris to her father and allying with Eris. Rhys explains he instructed all Velaris businesses to turn away denizens of the Court of Nightmares; they will be allowed but not welcome. Unsatisfied, Mor asks how Rhys would feel if she allied with Amarantha. Rhys retorts he would be grateful for any opportunity to save his friends. Amren intervenes, insisting the alliance is necessary and temporary, but criticizing Rhys for how he handled things. Feyre reiterates the importance of sticking together.

Cassian asks Feyre about the Ouroboros mirror, accidentally revealing to Amren that they visited the Bone Carver. Amren is livid—she fears recapture—but Rhys asks her to reveal how she escaped. Amren bound herself to her High Fae form, sacrificing her “grace” and “perfect immortality” but gaining the ability to feel emotions as they do and leave the Prison (284). If she undid the spell, she would return to her state as an unfeeling being of wrath and flame.

Elain, who has been listening, announces a vision: She saw a pair of hands aging and a fiery feather on snow. Azriel, seeming to understand, winnows somewhere unknown. Later, Feyre tells Nesta she wants to help Elain, but Nesta doesn’t know what they can do. Feyre goes to her room to weep.

Rhys finds Feyre. He regrets upsetting Mor and admits he takes too much upon himself out of his desire to protect others. They agree seeking the Ouroboros is too risky.

The High Lords of the Day, Dawn, and Winter Courts agree to come to a war council; these are also the Night Court’s closest allies. Feyre and Rhys apologize separately to Mor for the previous day’s arguments; she’s still hurt and unhappy but understands the necessity of compromise and refuses to let Keir and Eris control how she feels. Mor calls the “decisions” of war just as bad as the “death and awfulness” (295).

Madja, a healer, examines Elain but finds nothing physically wrong. Madja cannot examine Elain’s mind, as she is “Cauldron-made” and not naturally High Fae, but suggests Lucien may be able to sense something, as her mate.

Feyre invites Elain for tea with Lucien. Mor chats with Feyre while Amren and Nesta continue their training. Elain startles as Lucien reaches through their bond, and Nesta and Feyre rush to her. Elain grows less lucid and warns a black raven and white raven will arrive soon. Lucien was unable to discover anything about Elain’s condition; disappointed, he helps Mor pick a location for the war council.

Later, Azriel teaches Feyre to fly. It’s still difficult, and her frustration is compounded by her failure to find useful research on the Wall or the Ouroboros mirror and the difficulty of diplomatic relations for the war council. After she crashes into several trees, Azriel tells Feyre about Nephelle, a legendary Seraphim (another species of winged faerie) in Drakon’s army 500 years ago. Nephelle was too weak and small to fight but overcame all odds to fly Miryam to safety. Azriel says that he, Rhys, and Cassian use the “Nephelle Philosophy” in battle, imagining how their weaknesses might become strengths. Inspired, Feyre resumes training.

Nesta and Feyre research the Wall at the library, talking as they walk through the stacks. Nesta didn’t know Feyre was illiterate before Rhys taught her to read; Feyre’s education was neglected after their mother died. Nesta asks why Feyre didn’t ask for help, and Feyre admits she didn’t believe Nesta would give it. Feyre asks Nesta why she rejects intimacy with anyone but Elain. Before Nesta can answer, the lights blink out “one by one” (318), and the sisters run deeper into the library.

Two male High Fae in Hybern uniforms, “one dark-haired, one light” (318), corner the sisters and douse them with faebane. They are the King of Hybern’s “Ravens,” sent to kidnap Nesta and restore her stolen power to the Cauldron.

Feyre indicates for Nesta to trust her and then leads them deeper into the library, toward the terrible thing Cassian saw at the bottom.

The Ravens taunt the sisters in pursuit. Feyre realizes Elain’s vision of aging hands predicted this, and the Hybern spies are the black and white “Ravens” she warned them about. Feyre tells Nesta to run toward a shaft of light, but she continues deeper into total darkness. She whispers for help, and a hushed voice answers. Feyre quickly makes a bargain with the unseen creature: If it helps her, she will send it someone to keep it company. The thing tells her to close her eyes. Feyre hears screams and sounds of the Ravens being mutilated.

Cassian and Rhys arrive, summoned by the priestesses. Cassian escorts Feyre—eyes still closed—out of the library as Rhys deals with what’s left of the Ravens. Outside, Nesta waits safely.

Back at the town house, Cassian pours everyone brandy. In the Night Court, magical bargains are marked by tattoos; Rhys notices a new band around Feyre’s arm, and she tells him what deal she made with the monster. The monster preserved the Ravens’ minds for Rhys to examine and then destroy. He confirms that Hybern wants the power Nesta took from the Cauldron. Nesta doesn’t know what exactly she took; even Amren can’t determine the nature of her power. Nesta is struck by Feyre’s willingness to sacrifice herself to save her sister.

Later, the friends gather at the town house. Elain suggests that the queen “who was cursed […] with the feathers of flame” might join the upcoming war (334). Azriel declares Elain is a seer.

With help from Elain, Azriel realized there is another mortal queen, Vassa, who did not ally with Hybern. In retaliation, the other queens sold her to a dark lord on the eastern continent who cursed her to be “[f]irebird by day […] woman by night” (337). However, they don’t have enough time to find and rescue Vassa as a potential ally. Lucien, heartbroken over Elain, volunteers for a solo mission. Feyre worries whether she will ever secure the Ouroboros mirror and the Bone Carver’s help.

Later, Feyre helps Rhys wash off the Ravens’ blood. He is distraught over failing to prevent Hybern from infiltrating the city. Feyre reassures him they will overcome their enemies.

Rhys and Mor comfort the library priestesses over the violation of their peace. Feyre sees it eases things between Rhys and Mor, too. Feyre feels no choice but to keep going.

Feyre sees Lucien off. Rhys offers to winnow Lucien as far as he can, and Lucien accepts, their shared purpose transcending the bad blood between them. Elain appears just before Lucien leaves, and the mates share a look of unspoken longing. Rhys winnows Lucien away.

Rhys returns to find Feyre waiting for him while Nesta practices her magic. Amren rushes in with news: Hybern has laid siege to the Summer Court.