At Windhaven, Nesta sits out training and secretly watches Cassian move through his drills, struck by how beautiful and deadly he is and by memories of how deeply she once cared when he was dying. Morrigan arrives, notices immediately that Nesta has not trained, and needles her about watching Cassian. When Nesta responds with cold sarcasm and implies that being Feyre’s sister protects her, Morrigan bluntly says she would have sent Nesta back to the human lands and compares her to cruel people Morrigan once knew.

Cassian reaches them as the tension peaks, and Morrigan coolly remarks that the day has been a slow start. Cassian does not defend Nesta or argue, which leaves Nesta feeling exposed and angry. Back at the House of Wind, Cassian still does not speak to her directly, but leaves a brief note ordering her to report to the library at one. Nesta goes not out of obedience, but because being alone with her thoughts feels even worse.

In the library, seeing Clotho’s maimed hands and remembering what Feyre said about the priestesses’ pasts triggers Nesta’s own trauma from Hybern and the Cauldron. She forces herself back into the present, and Clotho silently assigns her to shelve books on Level Three until six o’clock. As Nesta works, the task’s repetition and order quiet her mind for the first time in a while. She also realizes the priestesses have allowed her into their sanctuary, and some greet her with tentative kindness.

At the end of the shift, Clotho thanks Nesta, warns her to wear clothes she does not mind ruining, and adds that Feyre speaks highly of her. Nesta rejects the kindness by calling Feyre a liar, though Clotho seems faintly amused rather than offended. When Nesta goes to dinner, Cassian is absent and the table is set for one, underscoring her isolation. The House serves food but refuses to give her wine, apparently under orders, and Nesta ends the chapter furious and determined to leave and get it herself.