Rhysand brings Lucien to his rooms in the House of Wind and lays out the terms of his stay. Feyre, protective of Elain after everything she has suffered, tells Lucien to stay away from both sisters until she decides what to do, and Rhys adds that Lucien may move about the house and city but may not take Nesta or Elain anywhere or enter their floor. Lucien insists he would never harm Elain, thanks Feyre as they leave, and the uneasy arrangement reveals how tense the mating bond situation has become.

Feyre, Rhys, and Cassian then fly to Amren’s loft, where Mor and Azriel are already waiting. Feyre worries about leaving Lucien, Nesta, and Elain together in the House, and the conversation turns to Nesta. Cassian reveals he has repeatedly tried to train her and has been rebuffed each time, but he also makes clear that Nesta’s refusal comes from trauma after being forced into the Cauldron, which hardens his desire for revenge against the King of Hybern.

The meeting shifts to war planning. Rhys explains that the intelligence Feyre took from Hybern’s commanders confirms what his circle has learned: Hybern may gain support from powerful continental territories such as Vallahan, Montesere, and Rask. They also reveal that Miryam and Drakon, once a possible source of aid, have vanished from Cretea without a trace, and the group suspects Jurian’s obsession with Miryam may be part of why he serves Hybern. Rhys and the others conclude that they cannot count on outside rescue.

Rhys, Amren, Mor, and Azriel then explain the political danger in broader terms. Hybern’s people have been taught to see the war not as conquest but as a return to a lost golden age of human slavery and faerie dominance, and other territories may sympathize with that vision. To prevent foreign armies from joining Hybern, Rhys and Azriel have been secretly spreading truth, lies, and half-truths to stir fear and rivalry among those nations, keeping them focused on their own borders instead of Prythian.

At the same time, the group studies Hybern’s likely next move against the wall. Because the Cauldron has apparently been weakened or constrained, Hybern may try to exploit existing holes in the wall through complicated spell work rather than simply smashing it outright. Feyre offers to help repair the wall with her mixed powers and refuses to force Nesta and Elain into danger again, but after Amren bluntly argues that her sisters may still be needed, Feyre chooses a compromise: she will ask them whether they will help, while leaving the decision to them. The meeting ends with Rhys setting the next major course of action for the war: he will summon every High Lord in Prythian to meet in two weeks and declare where they stand.