A Court of Silver Flames
by Sarah J. Maas
Contents
Chapter Forty-Three
Overview
Nesta and Cassian's secret meeting with Eris turns tense when he blames them for the deaths of his enthralled soldiers, but Nesta seizes control by exposing his likely connection to forbidden ash arrows. When Tamlin catches them trespassing in the Spring Court, Nesta refuses to cower and directly confronts him over the damage he caused her family, showing how much stronger and more protective she has become.
Back at the House of Wind, Nesta begins to think of the House as home and briefly senses something lurking in the library's depths. The chapter deepens Nesta's loyalty to Cassian and her sisters while hinting that another hidden danger or mystery remains beneath the surface.
Summary
Rhysand brings Nesta and Cassian to the Spring Court so Cassian can meet Eris in secret. While they wait, Nesta notices Cassian is uncomfortable because the flowers trigger his allergies, and the beauty of the court makes Nesta think of Elain and of how unwelcome Nesta feels in comparison. Eris finally arrives, and Cassian tells him that most of Eris's missing soldiers were killed after Briallyn and Koschei enchanted them into mindless attackers in the Bog of Oorid.
Eris reacts with anger and accuses Cassian and Azriel of slaughtering his soldiers instead of saving them. When Cassian hesitates under the accusation, Nesta steps in to defend him by revealing that the soldiers had used forbidden ash arrows against Azriel. Nesta then presses Eris about where those arrows came from and suggests he may be hiding plans against his own father or other enemies. That attack forces Eris onto the defensive, shifts the balance of the conversation, and lets Cassian end the exchange by sincerely apologizing and offering help to the dead soldiers' families.
Eris needles Cassian further by flirting with Nesta, but the confrontation is interrupted when Tamlin appears in beast form. Cassian prepares to protect Nesta, yet Nesta steps forward instead of backing down. She blames Tamlin for what happened to Feyre, for his alliance with Hybern, and for the fact that both Nesta and Elain were thrown into the Cauldron. Nesta unleashes enough of her power to shake the ground, warns Tamlin not to reveal that she, Cassian, and Eris met there, and leaves with Cassian after making it clear she will not fear him again.
Later, unable to sleep, Nesta stands in the library and reflects on the encounter with Tamlin. The House gives her warm milk, and Nesta realizes the House of Wind feels more alive and welcoming than the Spring Court did; for the first time, she wonders if this place might truly be home. She then senses something strange moving in the darkness at the bottom of the library, but it vanishes when Cassian arrives. Cassian praises how she handled both Eris and Tamlin, and their quiet conversation ends with Nesta and Cassian agreeing that Tamlin never deserved Feyre.
Who Appears
- Nesta ArcheronDefends Cassian, verbally corners Eris, confronts Tamlin over past harms, and begins to see the House as home.
- CassianMeets Eris about the enthralled soldiers, endures his accusations, protects Nesta, and later reassures her in the library.
- ErisAutumn heir who spars over his dead soldiers and is unsettled when Nesta raises the issue of ash arrows.
- TamlinSpring Court High Lord who catches the secret meeting and is cowed when Nesta blames and threatens him.
- The House of WindSentient home that comforts Nesta with warm milk as she senses something unsettling in the library depths.