Chapter 9

Feyre executes her escape plan from the Spring Court, gathering intelligence about Hybern's military strength and wall-breaking strategy while subtly sowing discord among the court. Before leaving, she encounters Ianthe assaulting the shackled Lucien and uses her daemati powers to brutally punish the priestess by forcing her to shatter her own hand—only to be discovered by the Hybern twins.

Feyre remains at the Spring Court manor as Ianthe attempts to strengthen her position with Tamlin and Hybern. When Ianthe announces she will accompany the group to inspect the wall, Feyre prepares for departure. Alis reveals she too is leaving to return to Summer Court territory, and the two women share an emotional farewell; Alis warns that Feyre is marked for death by the Summer Court, but pledges lasting friendship. During the journey northward via repeated winnowing, Feyre positions herself as amenable to Ianthe to gain the priestess's trust. At the wall, she eavesdrops on the Hybern twins' conversation and learns critical details: their army numbers one hundred thousand, with allied forces from Vallahan, Montesere, and Rask bringing the total to two hundred thousand; the Cauldron will magnify the power of the wall breach at this precise location; and Hybern deliberately allowed Amarantha to rule as an experiment. Feyre has primed the sentries—particularly Bron and Hart—with false memories via her daemati powers, arranging for them to later claim she fled after being brutalized by Dagdan and Brannagh, which will shatter Tamlin and Ianthe's alliance with Hybern. As she prepares to slip away with her packed supplies and Tamlin's bandolier of knives, Feyre discovers Ianthe sexually assaulting the magically shackled Lucien. Overcome with rage, Feyre breaches Ianthe's mental shields and takes control of her mind, forcing the priestess to repeatedly smash her own hand with a rock while implanting commands that Ianthe will never remember the incident, will live in constant terror of retribution, and will experience lasting psychological consequences. However, Brannagh and Dagdan emerge from the forest and witness Feyre's display of daemati power.