Nesta dreads returning to the river house with Cassian after their aborted encounter the night before. The city feels overwhelming after two weeks at the House of Wind, and Nesta braces for judgment from the Inner Circle. Inside the study, she finds Rhysand, Feyre, Azriel, and Amren waiting; Elain and Morrigan are absent. Cassian notices Feyre is shielding her mind, and the tense mood makes clear that the summons concerns danger, not family reconciliation.

Azriel reports that Queen Briallyn has been working with more ambition and support than they realized. The other human queens have abandoned her, but Beron has secretly pledged forces to her cause, and Briallyn is allied with the death-lord Koschei rather than merely being manipulated by him. According to Azriel, Briallyn wants to recover the Cauldron to restore her youth, but Koschei is directing her toward another path first: the Dread Trove, a set of ancient Made objects that may lead them to the hidden Cauldron and help free Koschei from his lake.

When Nesta asks what the Dread Trove is, Amren explains that it consists of three terrifying objects: the Mask, which can raise and command the dead; the Harp, which can open any door, possibly even between worlds; and the Crown, which can dominate minds at close range. The group realizes that if Briallyn gathered all three, she could not only locate the Cauldron but also gain overwhelming military power. Cassian lays out the practical threat: an army of the dead, limitless movement, and conquered minds would make Briallyn and her allies devastating.

The discussion turns to how Briallyn might track Made things. Amren suggests that because Nesta stole power from the Cauldron, while Briallyn was altered by it, both may have a special connection to Made objects. Pressed to describe what happened inside the Cauldron, Nesta struggles but finally admits that she took things from it without understanding exactly what, only knowing the Cauldron did not want to lose them. Cassian quietly shields her from further pressure, and Feyre and Amren conclude that Briallyn may be able to sense the Trove because she was Made, though only imperfectly. Amren then adds that the Trove itself may resist discovery, hide its presence, and even possess a will of its own.

Rhysand and Cassian debate strategy. Cassian wants to warn the courts and strengthen borders, but Rhysand refuses to reveal the Trove widely, fearing others such as Beron would race to seize it; he also insists Cassian keep working with Eris for information. As Amren notes that Made beings may be able to perceive the Trove despite whatever glamour hides it, everyone turns to Nesta and then to the implication that Elain might share that ability. At that moment, Elain appears silently in the doorway and breaks the tension by saying the Trove can be found by using her.