The Night Court’s army camps in secret at the northern border of the Winter Court after flying all day. Before dawn, the Illyrian legion plans to launch for the southern battlefield, while Keir and the Darkbringers will winnow in separately. Feyre notes that Tarquin has been warned and that messages were sent to Helion and Kallias, but everyone knows the coming clash will mean heavy losses if Jurian’s intelligence is correct.

Inside the war tent, Feyre and Mor speak while the camp settles for the night. Feyre asks whether Mor ever suspected Jurian might still have some goodness in him, and Mor admits that she had fought beside Jurian long ago and assumed Amarantha had simply destroyed him. Their conversation turns to damage and survival, with Mor observing that everyone is broken in hidden ways.

Mor then asks about Elain, and Feyre admits that Elain is not all right. After Graysen rejected her, Elain has done little but lie on her cot and cry, still wearing her ring. Feyre realizes that Elain seems to have lost her last hope of reclaiming her old human life, leaving only the absent Archeron father as any remaining link to that world. Mor concludes that war and life alike force people to reevaluate what they failed to see in others.

Feyre sleeps poorly, and Rhys never comes to their bed. Before sunrise, Feyre follows the mating bond and finds Rhys alone on a rocky outcropping, watching the stars fade over the sleeping camp. Rhys admits that many soldiers will die and that bearing that knowledge never becomes easier. He asks if Feyre is ready for battle, and although Feyre says she is not, she accepts that there is no choice. As the camp wakes, Rhys quietly tells Feyre he is grateful to have her beside him, and they share a final intimate moment before the army rises to fight.