Chapter Sixteen

Cassian and Nesta navigate awkward morning-after tension at breakfast before training, where Cassian teaches Nesta core exercises and discusses the Illyrian Blood Rite ritual. The chapter reveals details about this brutal coming-of-age challenge and ends with Nesta proposing that Cassian train the priestesses from the library.

Cassian arrives at breakfast highly aroused and struggles to maintain composure around Nesta, who is equally flustered. Their brief exchange about her romance novel is tense with unspoken awareness of each other's self-pleasure from the previous night. In the training ring, Cassian shifts focus to core exercises, which Nesta struggles with, though his demonstration of abdominal work—performed shirtless—captivates her attention. When Nesta questions why there are no female Illyrian fighters, Cassian explains the Blood Rite, an initiation ritual for Illyrian warriors typically undertaken in their twenties. He describes the week-long ordeal: warriors are drugged and dropped into the Illyrian Mountains with no weapons, magic, or wings; they must survive rival warriors, clans, and beasts while reaching Ramiel, a sacred mountain. The final day involves a brutal climb where one misstep means death. Only a few warriors achieve the Carynthian tier by touching the sacred stone at the summit; Cassian, Rhysand, and Azriel accomplished this five centuries ago. Cassian explains that while females like Mor could theoretically win, the Rite presents additional dangers—sexual violence—that make it impractical. He notes that Illyrian culture progresses slowly: females once faced death for touching weapons, now merely "decontamination" rituals. Toward the end, Nesta proposes training the priestesses from the library with Cassian's help, emphasizing safety and privacy. Though many priestesses bear trauma around males, she believes the training could benefit them. Cassian agrees enthusiastically, offering to arrange it with Rhysand and noting Nesta should seek Clotho's permission. He warmly approves of the idea.