In the Middle, Feyre turns toward the voice that called to her and finds the Suriel waiting nearby in a new, torn cloak. Feyre asks where Hybern is hiding its army, but the Suriel says even it cannot see through the ancient magic cloaking the force. The Suriel explains that the Cauldron is masking Hybern and tells Feyre that Nesta, not Elain, may be able to locate it because Nesta was Made from the Cauldron and can follow that bond through scrying with bones or stones.

Feyre then presses the Suriel about whether the Cauldron can be stopped. The Suriel reveals that when Feyre used the Book to try to nullify the Cauldron before, it failed because Feyre could not hold on long enough; doing so fully would have cost Feyre her life. It also warns that even if the Cauldron is nullified, victory will still depend on whether Feyre’s allies survive the fighting that follows.

Seeking every possible advantage, Feyre asks about the Bone Carver and mentions Bryaxis. The Suriel says it cannot see the Bone Carver’s fate because he is not of this earth, underscoring how dangerous and unusual that power is. When Feyre admits that the Bone Carver demanded the Ouroboros in exchange for his help, the Suriel identifies it as the Mirror of Beginnings and Endings and tells Feyre that only Feyre can decide whether what she sees in it will break her.

Before Feyre can get a full answer about how to stop Hybern, the Suriel adds one final clue: the answer lies on the second and penultimate pages of the Book, and Feyre should tell the “silver-eyed messenger.” The moment is cut short when ash arrows suddenly strike the Suriel through the throat and body. Feyre moves to defend it, but another shot forces her behind a tree, and then a female voice speaks from the woods. Feyre recognizes the speaker as Ianthe, who has arrived with two Hybern soldiers and has ambushed the Suriel.