Chapter 74

Feysand's consciousness is trapped within the Cauldron while the battlefield erupts into chaos. The King of Hybern captures their father and uses him as a human shield to stop Nesta's killing blow, then murders him. Nesta unleashes her newfound power in rage, but ultimately finds herself outmatched as the king corners her and Cassian. Just as the king prepares to strike them both down, Elain emerges from shadow and kills him with Truth-Teller.

Feysand's mind is split between two locations: half trapped within the Cauldron's grip on the hill where Amren made her cryptic apology, half witnessing the battlefield through the Cauldron's senses as it hunts for Nesta's power. On the battlefield, Rhysand and Helion shift into their beast forms to combat Hybern's forces, with Helion engaging a mysterious commander in magical combat while Rhys returns to the fray. The Cauldron's attention snaps to a clearing where Nesta and Cassian await the King of Hybern. When the king arrives, he holds their father hostage—a human shield designed to prevent Nesta's lethal strike. Despite their father's apology to Nesta and his defiance of the king, the King of Hybern snaps his neck, killing him instantly. Nesta's power flickers out momentarily in shock, but then surges back with devastating force. She and Cassian fight the king together; Nesta's raw power blasts hundreds of Hybern soldiers to ash in a single uncontrolled explosion, but the effort exhausts her completely. The king systematically breaks Cassian's body—his wings, his leg—driving him to the ground. Despite being outmatched, Nesta fights on with a sword until the king disarms and strikes her brutally. She manages one final blast of white power that sends him flying through trees, but it depletes her entirely. Unable to save Cassian or escape, Nesta shields his broken body with her own as the king approaches for the killing blow. In that moment, Elain emerges from shadow behind the king and drives Truth-Teller through his throat, killing him.