Chapter 4: Feyre

Cassian flies from Windhaven to escape his frustration with Devlon and the other Illyarian warriors. He soars past Ramiel, the sacred mountain at the heart of the Night Court, then travels to the abandoned, snow-covered ruins of his birthplace—a camp he destroyed years ago after his mother was mistreated there. The chapter reveals Cassian's tragic past and his motivation for training female warriors.

Cassian leaves Windhaven by flying rather than winnowing, deliberately ignoring Devlon and the sparring warriors to assert dominance. He takes to the skies over the Illyrian mountains, passing patrols and reflecting on the dangerous creatures that hide in the peaks. As he flies toward Ramiel, the sacred mountain where the Blood Rite competition occurs, Cassian recalls his brothers Rhys and Azriel reaching its summit five centuries ago and the power of touching the ancient onyx monolith atop it. He contemplates the ongoing tensions within the Illyrian community and wonders if the upcoming spring Rite might ease discontent, hoping to avoid another conflict so soon after the recent war. Continuing south, Cassian lands at the ruins of his birthplace—a mountain pass camp he razed to the ground. The village was abandoned long ago after he destroyed it in violent retribution for how his unwed mother had been mistreated and cast out into the snow after bearing him as a bastard. Though he never discovered where she was buried, Cassian reveals that his training of female warriors is motivated by her suffering and his desire to prevent such cruelty from happening again to his people. He briefly thinks of Nesta but forces the thought away, unwilling to dwell on her. After standing in silence among the ruins, Cassian spreads his wings and prepares to return, noting he has three days before he must go to Velaris for the Solstice.