Hidden behind a tree in the Middle, Feyre sees the Suriel dying from ash arrows that were meant to kill, not merely disable. Though she is exhausted and still capable of winnowing away, Feyre realizes she cannot heal the Suriel until the arrows are removed. Ianthe approaches with two Hybern guards and reveals that she used the robe she once gave the Suriel to place a tracking spell on it, hoping to catch Feyre when she returned.

The Suriel silently urges Feyre to run, even though that would leave it to be captured and taken to Hybern. Feyre understands both the Suriel’s pain and the danger of what it knows, and she makes a decision: instead of fleeing, she will draw Ianthe and the guards away. She steps into the clearing, taunts Ianthe, blocks an incoming arrow with a weakening shield of air, and then turns and runs.

As Feyre races through the forest, she senses the ancient woods helping her, opening a path for her while hindering her pursuers. Her goal is twofold: buy the Suriel time to escape or survive, and make Ianthe pay for what she has done. Even drained and hunted, Feyre keeps the guards close behind her by staying just ahead of them.

Feyre deliberately leads the chase toward a familiar destination in the Middle, recognizing the terrain from an earlier visit with Rhysand. When an arrow narrowly misses her, she pushes onward until she reaches the clearing with the hair-thatched cottage of the Weaver. Pretending desperation so her pursuers will follow, Feyre crosses the threshold into the Weaver’s cottage, turning the chase into a trap of her own.