A Court of Wings and Ruin
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter Twenty One
Overview
As Feyre prepares for her secret trip to the Prison, she discovers that Amren has begun training Nesta to shield her mind before the coming visit to the Court of Nightmares. Dinner underscores the emotional cost of that return, especially for Mor, while Feyre's questions about the Prison hint at how little they truly know about the forces they may unleash. The chapter ends by showing that Feyre's past trauma is still raw, as a nightmare about Amarantha, her sisters, and Rhysand leaves her terrified on the eve of two dangerous confrontations.
Summary
After training, Feyre parts from Rhysand, who goes to find Cassian so Cassian can escort Feyre to the Prison the next morning. Feyre and Rhysand want to avoid looking so desperate that they reveal how badly they need the Bone Carver's help, so Feyre plans to go with the general rather than with Rhysand himself. Feyre then seeks out Nesta and Amren, both to check on their first lesson and to quietly gather any information Amren might have about the Prison.
Feyre finds Amren and Nesta in a silent standoff over a table of books. Amren reveals that Nesta needs basic training in shielding her mind and power before they all visit the Court of Nightmares the next night. Trying not to expose her plan, Feyre carefully asks whether Amren ever interacted with the Prison's other inmates. Amren gives little away, saying the Prison is a stone hell full of beings who should never roam free, but she makes clear that Nesta's protection matters more than satisfying Feyre's curiosity.
That evening, Feyre dines with Rhysand, Mor, and Cassian at the town house while Azriel remains away gathering intelligence. Feyre is physically exhausted from training, and Mor is tense and withdrawn because the coming visit to the Hewn City means facing her family's cruelty again. During dinner, Mor warns Rhysand to think carefully about whatever price Keir might demand in exchange for the Court of Nightmares' army. Rhysand does not commit himself, and after the meal he has a bath prepared for Feyre so she can recover before the next day's dangerous meetings beneath the Prison and in the Hewn City.
That night, Feyre is seized by a nightmare that merges Under the Mountain with her present fears. In the dream, Nesta is mutilated like Clare, Elain is bound and tortured, and Rhysand follows Amarantha away while Feyre remains magically trapped and unable to stop any of it. Rhysand pulls Feyre out of the nightmare by commanding her to breathe until she can return to herself. Sick and shaken, Feyre clings to him, reminding herself that they survived and silently vowing that no one will ever be allowed to hurt Rhysand or her sisters that way again.
Who Appears
- Feyre ArcheronPrepares to visit the Prison, probes Amren for clues, and is shaken by a traumatic nightmare.
- RhysandArranges Cassian as Feyre's escort, navigates Mor's warning, and calms Feyre after her nightmare.
- AmrenBegins teaching Nesta to shield her mind and gives Feyre only grim hints about the Prison.
- Nesta ArcheronEndures Amren's first lesson and prepares for the coming visit to the Court of Nightmares.
- MorQuietly dreads returning to the Hewn City and warns Rhys about Keir's likely demands.
- CassianChosen to escort Feyre to the Prison because his presence looks less revealing than Rhysand's.
- Elain ArcheronAppears in Feyre's nightmare as a helpless victim, reflecting Feyre's fear for her sisters.
- AmaranthaReturns in Feyre's nightmare as the embodiment of Under the Mountain's lingering terror.