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Summary
Chapter 60
Amren cracks the code in the Book of Breathings and hands Feyre the spell to nullify the Cauldron. A plan has long been in the works, and Amren volunteers to stay behind to protect Velaris. Cassian and Azriel tell Rhysand that he must wait outside because the King of Hybern will sense him if he enters. Meanwhile, Feyre, Cassian, and Azriel go to find the Cauldron. Agonized by the prospect of sending Feyre into the castle without him, Rhysand leaves the decision up to her, and she decides to go ahead with the plan. Later, he gives her the ring she took from the Weaver’s cottage, telling her his mother placed it there to test his future bride. Once they nullify the Cauldron, Feyre wants to get married. Rhysand asks if she wants to go a step beyond that, and she asks what he has in mind.
Chapter 61
Mor, Rhysand, Azriel, Cassian, and Feyre head to the outskirts of Hybern. Feyre has each half of the Book in a separate pocket because letting them touch will unleash ancient evil worse than the King of Hybern’s forces. They work their way through the corridors, with Cassian and Azriel swiftly killing anyone they encounter. Feyre tracks the Cauldron to its hiding place, down a long, twisted staircase.
Chapter 62
Feyre is drawn to the Cauldron and looks into the inky interior, imagining that the entire universe came out of it. As she puts a hand on it, the two halves of the Book try to persuade her to join them together, and she is convinced that doing so will give her control over everything. Mor tries to stop her, but is too late. Feyre tries to say the spell, but she starts to pass out, and Azriel yanks her away from the dais. They hear footsteps, and the others draw their weapons as Jurian walks into the room.
Chapter 63
Rhysand winnows and hides the Book, as Feyre realizes that she has failed and that Jurian, the hero of the human legions, has turned into a monster. They try to winnow out with the Cauldron but can’t move. Jurian says he was sent to distract them so the King of Hybern could weave a spell robbing them of their powers. As Jurian talks about the horror of being forced to watch everything Amarantha did for five hundred years, Feyre realizes that the experience has driven him insane. The King of Hybern arrives to gloat over trapping them, and Jurian fires an ash bolt into Azriel’s heart. The King of Hybern explains that if they don’t cooperate, he will poison Azriel with bloodbane. Rhysand and Feyre follow him to the throne room, and, from the shadows, Lucien and Tamlin emerge.
Chapter 64
In exchange for Feyre, Tamlin will let the King of Hybern’s forces use the Spring Court as a base to remove the wall. Considering himself her master, Tamlin has agreed that Feyre will work for the King of Hybern. Speaking the spell to herself, Feyre restores her power and winnows out of Tamlin’s reach. When Rhysand punches him, Tamlin senses that Rhysand is Feyre’s mate and claims it is some kind of mind trick. The Cauldron appears, and Feyre unleashes her magic—wings and talons, water and fire—but the King of Hybern snuffs her power out again. Then, four of the mortal queens enter the room, with Elain and Nesta, who are bound and gagged.
Analysis
The Inner Circle’s collective efforts to restore Velaris after the attack by the King of Hybern encapsulates the theme of strength in unity. The group’s tireless work emphasizes their commitment to protecting their home and one another, and they each draw on their own special skills. As they pool their individual abilities to carefully plan and execute the nullification of the Cauldron, the narrative takes on the characteristics of a heist, giving each team member a key role to play. Their strengths complement one another, as when Amren translates the spell that will only work if Feyre speaks it. As in many heists, the team’s success relies on both brains and brawn, and it can work only if they pool their talents. No matter how powerful or cunning any individual may be, only a group effort can stop the coming war. The Inner Circle is now operating like a single organism in pursuit of a shared goal, demonstrating the power of teamwork and the importance of the greater good over self-interest.
The theme of manipulation is pervasive as characters navigate political intrigue and personal relationships, especially as many entities fight for control over Feyre. Refusing to accept her decision to be with Rhysand as an exercise of free will, Tamlin accuses Rhysand of warping Feyre’s mind. Tamlin also allows himself to be manipulated by the King of Hybern. The King of Hybern, the master manipulator, uses Azriel, Elain, and Nesta to neutralize Feyre, who would willingly sacrifice herself for those she cares about. The King of Hybern’s heartless approach to domination mirrors the cold cruelty that the remaining mortal queens demonstrate, first in their refusal to protect their subjects near the wall, and second in their willingness to see Elain and Nesta used as hostages to advance the King of Hybern’s agenda. In this throne room, love, trust, and strong personal relationships are liabilities and weaknesses. This reflects the King of Hybern’s cruelty and self-interest, and stands in stark contrast to the communal strength that the Inner Circle, Nesta, and Elain worked together to forge.
The character of Jurian reintroduces the theme of how past trauma causes personal transformation that can be positive or negative. Once a hero of the mortal realm, Jurian experiences things that drive him toward evil and madness, leading him to sacrifice all of humankind to get revenge on the people who helped his lover escape with another. His actions and beliefs demonstrate the potentially destructive power of trauma and heartbreak. Feyre and Rhysand’s redemptive recovery from trauma contrasts with Jurian’s moral downfall, but the reader could also interpret it as potential foreshadowing. To Feyre, the threat of losing everyone she cares about is very real, and it leaves the reader wondering whether she would allow Tamlin and the King of Hybern to subjugate her or be able to recover. This sets high stakes, considering how Tamlin was an obstacle to her recovery after her time Under the Mountain, and only her friends in the Inner Circle were able to help her process her trauma.
The need for individual agency, an ongoing thread in the narrative, reemerges in these chapters as one of Feyre’s driving forces. Although Feyre is now Rhysand’s mate, their relationship is not the traditional patriarchal partnership in which the female plays a supportive role. Rather, Feyre decides whether to move into Rhysand’s bedroom and whether to wear the ring he offers her, and Rhysand accepts her decisions and does not try to influence her in any way. Notably, the ring isn’t something that Rhysand bought for her in a jewelry store. Ironically, she had to go off on a quest like a knight to capture her own ring, following the course set by Rhysand’s mother. This gives Feyre and Rhysand’s mother agency in their shared story as they challenge traditional gender roles. The discussion that Feyre and Rhysand have about how to announce their relationship to the world demonstrates again that they are equal partners. Just when Feyre seems to have achieved a romantic relationship that allows her complete autonomy, her independence is directly challenged by the King of Hybern, who announces that Tamlin, Feyre’s master, has already decided how she will spend the rest of her immortal life.
