Feyre goes with Rhys beneath the House of Wind to research how to repair the wall. On the way down, they discuss how libraries existed before the War but often excluded humans because the books contained magic and dangerous knowledge. Rhys explains that many libraries were burned rather than let humans access them, and he also tells Feyre that people of mixed human and Fae heritage were brutalized and rejected on both sides of the wall. Because of that history, Rhys says that if the wall falls, Velaris will be opened to any human or faerie who needs refuge.

At the library entrance, Feyre meets Clotho, a silent priestess who works there. Inside, Feyre sees the immense mountain library and learns there is something unknown and deeply unsettling at the bottom of its central pit, something that once terrified Cassian. Rhys and Feyre share a brief, playful exchange as they follow Clotho to a prepared reading room, which softens the tension before the deeper truths of the place emerge.

When Feyre notices Clotho's scarred, twisted hands, she is reminded of the priestess she once harmed Under the Mountain. Rhys explains that Clotho was mutilated by males who cut out her tongue and permanently damaged her hands, and that Mor found her and helped her heal. He reveals that the library now serves as a refuge for priestesses who have survived similar abuse; they control access to the space, and Rhys made it theirs so they could have safety and choice. Feyre recognizes the importance of that gift, especially because Rhys himself came there after Under the Mountain.

Rhys and Feyre then work separately through old texts. Comparing notes later, they discover that the wall was never intended to be permanent: it was originally meant as a temporary division until humans and faeries could eventually decide how to live together again. Instead, time, fear, political changes, and forgetfulness turned the wall into a lasting border and then into legend.

After leaving the library, Feyre and Rhys discuss the coming war while sitting in the sunlight above Velaris. Rhys admits that even with all seven courts and Keir's forces, victory by conventional armies is unlikely, and he is prepared to take the brunt of Hybern's power himself if necessary. Feyre refuses to accept his self-sacrifice as the plan and searches for another option. Remembering Amren's warning about awakening ancient powers when the two halves of the Book were joined, Feyre proposes approaching the Bone Carver and offering him a bargain tied to his desire to return to his own world.