Chapter Eight

Nesta attempts to descend the House's ten-thousand-step stairwell to reach the city and find wine, but physical weakness forces her to turn back after only one hundred eleven steps. Cassian discovers her collapse and later taunts her about her soreness at breakfast, leading to charged banter between them. During training at the Illyrian camp, Nesta refuses to participate and sits motionless on a rock in the cold while Cassian practices alone.

Nesta, desperate for wine and unable to access the locked cellar or kitchen, attempts the punishing descent of the House's spiral staircase. The climb triggers dizziness, trembling legs, and intrusive memories of her father's death at the King of Hybern's hands. After reaching only step one hundred eleven, her legs buckle completely and she crawls back upward, arriving at the top to find Cassian waiting. He shares a memory of climbing the stairs as punishment with Rhys and Azriel as boys, which momentarily softens her anger. The next morning at breakfast, Nesta arrives early to avoid showing Cassian her stiffness, but he recognizes her pain immediately. When Azriel joins them, Nesta impulsively requests to train with him instead of Cassian, sparking heated banter between her and Cassian about physical weakness and bedroom habits that leaves both flustered. Later, at the Illyrian camp, Nesta refuses to enter the sparring ring and sits immobilized on a rock despite the freezing cold while Cassian performs an hour-long solo practice routine. When he returns, she finally moves indoors to Rhys's mother's old house to warm herself by the fire. There, Cassian notices her staring into the flames with a haunted, fearful expression before she withdraws into silence.