Chapter 37

Feyre spends two days searching the city for the Book of Breathings while maintaining appearances, discovering a small stone building visible only at low tide near the tidal causeway. When she asks Tarquin about it at dinner, she uses her newfound daemati mind-reading powers to infiltrate his thoughts and manipulate him into taking her to the mainland instead, violating his mind without his knowledge. Afterward, Rhys and Amren reveal the building is indeed warded and likely contains the Book, and they plan an infiltration for the following night.

Feyre uses her two days in Adriata to search for the Book while carefully avoiding drawing suspicion. She practices water-magic in private and observes the city's scars from Amarantha's retribution, taking comfort in knowing she freed these people. On the third evening, while climbing back to the palace, she spots a small stone building revealed by the receding tide near the causeway—a structure that would normally be submerged and invisible. Recognizing it as potentially significant, she carefully raises the subject at dinner with Tarquin, Cresseida, and Varian, mentioning a walk to the causeway. When Tarquin's wariness surfaces, Feyre makes a critical choice: she uses her daemati abilities to penetrate his mental shields by mirroring his own essence, then plants thoughts in his mind to redirect him away from the temple and toward showing her the mainland instead. The violation succeeds, and Tarquin readily agrees to the plan. Later, Rhys and Amren come to her room to discuss strategy. Rhys acknowledges her daemati skill, though he also reveals he has previously entered her own mind without permission—to check on her safety. Feyre expresses moral discomfort with violating Tarquin, but Rhys justifies it as necessary. They determine the stone building is warded against winnowing and likely contains the Book, hidden in a location visible only during low tide. They devise a plan: Feyre and Amren will scout the guard rotations that night, then infiltrate the building the following night while Rhys keeps watch from above and masks them from sight. Rhys then departs, leaving Feyre and Amren to take a midnight walk to observe the guards.