Chapter Seventy-Four

Briallyn reveals her plan to exploit Nesta's love for Cassian by forcing her to surrender the Trove in exchange for his life. After using the Crown to enslave Cassian and command him to kill Nesta, Cassian breaks free of the Crown's control and turns the knife on himself instead. Nesta's resulting magical fury unleashes devastation across the realms as she destroys Briallyn completely.

The chapter opens with Briallyn using the Crown to halt a storm and freeze Cassian in place, his eyes becoming glassy and empty. Nesta demands to know why Briallyn orchestrated events to bring her to this mountain. Briallyn explains that she intentionally had Illyrians capture Emerie and Morrigan to lure Nesta into wearing down her power, then used the Crown to wait for Cassian to come close enough to enslave him. She reveals that Eris was captured and forced into servitude by Koschei, and that Bellius was sent to hunt Cassian but killed him instead—an outcome Briallyn found entertaining. Briallyn's ultimate goal is to obtain the Trove and use it to restore her youth and gain power; she demands Nesta summon the Trove and hand it over in exchange for sparing Cassian's life, a promise Nesta recognizes as a lie. When Nesta refuses, Briallyn commands Cassian to attack her. Though tormented by the Crown's control, Cassian is forced upon Nesta with a knife. Briallyn then orders Cassian to kill, but does not specify the target. Cassian, fighting the Crown's hold with all his will, turns the knife toward his own heart instead. As he does, Nesta's magic erupts with catastrophic force—avalanches cascade down cliffs, trees shatter, distant seas withdraw and surge back, and objects shake throughout the realms. Nesta launches herself at Briallyn and, channeling raw magical fury, transforms the queen's aged body into a young, beautiful one before utterly erasing her from existence, leaving only the Crown behind.